Sugar | Algenis Perez Soto

tonight we present a double feature built around stories of immigration Sports culture and economy we begin with sugar directed by Anna Bowden and Ryan Fleck followed by NL NL septimo Dia uh on the seventh day directed by Jim McKay uh NL septimo NL septimo Dia is the first of two films directed by uh Jim McKay that are included in this series and we're looking forward to hosting Jim McKay in person on June 26th uh following a discussion of his film our song So tonight we are thrilled to have as our guest the star of sugar Al Hennis pz sto who will join me on stage for a Q&A following the screening but I want to acknowledge Him right now Al Hennis if you could just raise your hand and wave to everybody's right there I think you are about to experience if you haven't seen the film yet or if you haven't seen the film on the big screen in a in a in a what I'm told is a gorgeous 35mm print uh Al henis gives an absolute Powerhouse performance particularly remarkable for it being his first film and we are so honored and thrilled to have him here with us for a conversation after the film so with that please turn off all your cell phones please leave your masks on throughout the film and enjoy sugar so born and raised in the Dominican Republic our special guest tonight made his feature film debut in tonight's film sugar and most recently is sted in broken Island and Captain and in Captain Marvel uh as Atlas please help me welcome to the stage Al kenis Perez [Laughter] sto you may if you like yes you're sad yes you can than there we go well thank you so much for joining us tonight thank you everyone for coming I really appreciate it thank you thank you so I have a few questions then we'll turn it over for the audience we have um uh our theater staff will have mics so wait for the mic to come to you I'll you know they'll they'll bring a mic to you and ask the question we'll go from there so Alis thank you again for joining us I just want to say that is one of my all-time favorite endings the final sequence of that film in the in the field and where you're introducing the other players it's like the greatest every time I see I'm like just it's like a heartwarming ending for a film that has a lot of ups and downs but it also is my one of my favorite endings because the film the film ends on your face and it's almost like the whole story of Miguel's journey is in your face in that moment and so this is a really epic film that goes from Dominican Republic to the middle Midwest of America to New York it goes from the farm leagues to the minor leagues to the almost to the major leagues but in a way it never leaves it also never leaves Miguel's head the whole film is your face your Expressions I want to talk a little bit about how you first met anab bodden and Ryan Fleck but I want to talk to you first about like how did you feel about getting this role and how did you prepare for this this knowing that you you basically carrying this whole movie yeah um well I'm really glad that you like that ending uh I've heard a lot of people say that why the end you know like that because they were expected me to be throwing like fast bowls like in the knuckle curve and in the Yankee Stadium but I think that was the ending you know like that that the movie really needed and um you know I met Anna Ryan Anna B and Ryan in the Dominican Republic of course because the first time I came to this country was for uh to work in this movie and um they went to Dominican Republic and they were seeing a lot of guys uh because they were looking for his character Miguel and they were interviewing a lot of guys in the baseball fields everywhere you know um and then they finally saw me because you know the story is that they saw my brother first you know he was working out at a gym and they saw him and and they were like um would you come tomorrow you know so we can see you for an audition for a movie and and my brother was studying to be a doctor so he's a doctor right now and and then um he said no I don't have time for that but I have a brother that he looks more like a baseball player than I do and then he told me when he uh when he got home he told me this is what's happening so tomorrow 2 p.m like they're going to be in this location and I was like okay we we'll go I don't care you know um then the next day the the uh the same day that they had the audition uh we had a softball game okay and then it was like across the street from the place they were going to um they were going to have their audition and then after that like when I realized that we're gonna play ball I'm like you know what I'm not going to any casting because that's not what I do I'm not going to be wasting my time so I'm just gonna go play and then after that when they were done with their casting their auditions they were doing they came over to the field where we were playing which was across the street and my brother told me look uh these other the people I told you you didn't go I'm like okay we can do it now if they want you know and then they they came over they asked me a few questions they give me a number you know what I was like 452 yeah I read an interview Ryan said that they remember that number you were the 452nd person they had talked to for this role yes exactly because they were looking for this character because you know the the the previous movie they made they found their uh their character that way you know and it was fast you know so they say you know what Let's do let's do the same with this movie so when they went to the it wasn't working you know they have like almost 500 people and they haven't found their character you know so it was amazing they they um they asked me Anna bin asked me if I wanted to be an actor I said yeah okay you know but I I was not really I wasn't interested because you know that in in in reality like I'm very like I can say a little bit like um shy a little bit shy you know like um and then and and then I remember that they gave me a um a dialogue you know they gave me a page like oh could you come tomorrow like so we can see you on camera doing something I'm like okay whatever you know so the next day they um when I had to be there I called my brother are you going to the to the audition he said no no no I'm not coming I said okay I'm not coming either then and then you know it seems like that was Chase to me because you know then uh then she was texting me like oh are you coming we're waiting for you I'm like yeah yeah but then I was like bro I'm not I don't want to go there you know I was I was I was a little nervous about it yeah and then um I decided to go you know then when I got there there were like three four other guys and I was like okay I'm going to I'm going to be last I told him they said no no no you're going to be first I'm like okay but what why should I why do I have to be the first one you know and then after that uh um I told them listen I've never done this before so it's my first time doing it they said don't worry that's what we're looking for and then you know after that uh um everything worked out perfectly and it was amazing to work with them because they were so patient with me you know and they were so good um directed me and and uh and and guided me you know so I I fell in love with the acting career something that I've never really thought I would be doing ever in my life it's a it's an extraordinary story and and it's a really amazing performance so yeah I read that they had they had spoken to 452 people and then they finally found you and um you know in an interview Ryan said that they knew you could carry this movie they had total confidence in you that you could carry the movie all the way through you said you were a little bit nervous going to the audition You' never done this before when and how did you feel like when and how did you find your confidence as an actor as a performer in this film and how did Anna and Ryan help you get there if they did um you know um we were rehearsing a lot and I remember that I asked Anna like is the movie going to be good you know cuz how I didn't know like uh um I didn't know them and I was like you know I don't want to be I don't want my face to be in the worst movie ever you know like I was a little worried about that like I was not an actor but I want to make sure that I was not that my face was not on the cover of the worst movie ever you know like on the lease on YouTube or something like that and then you know she told me um we're gonna know uh um if the movie is good when people see you in the movie thinking and they know what you're thinking I'm like how am I going to do that like without saying a word right and you know I just um I trust them you know like uh apparently they trust me like so uh it was crazy but I I really I really enjoyed the the film so for them to think that I could like be their the uh their lead right actor in their film you know like it it was it was something special and I I I appreciate and I'm very thankful with the Lord and them like for giving me the opportunity well I mean the inner life of Miguel's character comes through in your face throughout the film The the highs and the lows and and um which is why it's so amazing that the film ends in in a close-up of your face it's because you like I said you see the whole film sort of play out across you're coming to terms with where you end up where you ended up in where Miguel ended up in that film but it's also I I want to ask you a bit about this it wasn't just learning the performance and expressing that inner life that you have but you also had to learn to pitch did you have to what was that process like yes I used to play baseball before my whole life I used to play baseball but I never I never pitched before so for the movie I had uh I was training with uh Jose riho he was a a world serious MVP he was a pitcher for the Cincinnati R and uh they were teaching me like the technique and all that cuz I used to play baseball before but I was I was short stop I used to play infield like short stop second base and um and you know I was training for like almost two months before before we started shooting the movie so yeah that was my process uh uh um of of learning the the mechanic and I remember I was preing so much in Dr like like sequences that by the time we traveled to Iowa to film like the uh the next part of the movie like you know uh um I couldn't lift my arm sure like I was having uh uh problems in my muscles like in my shoulders you know my tendance and all that and um they had to give me like a lot of therapy before uh um I could do it again but I was like I couldn't even lift my arm like this High because it was very sure tense I guess but in the film you have a foot injury which is sort no the yeah the foot injuries that was um this is a a general question about you know you said your brother wanted to be a doctor and he's now a doctor and you you played baseball but and and now you're you're an actor um in the film in the film obviously the the baseball is is a huge part of the film obviously that's what its focus is and when Miguel's character is is is um brought up to the the minor leagues as a big celebration it seems like the whole neighborhoods there that's there's that whole sequence where all of his family and neighbors seem to come up and can you talk a little bit about um um like what is the role of of of or the place and space of baseball in the Dominican Republic and in the life of young young young men coming up in the Dominican rep Republic and how does the film capture that well um baseball is huge in the Dominican Republic baseball for most of the fathers it's like uh a ticket out of poverty like if they have a boy like you know the first thing they do is like uh um the first gift would be a ball a bat you know because they want to have H uh uh his his son like interested in baseball you know and uh everybody I think everybody in the Dr like like has somebody like a a brother uh a neighbor uh a neighbor um anybody you know playing baseball like so everybody in Dr I think is familiar with this story with sugar in baseball like I said before it's like it's it's like a ticket out of poverty like that's how parents see it the only thing is that you know a lot of young guys you know they stopped going to school so they can dedicate 100% to play ball and that's that's the problem if you seen the movie like when he's like uh he said that he was time when he was 16 years old and then he's like asking questions because he already having uh doubts in his head like what am I gonna do if I don't play baseball you know he's asking this guy like what do you do if you don't play baseball and he's like oh I could be a teacher I could be this he has so many options and on top of that he received a $1 million bonus to sign right you know so Miguel characters got uh $15,000 it's a huge different you know and then um he thinking like okay now I'm hurt what am I going to do my friend he's already he's been released right what am I gonna do because in in his head it's like I have my family in the Dominican Republic and they they're counting on me if I don't play what am I gonna do so he's having this conversation with this other character and it's like trying to find out like what I can do but it's like you know it's different from here because for you to play baseball you have to be in school you have to be in school so you can be draft right okay you know that's not it's not like that in Dominican Republic so the problem is you know that um when I used to play ball when I was in school if a teacher would uh would ask me like oh uh what you gonna do when when you grow up I would say I'm gonna be a baseball player I never had a second a second thought that I was going to be a doctor or something like that because I knew I was going to be a baseball player but I was lucky that I had my parents you know they were like like they they they they were focused on us you know like uh on on us like that we had to go to school you know and then play ball in case you know that doesn't happen we had uh uh um at Plan B you know to fall back you know a lot of guys in the Dominican Republic they don't have that they don't go to school they don't they don't prepare themselves like for life they just prepare for baseball and then when baseball doesn't happen then you know they're like in the limbo you know and you've now chosen the very secure career of becoming an actor in Hollywood how was that Journey been like I mean you you you're you're now part of the Marvel Universe you you starred as Atlas Captain Captain Marvel which was also directed by Anna Bowden and Ryan FL and so and and now you're you're you're pursuing you're pursuing your big screen career how how how how did you make how did you make that Journey from sugar to the Marvel Universe and and where you are now I mean it's been crazy it's been a long it's been a long J and uh you know from sugar then I was here uh um I used to live in Boston before and then uh um I used to be there like working on anything you know because you have to pay the bills and um then after that I got the opportunity to work in a film in Dominican Republic then U after that uh that film has never been released is uh actually we finished the film the other day and um in 2016 I work in two films like one after the other one those films were uh uh were like U went to Tribeca film festivals like in festivals like all over the world so I was just like you know like wishing that something that I would do something like sugar you know so I could come back to United States you know with a better English and uh you know a movie that I can show to people like listen this is what I've done you know I want to be here I want to be try to be an actor here so it's been working pretty good um I had the opportunity to be in Captain Marvel I remember when anab Bo and Ryan Fleck I invited them to Tribeca because my my movie I have a movie called Sam sambba it's a movie about boxing and uh when they saw the movie she texted me saying like are you a boxer now because you know she thought that I look like a boxer so that was like a compliment for me because I have never I never boxed before so that was my first time doing that and when they saw the movie then uh um one day I just received an email from someone from Marvel MH like asking me if I was going to like if I had time to do an audition so I sent a couple of tapes self tapes and um yeah uh one day I received another email saying like congratulation you are you GNA have time like for next summer for this and yeah it was crazy like I just couldn't believe that I was going to be I was going to be part of that like something that I that that you see on TV you know like with actors that you only see on TV uh Samuel Jackson jul LA and all those guys it's like I'm going to be when I was reading the uh the script on the table you know he was like I'm just looking at these guys like I can't believe I'm sitting here with these people well I see I mean I think sugar is is is one of the best American films the last 20 30 years so I think you've got you know you've got classic American independent cinema and then like a tent pole Hollywood film on your your resume already which is pretty impressive so I have one more question that we'll turn over to the audience um one of the things that you know this series overall is focusing on I mean is near is American new realism one of the things that connects all the films is the use of nonprofessional actors and one of the things that I think many filmmakers they they look for firsttime actors or U nonprofessional people to play certain roles is because they want a kind of authenticity they want a kind of honesty in their performances I'm curious if you know you deliver that on screen in your performance but I'm curious if you had any notes for Anna and Ryan about their depiction of the Dominican Republic or your understanding of of of you know people you knew who went through the the baseball you know um like that Journey did you have any sort of comments to them about like you know any notes for them like this is how we do it here or this is how I think you should shoot it this way I'm not saying that you would tell them what to do but did you have any sort of ideas on how they were representing your community in the film um yeah the they were were a few parts that when I read the script you know first of all like when I read the script I was like wow this is this is the real story like this is what happens here here for real right and uh I really thought that the script was written by Dominican people because the script was so perfect right um but I was telling them like minor things you know like uh what words that I wouldn't say you know like and and I would tell them like listen I would say this instead of instead of this you know and they were they were very open about it like you know like yeah just let us know you know like if you see anything that it wouldn't look normal to you as a baseball player from Dominican Republic just let us know and we are gonna chance that so yeah they were very open about that that's great so if you have a question from the audience just raise your hand and we'll bring a mic over to you if anyone has a question so we bring a mic down over here coming right behind you howdy I just did you know any minor league players from where you were growing up players that were in like the like how your character you ends up in the single a did you know anybody like that yeah yeah of course like I think everyone in the Dominican Republic and I think some of these countries like Cuba well Cuba Venezuela Puerto Rico they they know someone they know someone you know that that that know this story like um I never signed to play professional I I I was on the level like to do try outs and all that but I knew this story because of all the guys you know that have been through it you know like all uh um this guy you know he sign now he's living in New York uh he's living in Miami he's working on on a factory he's he you know that's that's a very well-known story in my country like everyone know Miguel Santos characters in in in in all the players that have been through it did you did you talk with any of those people the people that you may have known um in preparing for the role did you sort of sit down and try and get any stories from them or you know no I did no I didn't because the script was so perfect like I said before and I already knew this story like like so many guys you know that sign uh went on the trip and never came back or came back when they were released you know and now they're living in the country and in in in town doing something else you know so what they do is like when they know they're not playing well they they leave right they leave like he did M they leave they go to New York they do something else but they stay here because they feel they have way more opportunities you know like to to send money to their family or to you know opportunities to do whatever you want to do you have more opportunities here like doing any kind of work that was my like my understanding is that Anna and Ryan had a very different ending for the film until their research told them that that it's very very common for players to not not wait until their release but to leave the teams during the season um and then you know try and start their life over you know somewhere else in the states did that I'm curious did was that was this ending always in the script that you read or did you did this did the script did the ending change over the course of the film or was that was this was that any in the script that you read at the beginning to be honest I don't really remember like I knew that we were at a uh at a field in New York you know like playing ball again you know but um I remember that we had the conversation like listen uh um this is what we want for this ending you know like this is the part where you you take you take a moment you know like to to think about what it was you know what could have been and what you have in front of you now you know like this is your reality now like so we want to see that like on on on um in in in your eyes in your in your thoughts you know and uh we tried a couple of times and they like it that way so yeah when I saw the movie and and and uh and I saw the ending I I liked it myself any other questions from the audience over here on this side this is the second time I've seen this film I saw it back in 2008 and I'm a huge baseball fan but tonight it was interesting because I kind of saw the exploitation and I don't know if that was something that you want us to see it's like the exploitation of these impoverished young boys and yeah not finishing school um and it just kind of made me take a look at baseball a different way because we spend a lot of money when we go see a game and we're always really really like oh look he's 19 and he made it to the big leagues but when you think about that that person was probably drafted it 14 or something right and I don't know just just a comment and you're you're great you I appreciate that thank you for for coming to see the movie for the second time well I did go to the Dominican Republic also and we were in a resort and there were a lot of American kids at some baseball camp or something yeah lots of kids there this summer like oh yeah baseball interesting when the film played in the Dominican Republic did it did iten have a kind of I mean what kind of impact did it have on the audiences or the people that have seen the film that you've maybe spoken to back home or you know in the Dominican Republic who've seen the film in terms of the lessons it might say or might it might impart to younger people who want to get into the B get into baseball but also this idea that you know there's some exploitation going on here it's not you know um you know that for a lot of people like especially like the young guys like coming up they see the movie and it's like oh so that how it is you know like because many of them know the story like from other players but you know you never think that's going to happen to you sure you always believe like you're going to make it you you always believe that you're gonna be one another Pedro Martinez another Fernando tatis Jr like another big name you know and and when they see the movie is like oh I don't want to be Wasing dishes like I don't I I don't want to be in United States like watching thises I don't do that here so I don't want to go there or do it there you know so that's when you have to prepare yourself for life study like get it uh um get a a backup plan if B if baseball doesn't happen like my brother he said he he he used to play baseball before now he's a doctor right you know right thanks to the Lord I'm an actor now right you know like but that doesn't happen every day right you know so uh uh your best bet is if you go to school right go to school and what you were saying about the exploitation they you saw the guy that he said um oh he was signed for $1 million and then Miguel Santa he was signed for $115,000 and the manager the guy that prepared him take 40% so he's only taking 60% he's he's not only taking uh um the $15,000 you know and then like when the guys is is teaching him like how to throw the curve ball uh he's telling oh this other guy his Salvador his um we they're asking for 100 $100,000 he said like oh that's a lot of money like no it's not it's not a lot of money because when you draft people here the guys you know you give them $1 million doar you give them like hundreds of thousands of dollars you know if they're good so if they're good in Dr like give them the money they deserve you know and they're doing that now they're doing like there's like this uh July 2nd thing you know like when kids like when when they're really ready they're giving a lot of money like to the to the good talents you know they're it's improving now from from it was years ago and another thing that I noticed too is at the end it was great to see that it looked like you were playing for fun got back you know at the beginning how they said it's the same game just have some fun have some fun but you weren't having any fun when you were professional and you know and then at the end you're like okay I'm I can play this game now for fun you know yes it that touched me at the end at the end he was doing it for fun because you know there was no uh there was not another option like you play for fun or don't play it cuz you're not professional well I feel that way sometimes about acting it's like you know when it's not not fun anymore you don't want to do it but when it's fun you're like it's good right the thing that I think is so striking about the ending is especially when when all the players sort of introduce themselves all of a sudden we've been following sugar story and and and as the classic sort of hero of the film and then we realize there are a lot of people who have had this experience that it opens up this wider and and and the way the way the sport itself they're playing it for fun but the but baseball then allows them to create a community around the sport in this in this new place that they're trying to rebuild their lives the sport gives them a chance to create like connections with with other people which is what's so amazing about that final sequence you know when I used to play softball in the summer uh in Boston in New York there are so many guys you know with so much t you know they used to play baseball now they're doing any kind of job and they're playing ball on Sundays you know in the weekends and and you see that like everywhere everywhere you know now and when I see this movie and I see all these guys you know it's like wow all of those are sugars yeah all of those are like these movie is about all of these guys you know that are doing something different right now a lot of people were saying like oh why didn't he make it you know like like they wanted a different ending like you know people were expecting like at the end of the film The oh there there's got to be an Scout there you know seeing him pitch you and they're gonna take him back and he's gonna be in the Yankee Stadium you know like striking out da eer like that no that's not going to happen that the movie we're talking about this movie right now because that didn't happen if that would have happened that Hollywood ending right we wouldn't have been here sitting here right now talking about that film because that was going to be like oh okay we knew that was going to happen but then when the movie ends and you see that oh what happens to him it's like yeah that's that's reality happens to him I would say we probably even if it had that end we probably still be talking about the film because of your performance um which I think is really really powerful so um but yeah I agree I agree um one more question from the audience and then I think we're going to wrap it up in the back behind you thank you I agree hi congratulations on your performance it was so on point and you gave me such a good vibe about being a baseball player that when before the movie started outside I said you're going to be the Roberto Duran of baseball oh thank now I'm going to change that you're going to be and you are the Roberto Duran of acting thank you I came to see sugar and the whole time before coming to see the movie and during the beginning of the movie you were so great that I thought it was a documentary and I turned to my friend and I said is this a documentary thank you yeah and at one moment because of the other actors I realized yeah it is a movie she's right so that's all I wanted to say I thank you I appreciate I appreciate your coming I'm so glad she brought me to see great thank you for bringing heric appreciate it too well Al H I want to thank you so much for coming out and taking the time to be with us really great pleas it's an honor for me to be here and thank you guys again like for coming out of your house to come see the movie thank you I really appreciate it and eano for me to be here sharing this with you thank you we're going to take about a 10-minute intermission then we'll come back for on the seventh day thank you