Jungle Cruise star Edgar Ramirez was thrilled to play the villainous Conquistador Lope de Aguirre in Disney’s latest movie — even though that meant he had to become one of his greatest fears. During a press conference attended by CBR, Ramirez revealed he is afraid of snakes, despite playing a character magically made up of the reptiles.
“I mean it, I was very happy. I was very happy that those snakes weren’t anywhere near me during the shoot. I mean, because I’m super afraid of snakes,” Ramirez shared. “We encountered some of them when we’re shooting in Atlanta, because we shot in real locations and we dressed them to look like the Amazon. It’s incredible. I come from an Amazonian country, and I saw the movie for the first time… at the premiere. And guys, I’m so happy… I loved it. I adore the movie.”
His mother, however, was less thrilled about the end result. “I remember when we were shooting it and you were like, ‘My mother is gonna be so upset when she sees me be this bad guy,'” his co-star Emily Blunt prompted.
“And she was!” he revealed. “She was the at the premiere… It was just the snakes, because she’s super afraid of snakes… and she said, ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ You know, it’s like, ‘I missed half of your performance because I couldn’t…’ She was doing faces: ‘I couldn’t look at you with all those snakes.’ But I’m very, very happy.”
In Jungle Cruise, Ramirez brought Aguirre — and his Amazonian curse — to life. After attempting to find the Tears of the Moon, he fell under a curse, which left him unable to stray the river’s banks. Over time, the curse mutated him and some of his crew members, transforming them into hybrid animal creatures. Aguirre’s body became filled with snakes, and he soon developed the ability to control them and see through their eyes. This made him a dangerous and resourceful foe for Lily Houghton, her brother MacGregor and their guide Frank Wolff.
Jungle Cruise is now playing in theaters and is available to stream on Disney+ Premier Access.
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