Overboard offers a modern twist on a classic comedy

The much-loved original Overboard, starring Goldie Hawn as a spoiled heiress and Kurt Russell as a working-class carpenter hired to work on her yacht, was released in 1987.

MGM had been looking for a way to reimagine it and the studio’s executives approached Eugenio Derbez and Benjamin Odell, believing they’d come up with a fresh take on the story.

“We loved Overboard,” says Derbez. “That’s why we decided to make this film, but it’s a different world now. We wanted to make a film that everyone would enjoy, whether they’d seen the original or not.”

“First of all, we thought we should flip the roles, to get away from any comparisons,” says Odell.

“Who would want to step into Goldie’s shoes, when she played the role so spectacularly?

“Once we flipped the story, we found there were a lot of advantages. All of a sudden you have an ultra-wealthy Mexican, which is immediately breaking stereotypes. In Hollywood, it’s typical to see the Mexican playing the cook, the gardener, the immigrant.

“You also have a man going into a woman’s world and taking on a domestic role by running the house. That’s a very contemporary situation. “We also wanted to set the film in a diverse community, so we had Mexican characters at all economic levels. We get to explore the gamut of what ‘Latino’ is in a very organic way.”

The script was penned by comedy writers, Rob Greenberg (How I Met Your Mother) and Bob Fisher (The Wedding Crashers). They didn’t know Derbez’s work, but they soon discovered he was comedic gold.

When it came to choosing a director, Greenberg and Fisher were so prepared they were hard to beat. So, after a lifetime of creating comedy, Greenberg found himself directing his first Hollywood movie.

“When I was watching the original movie, one of the things I really loved about watching Goldie Hawn’s performance, even though the character was mean and a terrible human being, was that she was charming, says Derbez says.

“I needed to find a way to do the same thing. Even though Leo is a jerk and he’s always mistreating people, I wanted him to be charming, loveable in a way.”

“It’s very difficult not to love Eugenio,” says producing partner, Odell.

“No matter the character, he has a childlike innocence that shines through. I think the time has come to show the world who Eugenio is.”

All agreed that Anna Faris was the perfect counterpart for Derbez. Overboard marks her return to the big screen after several years in television. She currently stars in the CBS hit comedy, Mom, opposite Allison Janney, now in its fifth season.

“She’s one of America’s best comedy actresses. She has a star quality but there’s something very self-effacing about her. She has a vulnerability, a quirkiness, a real humanity, an inner life. She has immaculate comic timing. She and Goldie are really similar in a lot of ways,” says Odell.

“The second Anna and I met, we clicked,” says Derbez.

“There’s nothing better than when you have chemistry with your co-star. Anna was exactly as I imagined. She’s funny, full of energy, always making jokes. She’s an amazing human being. It’s very easy to work with her. She’s always feeding you funny stuff.

“Sometimes, I wasn’t reacting, I was watching her and being amused by her. I’m so happy Anna was with us and besides, she looks like Goldie Hawn.”

• Overboard opens in cinemas nationwide today.