Luis Fonsi debuts in his first rom-com 'Say a Little Prayer'

Puerto Rican global popstar Luis Fonsi stars in his first feature film “Say a Little Prayer.”

The movie will be released on November 27, just in time for families and friends to watch together for the Thanksgiving holiday. 

The Grammy award-winning singer and songwriter stars alongside Vannessa Vasquez (“Divorce Bait”), Latinas Jackie Cruz (“Orange is the New Black”), and Vivian Lamolli (“East Los High”). 

The movie has a 100% Latino-led team, with Patrick Perez Vidauri directing, writer Nancy De Los Santos, and Cristina Nava producing under Migrant Filmworks. 

The film is about a trio of best friends in San Antonio Texas who face challenges of friendship, love, forgiveness, and personal growth. 

Vasquez plays Adela, whose grandmother, played by the legendary Angélica María (“La Fea Más Bella”), is worried she won’t find a husband and asks her to pray to San Antonio de Padua, the saint of lost items.

Adela’s two best friends Ruby and Cristina join her to find love by saying the prayer together. The three of them find love in different ways and empower each other as they know what’s best for one another. 

Cruz plays Ruby, a social media influencer, and Lamolli plays Cristina, a single Afro-Latina Puerto Rican mom from the Bronx.

Because this film revolves around Saint Anthony, it was only right to be set in San Antonio, Texas. The cast and crew filmed for 20 days in the fall of 2022. The project created more than 150 local jobs and booked over 540 room-night stays in San Antonio hotels. 

“Say a Little Prayer” supported local San Antonio artists by including their art in the film which plays an important role. You can see the art right away at the beginning of the movie when our three leading Latinas are in an art auction supporting Adela and her art gallery, Equinox Gallery. 

Lamolli was excited to be part of this Latina-driven project and connected with her character right away. 

“We have so many different ways to be seen as powerful women, rather than any of the stereotypes that some people put Latinas,” Lamolli said. “We are businesswomen, we're mothers, we're leaders, we're amazing, amazing examples of what this world needs.” 

Lamolli previously worked with De Los Santos, who was a writer for Hulu’s “East Los High,” a show in which Lamolli played the character Filiberta "Fili" Rodriguez.

“Coming back around to something like this, it was just so intimate and so cool to work with [De Los Santos] again and also be such a different character, how she had seen me, the things that I've played to being a mother and having that nurturing side and seeing that soulful piece that I could bring to the role. So I was just over the moon,” Lamolli said. 

Not only did Lamolli know the writer, but she also knew director Perez Vidauri when he was a radio host for The Pocho Hour of Power. 

When cast to be in the movie, Lamolli was on a Zoom call with De Los Santos, Perez Vidauri, and Nava. She instantly felt safe and protected as a Latina.

“It really felt so all-encompassing of our culture. They feel like familia. Just from the very beginning, I was very excited to have booked the role,” Lamolli said. 

“East Los High” also brought Lamolli and Vasquez back after starring together in the show, among other projects. Lamolli smiles, she said God keeps putting them together in projects. 

Vasquez knew Lamolli was cast in the show before she knew and it took all Vasquez’s might to not spoil the surprise. 

“She's so very well with patience and also with just respect and really lifting us as women and Latinas and the female community. She's amazing. She hustles hard. Her being a Texan native is super dope for me… I'm so proud to see her thriving, and the fact that Tejano culture was so uplifted,” Lamolli said about Vasquez. 

Although Lamolli didn’t work with Cruz in the past, they had an instant connection filming their first scene as if they already knew each other. “Jackie, my girl, my other Caribbean flag girl. She is so amazing, she’s such an inspiration to me,” Lamolli said. 

The three leading ladies bonded behind the scenes while exploring San Antonio, even Austin, which translated into filming and comradery in the cast.

Seventy-seven percent of “Saying a Little Prayers” funding was raised by Nava from Latinos to make this David and Goliath project possible. These Latinos were made up of lawyers, doctors, and more. Nava stated Women made up 57% of the funding, all were Latina, except for a Jewish woman who's Latina at heart.

For Nava, this is a sense of pride.  

“It's a girlmance turned into a traditional romantic comedy. We are excited to share this with people, especially after the election,” Nava said. 

“We feel this movie is about prayer, it's about finding love, and it's about positive representation of Latinos. This is what we need most of all today. So we're really excited about sharing this with the world beautiful,” she continued. 

Changing the Latino narrative in the film industry hasn’t been easy, but Nava is here to make a difference one movie at a time. She wants to see other greenlit projects that don’t depict a negative narrative of Latinos. 

Nava is producing films for the next generation of JLo’s, the next Salma Hayeks of the world. She doesn’t want to hear any more reasons why these films can’t be greenlit. 

“They will greenlight projects that show positive and real, well-rounded characters from beginning, middle to end, and no more excuses. That is what we really hope to accomplish, that, we are changing the narrative of how things are green-lit in Hollywood. We are showing them how it can be done,” Nava said. 

“Saying a Little Prayer” will have a limited release via New Cadence Productions and will be distributed via AMC Theaters, Maya Cinemas, Caribbean Cinemas in Puerto Rico, and more.  

Fonsi released the title song of the film “Prayer in Your Eyes” on Thursday, November 7 and he is currently on his 25 Años Tour. 

To support the film and find out where it is playing near you, head to the film’s website.