Xavier López “Chabelo” had a great career, becoming an icon of Mexican television, but his career was jeopardized when he was just starting out as an actor when an attack on Mario Moreno “Cantinflas” nearly cost him his future.
And it is that Chabelo shared a scene with Cantinflas in the movie “El Extra” and when Mario Moreno improvised, Xavier López did the same, he hit him first and the little boy did it back.
It was a 1962 comedy, in a scene where Cantinflas defends two children who feared another (Chabelo) because he wanted to hit them for breaking his bike.
Chabelo wore shorts and socks and spoke like a giant child, and in the scene he burst into tears, which is why Cantinflas hit him and told him to behave.
In response, Chabelo slaps him in the face and assures him that he is a “little man”, a completely impromptu performance since neither what Mario did nor what Xavier did was scripted.
What happened after the cut?
When the staff saw the scene and made the cut, they told Chabelo not to dare touch Cantinflas, which was a disrespect that could cost him dearly.
In light of this, Mario Moreno came to Chabelo’s defense when he said he could touch him at any time during filming.
“No no no! Let me touch him,” said Cantinflas, an anecdote that Xavier López has never forgotten.