Former Fresno State student gets laughs in Eugenio Derbez-led romantic comedy ‘The Valet’

His parents wanted him to become a doctor or an engineer.

Carlos Santos arrived at Fresno State with the intention of becoming a computer engineer, but eventually embraced his childhood dream to become a comedian.

This week, the 36-year-old Santos appears alongside Mexican super comedian Eugenio Derbez in the Hulu movie ‘The Valet.’ The

The movie is only the latest on a list of professional credits for the 36-year-old Puerto Rican who is probably best known for his role as Chris Morales on Netflix’s ‘Gentefied.’

The Richard Wong-directed remake of the 2006 hit French film releases Friday (May 20).

‘The Valet’ stars Derbez as Antonio, a hard-working valet who gets snarled up in a famous movie star’s (Olivia, played by Samara Weaving) plot to avoid a PR disaster when a paparazzi snaps a photo of her with her married lover.

Santos, who speaks mostly in Spanish in the movie as Javier, is one of Antonio’s fellow valets who is surprised his colleague ends up “dating” the world famous actress.

The 2003 Fresno State graduate took the opportunity to learn from Derbez, whose crossover hit movies include the 2021 Oscar best movie ‘CODA,’ ‘How To Be a Latin Lover,’ ‘Instructions Not Included’ and ‘Under the Same Moon.’

“I was able to see how he works, and I respect him,” said Santos about Derbez. “I respect him a lot because he sees comedy like music, and that’s something I try to do as well.”

Derbez’s comedic timing, said Santos, “is innate; he’s obviously a genius.”

“It was very interesting to see him setting things up, like he was practically creating every moment when we were rehearsing,” said Santos. “It was very, very, very nice to have that experience with Eugenio.”

Santos also shared movie quips with fellow valets Armando Hernández and Amaury Nolasco.

The comedians stuck to the script during filming. “It was a great script written by Rob Greenberg and Bob Fisher,” he said.

Wong, the director, “allowed us to kind of find the moments because in the movie we’re the only ones that speak Spanish,” said Santos.

Being a comedian has always been his dream.

“My mom is a professor, and my dad was a lawyer,” said Santos during a Zoom interview. “I never had someone to help me and give me advice.”

It wasn’t until he was 15 that he realized that he would pursue his dream.

To land the role in ‘The Valet,’ Santos had to audition. Through Zoom because of the pandemic.

“I’m not in a position yet where I’m offered roles,” he said. “I was able to have a good audition.”

Santos sharpened his comedic skills while at Fresno State, often appearing at the Club One Casino in downtown.

“It was like part of the adventure. I never thought about the negative,” said Santos. “When one is young, one does not think about what is not possible.”

Santos hosted ‘Entertainment as a Second Language With Carlos Santos’ on MTV Tr6 on cable. Los Ángeles has been his base since he moved there in 2003.

His other credits include ‘Vacation Friends,’ ‘Last Man On Earth’ and ‘2 Broke Girls.’