Efren Ramirez on Being Dead and Loving It in Seven Cemeteries (2025)

Efren Ramirez has become beloved in the pop culture sphere as one of Hollywood's most loved character actors. After winning over the hearts of viewers in 2004 in Napoleon Dynamite and convincing everyone to "Vote For Pedro," he has gone on to play iconic supporting roles all across different movies. This time, in John Gulager's horror-comedy-WesternSeven Cemeteries, Ramirez portrays Miguel, the faithful friend and lover who joins Danny Trejo's Santana Bravo in his mission to save a woman's ranch from a deadly drug lord, with the help of his posse. There's just one hitch – Miguel and the entire posse are undead. And it turns out, being a zombie comes with a few convenient perks.

In this exclusive interview with CBR, Efren Ramirez discusses working with Danny Trejo, his love of Halloween and all things creepy and kooky, the romantic and redemptive heart of Seven Cemeteries, and the joys of playing a dead guy.

You have made a name for yourself as a character actor. People live to see your cameos in movies. They make a sport of it to find you in movies, cartoons, TV. A lot of us remember you, of course, as Pedro Sanchez and Napoleon Dynamite. Vote for Pedro. And this also isn't the first time you've dabbled in the occult. We also remember you from [the TV series] Constantine. Now here you are, playing a zombie. What is it that you love about playing these iconic, supporting, pivotal roles in media?

Efren Ramirez: You know, life is funny, where we're constantly searching for something that ignites us in such a way of finding a higher kind of self – whether it's through art or through media. And for me, my curiosity is to see, is this something greater, beyond ourselves, and I just so happen to find it through the characters that I play, whether it's Pedro Sanchez or the astronaut I did on a TV show with Sir Ben Kingsley, or, in this case for this matter, Miguel, playing alongside Danny Trejo's character, Bravo.

I just find their search for the meaning of life to be much more interesting. My professors have always been telling me that, "You're more than just one note." And I think with great writing, you have to find what it is that makes the characters come alive, and how they support each other with other characters, trying to figure out the center of what the story is about. And in this case, for Seven Cemeteries, it's a love story – from Bravo, his history, and from the wrestlers, right? And that young couple – without revealing anything of the story! It's the search for finding your mate – and, in my case, my Witch!

You did indeed have a witch. And you know, it was romance, it was revenge, and it was ultimately friendship. Because, in Seven Cemeteries, Miguel, your character is a zombie. He is the lover of La Bruja. He is the new friend of Santana Bravo, the hero, played by Denny Trejo. What made you want to play this character, this heroic zombie?

Would it be ironic if I said I've always wanted to be dead? [laughs]

In this case? I don't think so. No!

[laughs] I'm drawn to the macabre. I really am fascinated by Halloween and just what it means to cross over to the other side. And in this case, there's no difference. If you're in another life, or in what's considered to be dead or in death, the question is: did you finish your unsolved business? Did you finish your life-long goals? And if you didn't, the question remains: why not so? [laughs] And you will learn that with time in this film, how, when you're given a second chance, you could see the actions that these characters will take just to make that happen.

Halloween gives all of us procrastinators hope that, even after death, we can still get the things we didn't get done, done at some point!

That is correct! [laughs]

And, of course, everyone loves spooky stuff. I also love Halloween! I loved the Addams Family tribute you end up playing at the end, a little helping hand that you give to the hero. A big part of your role in Seven Cemeteries is your friendship with Danny Trejo, or Santana Bravo, this parolee. You become this odd-couple fighting duo – and you only get odder as the movie goes on, giving nothing away! How would you describe your relationship with Denny Trejo on and off-screen?

You know...that's a good question! [laughs] It's sort of like that play, Man of La Mancha, right? You know, there's a madness, to try to figure life out – even when you're dead.

Yeah, that would sum it up! [laughs]

I guess so! And "peanut butter and rotten jelly," maybe!

I'm sure there's an audience for that somewhere! [laughs] So, you had a good time in your role and being with Danny Trejo?

Yeah! I mean, I love Danny Trejo. He's a veteran actor, and he's a personality actor. I've always wanted to work with him – but not just him! Working on Seven Cemeteries, I'm working with Vincent [M. Ward], Lew [Temple], and Maria [Canals-Barrera], Terri [Hoyos], Sol [Rodriguez], Emma [Ramos] – who's really wonderful – and Richard [Esteras], who's on The Bear. All these great character actors, who really commit to the characters that they're playing. And for me, when you're working with actors of that caliber, then it becomes easier to really live and bounce off of them. So, I'm really excited for this film itself.

This was truly a character actor-driven film, and this is the sort of thing that people love, especially on Halloween, where you don't have to be serious about anything. Not even death.

Yeah, exactly. [laughs]

And besides, it's refreshing to have you be the dead guy! Danny Trejo has died, like, what, 80 times in his movie career? Why should he have all the fun?

Yeah! What the heck? You know, I want to be green!

And you were. You were, indeed.

Seven Cemeteries hits theaters, digital and demand on October 11th.

Seven Cemeteries

A recent parolee gets a Mexican witch to resurrect his old posse so that they can help him save a woman's ranch from a ruthless drug lord.

Studio

Quiver Distributor

Run Time

84 minutes

Director

John Gulager

Cast

Danny Trejo, Efren Ramirez, Sol Rodriguez, Lew Temple, Vincent M. Ward