Diego Luna Interview

2001’s Y Tu Mamá También heralded a growth in Mexican cinema that continues to the current. The nation’s three most prominent directors - Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro and Alejandro González Iñárritu - have since broken into mainstream filmmaking with an eclectic range of works including Harry Potter and Hellboy franchises.

Y Tu Mamá También in particular introduced the talents of Cuarón and his screenwriter brother Carlos, but it was the film’s lead actors Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna that became the famous faces of the emerging scene. Now the four are reunited with the new film Rudo & Cursi. This time around, Carlos is in the director’s chair with Alfonso part of a production triumvirate that also consists of del Toro and González Iñárritu. Best of all, García Bernal and Luna are back together as the film’s two lead characters: Luna as the eccentric, easily addicted goalkeeper Rudi and García Bernal as the glamour hungry star striker and wannabe pop star Cursi.

Recent years have seen Luna work predominantly in English language films with prominent roles in Mister Lonely, Milk and The Terminal. So how was it to back in Mexico and reunited with his old brethren?

“It was beautiful,” he beams, his long hair and not quite imposing stature making him look more rock star than ’keeper. “It’s not like we’ve been far from each other. We kind of belong to the same family. Everything I do I show to them and talk to them about it. I hear their opinions and they’re important to me. I love the feeling of belonging to a bigger thing. It was cool to do another project together and to celebrate Carlos as a director. Acting with Gael is really special too. When you know who’s in front of you you’re able to do lots of stuff that perhaps you wouldn’t even normally try.”

He believes that the main strength of working alongside García Bernal is a “special communication - you don’t have to spend a few months breaking the ice, you start with what needs to be said. As actors, you know that the guy in front of you is going to care about you and is there to protect you, so the confidence is special and you got for it.” By way of an example, he offers how far the duo pushed their roles into the realm of fantasy. Sure they’re believable, but their comfort allowed them to push the boundaries of their characters right to the very edge of caricature. As a result, Rudo and Cursi are both convincing, but certainly have enough of a comic edge to fulfil the story’s lighter angles.

Not that Luna really thinks that Rudo & Cursi is a football film at all. As he explains: “You never really get to see the game - whenever there’s a game you’re looking at the reaction of the characters watching and it’s not about who wins. It’s a film about love, brotherhood and sibling rivalry. That’s what makes the story work. Football films have never worked and they never will.”

Any attempts to draw parallels between Rudo and Cursi’s brotherly battles and the real relationship between Luna and García Bernal are speedily dismissed. “When we play we always fight,” he laughs. But it would be stupid to spend our time arguing because we’re friends and we choose to be friends. It’s not like brotherhood when you don’t choose and it’s imposed on you. Your brother could be sitting next to you everyday in your life and probably there are times when you’d rather be with someone else. But with a friend you don’t have to be there, you’re there because you want to be.”

Luna’s next step will be moving into the director’s chair for his first fictional film after he previously helmed a documentary about Mexican boxing legend J.C. Chavez. Luna is coy about details of the new film, titled Abel, beyond the basics: “It’s the story of a little boy and the absence of his father.”

Words by Ben Hopkins

Optimum release Rudo & Cursi on DVD on October 19th.