About.com interview with Diego Luna

Are you good with computers?
Diego: No, I’m really bad. I learned how to turn on and off my computer with this movie, how to send e-mails. I don’t like to spend too much time on the computer. I like real stuff. But it was fun to do this character because I’m so different, which is nice. And I had to meet some people that spend all day long in front of a computer. I don't know, they’re kind of weird people. Their head just goes so fast. It’s like a computer, you can open three things at the same time and have three conversations. And they go really fast. I’m scared of those people. I feel like wait, wait, wait a second. Where are you? Are you in the same place, or not? It was fun to do the character. It’s always nice when you do things you don’t do in normal life. You get to experience something different and learn things, which is good.

Do you like doing roles that are very different from you?
Diego: Yeah. I try to do that. Because it’s always you and you’re always working with your emotions and your body and your tears. It’s you. It’s good to put yourself in different situations that you don’t experience in real life. You can always learn also from characters you do and from the movies. It was great on Open Range. I trained three weeks with my horse and I learned how to ride. Then I learned how to dance and then I learned how to use a computer and then on Criminal, we drive through all LA and I got to know LA and the east side. It’s always fun to shoot movies. You really get to know and experience a place where you are. It’s much better than traveling like a tourist. You meet real people and you eat where they eat and you go where they go. I like that.

Is crime perceived differently in Mexico than here?
Diego: No, crime is crime everywhere. It’s just that in Mexico, for example, every time they say, “Oh, it’s such a dangerous place and we need more police.” I don't think we need more police. We need more jobs. And people would stop doing what they do.

Doesn’t the film glamorize crime?
Diego: I don't know. I don't like my character at all. I think he’s a horrible guy. It’s a very evil guy. It’s a guy that pretends to be innocent and he’s not innocent at all. He’s doing horrible stuff and I don't think you like [him]. If I see this movie, I like the woman at the drug store. I think she’s a character that I follow and I hope she ends up well. I hope the barber guy ends up well. But my character doesn’t deserve to end up well. He’s just a bad guy with a pretty face and pretty smile, but a bad guy. He’s not like the cliché of the bad guy but he’s still a bad guy. It’s a guy that confuses love with an obsession. He doesn’t want to see her happy. It’s kind of like if she’s not with me, she’s not going to be with anyone. And that’s a very evil way of thinking. So I don't know.

Is your character an example of what happens when people disconnect from each other?
Diego: Exactly. We’re not alone here, and we have to get affected [by] what’s going on in the world and be aware of what’s going on and we have to be curious about what’s going on around us. And yeah, we have to be connected. You said it right.  

What was your experience working on the film in your home country?
Diego: It was great because in a way, it was a chance to also recognize that we all have that evil side. We all do. We all have a dark side. And it was a good chance to explore my bad side without hurting anyone. And the process was really nice because also I worked with people that I like and love and admire a lot. I decided to be an actor in Mexico because I saw the work of lots of these people. And it was a good chance to share with them and to also go back and work in my own language and spend more time in my city with my friends and my family. And because I love working in my country. It’s good. It’s really tough to do movies in Mexico and so it should always be a celebration when it happens.

Why is it tough?
Diego: Because there’s no industry to support filmmakers because there are no laws to protect producers and the Mexican industry, you know. It’s really sad that lots of people get rich before the money gets to the producers. From the ticket, the producer gets I think 15%. Just that. And the producer is the one that started the process like three years ago, that invests all his money and the distributors and exhibitors get rich before them. So it’s really tough. It’s really tough to produce movies in Mexico. The government doesn’t support the industry at all. There’s no support of culture. And it’s very difficult. Very, very difficult. So everything pushes you to quit doing movies in Mexico. Everything. It’s easier to open a restaurant. Every step you make, it’s like every step is tougher than the last one and tougher and tougher and it’s not easy. Even if you have a big success, that doesn’t mean you are going to do a movie. I don't know. A director takes two to three or five years to get a movie going on and it’s really sad. It’s really sad. That’s why all the talent escapes at the first chance. I wish in Mexico they would take care of the talent more. Because if they know Mexico in the world, it is because of our culture. Our food, our painters, writers, music. The government doesn’t support that at all. It’s really sad. 

Did you have any reservations about doing two crime movies in a row?
Diego: Well, the thing is, I didn’t do two in a row. After Nicotina, I did a movie in Spain called Soldados de Salamina about the civil war over there. Then I did Havana Nights, then I did Criminal and then I did Terminal. So, this movie opened last year in Mexico and we finished shooting in 2002. But that was the process of this movie. It took two years to open here. That’s why it’s a weird feeling because this year I had four movies that opened here. I’m going to have four movies that open here, but that doesn’t mean I did four movies last year. Sometimes it takes time to get people excited about opening a movie with subtitles, shot in Mexico, with no big stars. So sometimes it takes time for people to join these projects.

What is your perception of the violence at the end of the film?
Diego: Well, I think everything that starts wrong ends up being wrong. Basically, my character, instead of making everything easier and just saying how he feels, he complicates everything and once you start wrong, obviously you’re going to end up wrong. But I don't know if it’s morality. I think every act you do has a consequence and when you’re writing, you have to remember that. You have to remember that and I think the writer knew that. It’s a comedy because when you see horrible images one after the other, or when you’re next to poverty or when you’re next to injustice, basically now we learn how to laugh about our problems but they’re still problems. They’re still problems that need to get solved. I think it’s a story about very unhappy people and unhappy people take always the wrong decisions.

Where do you live now?
Diego: I live in Mexico City.

Will you stay there?
Diego: Yeah, I’m based there and that’s where my home and my friends are. I’m always working out of Mexico, but that’s my city and I love the city. Once you learn how to love a city like Mexico City, you don’t find that anywhere else. I think everything needs to be a bit dirty to taste well. If it’s too clean, then it’s boring.

What would you be doing if you weren’t acting?|
Diego: Wow, I wish I was a football player but I’m not good enough.

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