San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
‘Andor’ star: Lucasfilm doing diversity right
Diego Luna has been a consistent presence on screens since his breakout role in director Alfonso Cuarón’s 2001 film, “Y tu mamá también.” Since then, the versatile actor has appeared in such diverse projects as Julie Taymor’s “Frida” and Steven Spielberg’s “The Terminal,” as well as the Netflix series “Narcos: Mexico.”
But there’s little doubt that his role as the doomed Rebellion spy Cassian Andor in 2016’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” introduced Luna to a much wider audience, and it’s easy to see why the actor chose to revisit the character in “Andor,” a prequel series for Disney+ created by Tony Gilroy and executive produced by Luna himself, which premiered Wednesday, Sept. 21.
In a video conversation with The Chronicle, the gregarious and thoughtful Luna was happy to discuss his own “Star Wars” story, why he thought “Andor” was a project worth taking on, and what it means to be a Mexican actor headlining a new chapter in one of the most ubiquitous brands in pop culture history. This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
Q: Before we talk about this show in particular, I wanted to get your “Star Wars” origin story. What was your first exposure?
A: I was 6 years old, I guess, when I saw “A New Hope.”
It probably is one of the first, I would call it, “demanding” films I had to see because of the patience and the way it’s shot. At 5, 6 years old, probably that’s not what you’re looking for. But I really wanted to be part of that world, so I really got into it. I think it’s one of my first memories of watching cinema with that scope, with that ambition.
Q: Cassian Andor first appeared only five years ago and he’s already beloved in the pantheon of “Star Wars” characters. That’s got to be a nice feeling.
A: It is a beautiful feeling. And being part of a film that matters is a beautiful feeling. Matters to people, matters to audiences because also the audience of “Star Wars,” come on, goes from my dad to my son. It’s that big. It’s interesting what “Rogue One” meant. There was a chance for audiences that were there from the beginning to still feel like there was something “Star Wars” could give to them; that there was a chance to keep having a relationship with this universe that was not just about nostalgia.
Q: To that point, Cassian is extremely dead at the end of “Rogue One.”
A: “Extremely dead.” I love that. (laughs)
Q: So you get the phone call and they’re like, “Hey, we want to bring Cassian back.” What’s your first thought there?
A: It made complete sense. It was a very cautious phone call, saying, “Would you be willing to explore the possibility of revisiting the past of Cassian?” And I was like, “OK. Yes, of course.” Because what made sense is that they are pretty unique characters. What they do, what Cassian does, is quite heroic. Well, not quite, it’s bigtime heroic.
Q: As heroic as it gets.
A: It’s like the full sacrifice for the cause, complete sacrifice. And you want to understand what gets someone there. How come someone like Cassian can get to a point where he’s willing to sacrifice everything for the Rebellion? What needs to happen in the life of someone? Because “Rogue One” is quite vague in terms of what the character refers to when he talks about being part of the fight at 6 years old, or when he talks about (having) a very dark past, or he talks about doing horrible things for the Rebellion. What is he talking about?
I thought that story was interesting. It’s not just like, “Oh, OK, we’re going to go back to the character and see him repeat himself for 24 episodes.” In fact, we’re going to see a very different character and we’re going to see what oppression looks like. What gets someone to rebel? What has to happen there? I think that’s interesting to watch.
Q: You’ve talked in the past about being Mexican, with an accent, and playing a “Star Wars” hero. Obviously, as an actor you don’t want to be boiled down to an ethnicity or an accent, yet that’s meaningful for so many people. Can you talk about the paradox of that?
A: Well, it does mean a lot. It means a lot to me, it means a lot to people that look like me or sound like me. Coming from Mexico, it’s even more important. We are the neighbors of this gigantic machine, this gigantic industry that feeds us. We can’t keep up. I grew up watching American films.
So when this industry makes an effort to represent the people speaking Spanish in the world, it means something.
I also think the industry is reacting to the world we live in. 13% of the population in the States speaks Spanish at home. That’s a big part of the population. And Spanish, in the world, is the second (most spoken) language. It’s huge. Therefore, clearly the industry should be telling our stories and making us part (of the narrative). And not in terms of numbers, but really in terms of the richness that cultural diversity brings.
I’m not saying the whole industry got it, but we are on the way. And I think it’s because audiences are sending the right message. When you buy a ticket, you send a message. When you don’t buy a ticket, you also send a message to the industry. And it’s us that have, as the audience, the chance to shape the industry. So it talks to us in the way we want. I believe Lucasfilm is doing it the right way. It doesn’t feel imposed. The stories have that complexity, the complexity of the world we live in.
With “Andor,” we’re making so many comments about the world we live in. It’s very pertinent to the present. And I believe that is something many could learn from.