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In the twisting, turning plot of Criminal, con artist Richard Gaddis (John C. Reilly) partners with the seemingly naive Rodrigo (Diego Luna) to cash in on a counterfeiting scheme. While in pursuit of an impressive payoff, Richard must deal with his estranged sister Valerie (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and stay on top of a game in which no one can be trusted.
Set in Los Angeles with a story that takes place in a single day, Criminal is helmed by first-time director Gregory Jacobs and produced by Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney. The screenplay is by Jacobs and Soderbergh, and based loosely on the Argentinean film Nine Queens.
In this interview, we joined the rest of the media to field questions to actor Diego Luna. Diego's breakthrough role came in Y Tu Mama Tambien, and he has since appeared in Frida, Nicotina, and The Terminal.
DIEGO LUNA
Contributed by Michael J. Lee, Executive Editor
for Radio Free Entertainment
August 30, 2004
Diego: Hello.
Media: Hi. Did you have to audition for this role, or was it offered to you?
No, I didn't audition. In fact, I don't know if the director said that just to get me excited, but he said he wrote the script...
...with you in mind.
Yeah. So no, I didn't audition. We had lunch together--a meeting at this hotel in fact. And it was really easy. After one hour of talking, I said, "Yeah, I trust this guy." And I loved the script, and the cast is great, and everyone he was getting behind the camera also is people that I admire. So it was really easy.
Are you a fan of con movies?
Yeah. I'm a fan of the script, I have to say. It's very smart and well written. I care about the characters. When I read it, I had an amazing time. I remember wanting to get to the end to hear the whole story.
Did you feel a personal responsibility about remaking a Spanish language film?
Well, no. I felt just the responsibility of having a good script in my hands. You know, if it doesn't get to be a good movie, then it's your fault, definitely.
Have you seen Nine Queens?
After we wrapped this one. I bought the DVD like a week before we started shooting, and I was going to watch it. And in fact Greg and Steven said to me, "Oh, you shouldn't think about it." And it was true, because the actors are so good in that movie that I was going to be thinking about all the choices through the movie. It's a fantastic movie, and the actors are great.
Have you ever been on the receiving end of a con?
Yeah, sometimes! I live in Mexico City. That happens. Well, it happens everywhere, I guess. And sometimes in interviews that happens. [smiles] You sit there and you say, "I'm not going to talk about this, this, and this." And at the end, you realize you talked about everything. That I call a scam, too.
Really?
Yeah! Those interviews where they start about your career and about everything, they just want to get if you have a girlfriend or don't. [laughs]
How else have you been conned (besides by the media)?
Well, everything. There's like so many times where you buy things that are not the things you read about: "an amazing place to have a holiday." And then you get there, and it's going to be an amazing place in ten years, you know? And it's not ready, and you already paid. One thing: people started to wear their watch in Mexico on their right hand, because you're driving and you don't want to have your watch here [positions left hand as if steering] because anyone can come and take it. Now what they do is, they basically come with a cigarette and they burn you, so you're like, "Oh #$@!, what happened?" and then they take the watch.
Has anyone pressured you into moving to Los Angeles?
Yeah, but I like Mexico. And it's a three hour flight, it's really close, and I have lots of things to do in Mexico--people that I want to work with and my friends and my family. No, I'm staying there, for sure.
What is your take on your Criminal character Rodrigo?
I think he's basically a normal guy, a real guy. He does bad things and good things, and he's real. I don't know how much I can say without telling what happens, but I just think for him, it's a family business, and it's about love. But I don't think he's good. I don't think I would like to have him around me.
Is there a moment in this film when your character doesn't know if he's going to get turned in or not?
Yeah, all the time. Half of the things, he knows they're going to happen, but half the things he doesn't. He's risking everything, all day long.
Do you think Rodrigo is surprised by Richard's reaction at the end of the film?
Yeah, totally. That makes me feel...well, I just don't want to tell the end.
Your breakthrough role came with Y Tu Mama Tambien, which really put you on an international stage. Were you surprised by that, and how has your life changed since then?
Yeah, I was surprised. I was never expecting what happened with that movie. Since then, I've been able to just be in projects that I want to be in, and that I believe in. Yeah, my life is much better. [laughs] I'm really happy, finally doing just what I want to do. And I haven't had to work for money since then, which is nice.
Do you retain many of the skills you've learned for your films, such as the hustling in Criminal or the computer skills in Nicotina?
Well, you always learn. It'd be stupid not to do it. That's what you keep from movies. It doesn't matter how many tickets you sell. That doesn't make you a better person. You keep the things that you learn through the process. And not just the new things you learn like riding horses or turning on a computer, but also the chance to grow and to learn from the people around you. I think that's what we really get. And a project for me is successful if you find the chance to learn a lot through the process and make friends. It's kind of an orphan feeling, but you basically make a family while you're shooting a movie. So it's a really nice thing, and it's a very intense process with people, and either you hate the people or you love people. Sometimes movies take one or two years to come out, so what is important is the process you go through.
Do you find a discernable difference between working on English language projects versus those in your native language?
No, it's not different. At the end, it's exactly the same. Once they say, "Action," it's not about the money, it's not about the business or the industry. It's just actors reacting to what's happening. And that's what makes movies unique. Even the smallest movie can be the biggest for you. And no, I don't find anything different. I mean, the only difference is that people live for movies in this country, and in my country, people do movies because they love movies. And sometimes you have to pay to do movies. In the end, it's the same, you just need a good story.
Are you intimidated by the notion of fame?
I like when people appreciate what you do. We tell stories for people to hear, so it's great to have people wanting to know what you're doing. I like fame when it comes from your work--you know, when it's because you did something that people want to talk about. I hate fame [just for the sake of] fame. That sounds kind of pathetic and makes your life very lonely, if you need to be famous to be happy. It's stupid. I need to act, and I need to tell stories and work and meet people and make families. That's what I like about my job, and then if people want to see that, it's great. But if not, I already had a great time.
Did anyone take you to Los Angeles' "barrio"?
Yeah.
What was the biggest thing you learned from the experience?
Well, I really got to know LA finally. LA is not just the west side, and it's not just the promotion hotels and the big theaters. There's a city, and there's lots of people, and there's so many races, so many accents, so many languages at the same place. But there's so many little frontiers inside LA. It's weird, and you don't see that in movies. But this movie's about LA, and LA is another character, and I like that because it's an honest way of saying we should celebrate the differences instead of making frontiers in between us, you know?
There are several emotionally intense scenes between Rodrigo and Richard. Did you have to do a lot of preparation for those moments?
If you see the movie again, you'll realize what he's thinking and what he can lose in that second. It's so many levels, and everything means so many things at the same time. Both characters are performing the whole time. There's just a few moments that are totally true, that are really happening. So, it's a movie that you can watch once and then watch it again, and you'll find different things and you'll understand why things happen. It was very exciting, and really tough and very complex. And Greg was really clear about what he wanted, and that made it easy.
Richard says that one of Rodrigo's assets is that he looks like a nice guy. Do you think that you look like a nice guy?
Uh, I think so. Yeah. I've seen worse. [laughs]
Does that work for or against you?
It depends in which situation, you know? For Rodrigo, it definitely works. For me, if I want to play the bad guy, it doesn't work at all.
What was your experience working with Maggie Gyllenhaal in the few scenes you had together?
I wish it was much more because she's a fantastic actress. It's unbelievable that you can see everything through her eyes. She says a lot all the time without doing much, you know? It's fantastic to find her eyes while you're working because things start to happen. She's great, and I admire her a lot. And I think the whole cast in this movie is special because it's just people that want to be in this movie because of the story we're telling. You can tell no one really got paid. [laughs] So basically, we're all here because we love the story and we love the chance to do it with a first-time director, which is fantastic because the energy of a first-time director is amazing. You can tell he's risking everything and it's the most important thing in his life. And he got Peter Mullan, Maggie Gyllenhaal, John C. Reilly--what a cast! And behind the camera, Chris Menges is one of the best DPs I've ever seen. He's an amazing guy, and he was giving a lot to the project.
Do you have any new projects in the works?
Yeah, I am shooting now, in fact. It's called God Only Knows and it's a Mexican/Brazilian co-production. It's a love story between a Brazilian girl and a Mexican guy.
Is it a relief to be worknig back in Mexico?
Yeah, it's the best. That's where I decided to be an actor, and there's lots of reasons in that country for me to go back, and lots of people I love and I admire, too. I wish we would have a bigger industry so every time I could be there and help make things happen. With this movie, it's like we have more producers than actors. I'm co-producing with so many people. It's not a business yet in my country, you know, which is a shame. But I still have the chance to work there and it happens once your career starts to go well out of Mexico--it's easier sometimes.
Any new Hollywood offers?
Well, offers, but I don't know what I'm doing next. After God Only Knows, I should definitely go take a holiday. I don't know what's next.
Are there any actors you admire that you've modeled your career after?
No, I think everyone has his own career, and it's a big mistake to try to copy someone's career. There's lots of actors I admire: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sean Penn, John Turturro, Javier Bardem. Javier Bardem would be a great example because he knows what roles to choose. He doesn't work that much, but he does great movies. He has done an amazing job in English and Spanish. He takes his time, and I really admire him. And also in Mexico, people that you wouldn't know, but that I said, "Well, I want to be an actor because of them."
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