Actor Diego Luna on Turning Director for Biopic 'Cesar Chavez'

I'm serious, I'm going to put it out there, I have a little bit of a crush.

Really?

Yeah.

Oh, I love it, I love it.

Hi! Doing shots here with Diego Luna, cheers. Salu, great to have you here. This is a first at Young Hollywood. I've never actually drank an alcoholic beverage in an interview and I'm not really sure what's going to happen, but I'm willing to go there.

Really?

Cheers.

Cheers.

Cheers.

Cheers.

Yeah. You This was not my idea, this was your idea. Okay, so wait a second, you were just at the White House.

I was drunk, too. I was

Really, did you meet Barack Obama, President Obama? You did and Michelle.

I did. Not Michelle. Michelle was uh he said he she was flying to China. She was keeping her away. No, no, no, they were going to China uh for something and and uh so he was there alone.

Oh, did you stand at the podium where they do the speeches?

So, it was on the press room, you know, where where they actually do those speeches.

Where he comes out.

Where he every, yeah, every speech you've seen with that podium.

Was the podium there? Did you get to stand Did you stand up Did you really? Do a picture?

I had to introduce the film.

No, I Oh, you still tried to introduce the film? What do you mean? Selfie. Do the whole selfie thing. I would. He was in Disneyland, you know. I was walking. That was the best photo of all time. No, but you were presenting the film. You were presenting presenting Chavez.

I was presenting Chavez and uh well, he introduced the film with beautiful words and said a lot about how much he inspired he was inspired by Cesar and how much how important it was to to put the film out and let young audiences know who Cesar Chavez was and and that this is part of American history and it was very very moving and touching.

And he's talking about your film that you directed. I mean, what kind of feeling does that give you?

Yeah. Yeah, and he said Yeah. He said, "Thank you so much, Diego and the cast and crew for bringing this film for putting this film together and uh it was I was very emotional. I cried many times.

Did you?

It's just that I've been dreaming about this moment for quite a long time, you know."

Me, too. Oh, come on. No, I'm serious. I'm going to put it out there. I have a little bit of a crush.

Really?

Yeah. Oh my God. Where's the boycott? There are no laws to stop us. This is the moment, Cesar. I think you said that you haven't, you didn't actually know a whole lot about his story.

No.

Growing up, so why why did you take this one on as a director?

Because I was I was here in the States looking for a story that had a connection with the place I came from, uh but also that was that made made sense to tell in this country, you know. And this is uh quite a unique one that can actually have an impact in both sides of the border and uh and I was shocked that no one celebrated the life of Cesar Chavez. I was surprised that it actually hadn't been his story hadn't been told before.

It's pathetic. It's pathetic. I mean, but that that that happens with every story about the Latino community. When you think about a hero, and especially in American films, you think superhero, you think He was I mean, the true story is he was a hero, but the way he played it, and I think what I understand about the actual man, is that he had he could be in a room and almost be invisible. He didn't have to be the biggest person in the room. He didn't have to have that sort of hero superhero presence.

Yeah. Well, in fact, it's it's quite a unique leader because he he doesn't have what the the the typical one has, or the cliché of the leader that grabs the microphone and it's a great gives great speeches and uh that kind of that Martin Luther King quality, he didn't have that. Uh but he was he was a great organizer. And what he was good at is was at doing house meetings and and and planning and putting a strategy together, you know. The the whole way they created this boycott and they connected to consumers and they attacked the system, uh with a non-violent movement, you know. It was it was pretty cool for their time, also. No one was doing I mean, no other movement was doing what they did, you know. It's the biggest the the biggest non-violent movement in this country. Even pilgrims ain't allowed in the street without a permit. We'll find you. We'll use the sidewalk. It's open to the public.

So, I want to talk to about you as a director, directing this film. You've worked with Spielberg, Alfonso Am I saying this right? Cuarón. But working with these directors as an actor and then you and then you flip and you go over to being What have you what have you sort of like working with a Spielberg or something like that? Do you take something from each of them and the the experience and

I don't think anything can be original, you know, you're always influenced by those you meet in the in the in your journey and those films you've watched and you love. I can say that what is very clear is what you don't want to become, you know, or what you would never do, you know, that's easy to say. Oh, this director, I'm never never doing what what or I'm never working like he does, you know. Actors just get to come a little time of the process, you know, and you expect that from actors. You expect that they are just concentrated in what they are they're to do, which is play the role and see everything from that perspective. But there's a bigger picture, you know, so many times the whole thing, the whole thing is falling apart, and uh and actors don't get to experience that. So, when they come in, they just act as if everything was fine and everything was perfect and you are you haven't slept in three weeks and you're

Right.

You're a mess and you have so many pieces of puzzles. you're freaking out and an actor comes and says, "Ah, you know what? I don't know if we should do this." And you're like, "What?"