Moments before I meet Diego Luna in a five-star Mumbai hotel, he was in a panel discussion with director Shakun Batra and actress Alia Bhat about Narcos: Mexico. Batra, inadvertently, spilled some beans on the Mexican actor-director-producer’s India connection and how he feels spiritually inclined towards the country. Luna, however, was not too keen to share that part. He said he was four vodkas down when he spoke about it all, and considered it very personal to share on a public platform.
But then, he tells me that the little time he has spent in India has been amazing. “Sadly, I am leaving in a few hours. But I will be back to enjoy this place,” he says.
Luna, one of the most popular Mexican actors of the time, talks to THE WEEK briefly about Narcos:Mexico in which he plays a drug lord, his country and its politics, and why it is good that the Mexican voices are increasing in the entertainment world.
The tagline of the show is, ‘The birth of Mexico’s drug war’. Belonging to Mexico, how important was it for you to be a part of this story?
It is very important for me to tell the story of my country. It is very important to tell the story outside Mexico and to bring attention to an issue that needs to be solved. And in order to be solved, it needs the involvement of the rest of the world. It is not an issue we have. It is an issue we share with the rest of the world and we are in the worst position at the moment. We are receiving all the violence, which needs to stop. It is good to think about it in that way.
You have mentioned that your father kept the stories of the increasing drug wars in the country from you. When did you finally get to know about it?
Well, when they were practically impossible to hide. When it started happening [in a big way] and we started reading it in the news. I think it was around the 90s when I started seeing everything collapsing. Violence got to a point where things started to go terribly wrong. They even killed a candidate (Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta), you know! The next president of Mexico was killed [in 1994] at an open event in Tijuana. (Pauses) I was 13 years old when that happened. So, there was no way to not see it. But what I wanted to say is that the specific case of Kiki Camarena [Mexican-born American undercover agent for the United States Drug Enforcement Administration who was abducted, tortured and murdered, while on assignment in Mexico], it happened when I was very young. I was six years old. I did not believe it. I remember getting to know about it later when I was trying to figure out why things were so fucked up [in the country]. That is when the story started to resonate with me.
Do you think that entertainment shows or movies really have the power to change the way people think?
Storytelling is a tool of change, definitely. If I tell you today that 2,50,000 people have been killed in Mexico in the last 12 years, you would go, ‘oh, that’s a horrible number’. But if I tell you the story of this little kid who lost his mom and dad; that they killed them in front of him and they left him there and if I tell you specifically how he felt and show you his face, tell you his name and also how he is going to lead the next 10 years of his life in a shelter, then you are going to care about it. That is the power of storytelling—if I tell you a specific story, it hits you way [more], just where it has to. So, numbers and journalism are important. I am glad it is there because it is a tool that we have. But for me, the effectiveness of storytelling in order to change the perspective of people, of things, or to bring awareness on things that matter, [is something] you cannot find anywhere else [but in movies and shows].
You also mentioned that you are happy how a lot of talent from Mexico has come together as a result of Narcos being shot in the country.
It is amazing because I know now that the work of very talented actors will be seen in and around the planet. People are going to be asking about them because they have done a great job of the series. And not just actors, but directors, directors of photography, the costume and set designers—it is like the best. I think when you see the show you realise that the quality of the show is quite amazing.
In the last decade or so, there has been a considerable rise in Mexican talent, internationally. The number of Oscar nominations for films directed by directors of Mexican origin, and the buzz around these films in international festivals has been unprecedented. How do you look at the rise and how do you see it going forward from here?
As I see it, it is the rise of Mexican voices. You cannot say that the Mexican industry is doing great. No! Sadly, the two things are not growing in the same way. But yeah, the good thing about what is happening is that there are more and more voices telling stories that matter and finding a new narrative to go out there and find audiences. The sad part, though, is that we don’t have an industry, like you have an industry here [in India]. Our films don’t survive from ticket sales. Our films live from funds and tax breaks. Our films are still living on a niche of film festivals. And then you have these amazing directors who are working for Hollywood or for whatever industry in the world, because they are international. Their work does not belong to a country. I would say it is an important time for Mexican voices. The industry has to still catch up.
In a recent interview, you said, ‘Mexico pretends to be a country that cares about poor. But that’s just a show’. It’s a bold statement. The usual tendency [for people in the entertainment world] is to shy away. How important is it for you to raise your voice? You’ve also dedicated yourself to a lot of humanitarian work.
It is important to talk about what worries you and what matters. I do live in a country that asks the United States to take care of our migrants and our people that are crossing the border, escaping from violence and trying to survive. But we do not do the same for brothers from Central America. That is a very cynical position. I wish my country had more integrity in that sense.
(Pauses and rephrases) I hope that the government of my country had more integrity.
