Diego Luna names his five favourite films of all time
Diego Luna has emerged as one of the most talented actors of his generation, known for his involvement in the Star Wars universe as well as the popular Netflix show Narcos. In addition to his work as an actor, Luna has also directed multiple features, including the 2014 biopic Cesar Chavez.
Luna’s breakthrough performance came in 2001 when he starred in Alfonso Cuarón’s mesmerising road film Y tu mamá también. The film tells the incredible story of two teenagers who embark on a journey of a lifetime, accompanied by a beautiful older woman (played by Maribel Verdú).
During a conversation with Rotten Tomatoes, Luna was asked to name some of the cinematic masterpieces that influenced his journey as an artist. The actor started out by citing the importance of Disney’s 1942 gem Bambi before talking about the impact Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves had on him.
Luna said: “I’m still kind of psychoanalysing myself, but my first shock was with the relationship between the mother and then the father. To find out that your parents are not perfect and in fact they do behave sometimes like thieves to protect you, it was powerful.”
While talking about Cinema Paradiso, he added: “I remember crying really badly with that when all the films in the projection room are on fire. I remember that also it was a film that when I was really young I could see myself reflected in the younger part of the film. And you can grow with the film, you know. When you become more mature you find a lot of sadness in the story of the old guy while he’s watching at the beginning and the end.”
Check out the full list below.
Diego Luna’s favourite films:
- Bambi (Multiple directors, 1942)
- Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica, 1948)
- Cinema Paradiso (Giuseppe Tornatore, 1988)
- Amarcord (Federico Fellini, 1973)
- The Big Lebowski (Coen brothers, 1998)
The film that changed Luna’s perception of cinema during his formative years was The Big Lebowski. Often regarded as one of the most influential American neo-noir masterpieces ever made, The Big Lebowski is an essential gem for all film fans.
Luna explained the importance of the film: “This was a really important movie for me as a teenager. It was a movie I could have fun with, that I thought was a piece of art and that I thought was doing something modern that had to do with my life.”
