The X-rated movie that made Eiza González want to be an actor: “I was convinced”
Eiza González is part of an elite group of actors who can say they started their blockbuster journey with a show on Argentinian Nickelodeon. In fact, she might be the only one. From her early days on Sueña conmigo, the Mexican star has risen up the ranks and appeared in some truly monumental stuff. Whether it’s been as a gangster in Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver, a computer whizz in Godzilla vs Kong, or a part of the ‘Oxford Five’ in 3 Body Problem, González never misses an opportunity to show what she’s made of.
Like all actors, González was influenced by a great many things growing up. She credits her father’s death when she was just 12 years old as having a major influence on her career, as well as the actor Patricia Reyes Spíndola and her drama school. In terms of films, however, there is one that she credits with kick-starting her love of the performing arts.
When cornered by Letterboxd about her four favourite films, the star gave the usual protestations before finally deciding to reveal her picks. “Let’s start with Midnight Cowboy,” she said. “The performances are so moving. Dustin Hoffman in that movie just truly was one of, like, the awakening moments of my career. I was convinced I needed to act. I was quite taken by it. Definitely one of my favorite movies of all time.”
Released in 1969, Midnight Cowboy is a classic by anyone’s standards. Directed by John Schlesinger, the movie stars Jon Voight as Joe Buck, a sex worker who moves from Texas to New York City to try to seek his fortune. It is there he meets Enrico ‘Ratso’ Rizzo (Hoffman), a hustler. After originally conning him out of cash, Buck and Rizzo become unlikely friends, attempting to navigate their various seedy business ventures together.
Getting slapped with the infamous ‘X’ certificate used to be a death knell for any picture looking to make money, especially in the 1960s. The film was initially released with this albatross around its neck, after the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) decided that its gay sex scenes went too far for a standard ‘R’ movie. Against all the odds, however, Midnight Cowboy became a hit. It remains the only X-rated film to win ‘Best Picture’ at the Oscars, and both Voight and Hoffman’s performances are regarded as high watermarks of the era.
Unfortunately for González, she couldn’t get away with just picking Midnight Cowboy. She had to choose three other films to fill out her pantheon. “Definitely one of my favorite movies of all time is GoodFellas,” she continued, adding that she’d seen it about ‘100 times’. Next up was The Nightmare Before Christmas, Henry Selick’s take on Tim Burton’s holiday horror. “I really loved horror growing up,” González revealed. “I didn’t want to watch Disney princesses. I wanted, like, Jack Skellington.”
For her final selection, she opted for Darren Aronofsky’s mind-bending Requiem for a Dream, which she said “blew my brains out of my body” when she first saw it at a young age.
Best picture winners, ground-breaking dramas, a beloved animation. With influences like that growing up, it was only a matter of time before Eiza González made her own impact on the world of film.
