Diego Luna shot to international renown with his starring role as a sex-mad teenager who snogs Gael García Bernal in Alfonso Cuarón’s Academy Award-nominated Y Tu Mamá También.
In Milk, out on DVD on 8 June, the sexy actor plays Jack Lira, Harvey Milk’s lover during his fourth bid for office, after his separation from Scott Smith. “My big concern was that I wanted to portray Jack in a fair way”, offers Luna.
“I know a lot about him without really knowing him, because every Mexican goes through a struggle here”, he continues. “Imagine being gay and Mexican at that time. I believe he was a bit lost, and searching for someone to take care of him. I decided not to contact his family, but I talked a lot with Danny Nicoletta and Cleve Jones and then developed my own take on who Jack was”.
We spoke to Diego about standing up for gay rights and what it was like to kiss Sean Penn.
How did you first get involved in Milk?
It was the cliché of the way you get a film. Basically, my agent sent me the script, I read it, I thought it was amazing. I loved the idea of working with Gus Van Sant. He’s a director I admire a lot. And I do believe he’s one of the best directors shooting films today. He’s a interesting guy to work with because he's a surfer, man. Every film he does is different and it's a different ride. That was exciting.
And being part of a film that matters. Today, a film about respect, a film about tolerance, a film about how to change the world, I feel it’s important. I believe we need more of these heroes. And less of the ones that use killing to get attention.
How did you enjoy kissing Sean Penn?
Whew. It's like when I dance to The Rolling Stones, I need tequila! It was the same here, beforehand. I don't really remember much about it. The tequila is maybe why I don't remember that much! No, I’m joking. I remember and, I have to say, Sean's not the greatest kisser in the world! I hid the bottle of tequila in my jacket! And Gus made it really easy or us.
Were you nervous?
I was so, so nervous, because I had the feeling that the scene needed to be very passionate and very big. He kind of wanted to be hurt a little bit. He's that sort of character, isn't he? I didn't know how Gus was going to shoot it. When I got there, I realised that the camera was hiding in the other room and it was just through the doors that you would see. So it was kind of easy, and he and I did it very simply. But, at the beginning, I was just worrying, ‘How is this guy going to shoot it?' Always, it depends on the director.
"I have to say, Sean's not the greatest kisser in the world!"
Did you only have to shoot your passionate scene once?
No, we did it a few times, but it was like an hour of work and that was it. I think that the hardest part was to do my last scene, the suicide. That was the toughest thing because I never thought that was going to be the complicated scene, but there was a weird feeling in the atmosphere. Talking about a real guy, someone that was really in this - a real character with a history behind him. It meant a lot and it's not a nice feeling.
Did you enjoy shooting in San Francisco?
Yeah, San Francisco is a good city. I like it. It's like a bubble in the States. It has the best food, the best feeling. It's a city where really everyone interacts because it's not too big. It's also beautiful and it has natural places around that are beautiful. I was in and out for a month and a half, two months, because my role is not that big. I was, like, four days and then back in L.A., and then another four days, and then a little bit in Mexico. But I had a great time.
Your character brings a little humour to the movie…
I wanted this character to be a little bit funny sometimes and I also think that the thing you kind of hate about him is that he doesn't care about politics. In this film, you realise how important the idea of change really is for these people. He was a bit of anomaly among them.
You’ve been politically active yourself. Do you feel that’s your duty as an actor?
I think everyone should be involved. There's no way we can make this world a liveable place if we don't take action and if we don't start changing our reality. First of all, we have to be curious - look around and see where we're living and to get affected by what's happening in front of us. And once that happens, I have the feeling that good people are just going to want to do something.
As actors, we have a tool that is very useful, which is the microphone and the attention. So you have to be responsible and use it in a way that you think matters. I think it's a responsibility we all have. It's not just actors. We should all do something and we have to start young. That's what Harvey Milk is saying. The first thing you can do to support this movement, get out of the closet, let everyone know and take control of your life.
"Today, a film about respect, a film about tolerance, a film about how to change the world, I feel it’s important. I believe we need more of these heroes."
Did becoming a father make you become more involved?
No, I'm the same person, it's just that now I care more about someone other than myself. But I'm the same person. What I was doing for myself, I'm willing to do it for my son.
How are you enjoying fatherhood?
It's a different love. You don't know it exists. It's very special. Something you've never felt before. And that makes you want to, or at least that makes me want to, be there. To be there all the time. Now, just the idea of taking an airplane for 10 hours to go make a film and be two or three weeks living in a hotel, shoot for two, three months - it sounds so far from what I want to do right now.
Some people have complained that Latino voters helped get Proposition 8 passed. How do you feel about that?
Whao. I don't know. I don't live in this country. I just realised this happened and I'm kind of shocked. It makes no sense that today we're so close-minded. It makes no sense today that those are the issues we're discussing. While the world is collapsing, it makes no sense that what is taking our attention is gay marriage.
I don't have much to say because I don't know really where it comes from or what's really happening. It just seems to me that we're missing the point. We should be discussing how to make this a better place for all of us. We should celebrate difference - that'll make us better people and that'll make this place an easier place to live in.
What do you think is the biggest political problem we’re facing today?
That respect has been lost. I think before passports, we're human beings. We've created all these boundaries and we've pointed to all these differences and we've just alienated this world. Imagine creating a big wall. But this happens still, even though there are millions of Mexicans - and people from South America and Central America - working in this country. So it makes no sense.
Before we get a passport, we're just born and we're the same. And I don't feel that I belong to Mexico. My heart and many love stories have happened there. My friends, family, my wife is Mexican and everything, but I also appreciate a lot about Mexico when I'm not there.
When you travel as a Mexican, have you ever felt discriminated against in the US?
Of course, and not just in the US. Come on, that happens everywhere. And the class issues in Mexico even means that, if you're born from a low class, they treat you really badly and they won't even look at you. They'll serve who has money and they'll serve who has power. And so it is a human condition.
We should fight against that because, obviously, it's not something we can accept and be blind to. We have to react. But I don't believe it's an issue that just happens here. I remember the first time I was really badly treated in an airport. It was in London, in fact, and my mother is British, she was born in Scotland.
"We should all do something...That's what Harvey Milk is saying. The first thing you can do to support this movement, get out of the closet, let everyone know and take control of your life."
So what happened at the airport?
Well, her family's from England, they all live in England and I had all my family waiting outside and Alexander is my second last name! It’s just that I had a Mexican passport. I remember I was there talking to an Indian officer who was telling me I couldn't get into the country of my mother because I had a Mexican passport and I didn't have an address. I was like, ‘What?’ People tend to get crazy with a little bit of power. That happens everywhere.
What are you working on right now?
Right now I'm doing a theatre play. We're rehearsing in Mexico. It's called Canario, but it's not a film. It's an interesting project that John Malkovich is directing and we're going to do it for 10 weeks in Mexico. Then I'm not shooting anything till March.
What will you do with the time off?
Now I have this film to promote, I have Rudo y Cursi, I have Solo Quiero Caminar - which is a Spanish film - and I have Mr. Lonely to come out in Mexico, and I have the theatre play, so I think I'm going to be doing a lot of interviews. When I do have spare time, I want to be near to my family, to spend time in Mexico.
Read Our Review Of Milk »
Click for the our film review including image gallery, trailer, verdict, plot and queer ratings!
Read Our Diego Luna Totty Watch »
Click to find out more about this piece of hot Latin totty.
Read Our Interview With Dustin Lance Black »
Click to read the screenwriter talk about the film's message of acceptance.
Read Our Interview With James Franco »
Click to read the star of Milk talk about gay sex scenes and wearing a prosthetic penis!
Read Our Interview With Gus Van Sant »
Click to read the director talk about how Milk came to fruition.
Read Our Sean Penn Totty Watch »Click to find out more about the über cool actor who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty.
Read Our James Franco Totty Watch »Click to find out more about the gorgeous actor who gets around.
Read Our Emile Hirsch Totty Watch »Click to find out more about the up and comer who's no stranger to playing gay.
Milk [2008]
Studio: Momentum
Released: 8 June 2009
ASIN: B001O0E6IC
Buy the DVD of Milk online now and save some money to put towards the Oscar winning The Times of Harvey Milk and Randy Shilts's book The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk.