Diego talks about Chavez and Elysium

A very good interview with our lovely boy was out today. Diego talked about "Chavez" and where is his "Elysium".

Here are some parts of this great interview:

“I don’t know why it hasn’t been told,” actor-director Diego Luna said of Cesar Chavez who, along with Filipino and Mexican migrant workers, organized the first successful farm workers union in American history. Diego grabbed the chance to tell the saga of the farm labor leader and civic rights activist in “Chavez,” which he directs and stars in, with Richard Peña in the title role. “It’s quite a special and heroic story about a simple man,” enthused the actor, who is also in the cast of “Elysium,” Neill Blomkamp’s much-awaited action-drama-sci-fi. “For three years now, I’ve been working on the film.”

An activist, Diego said his father raised him to question everything. “My friends sometimes hate that,” he continued with a smile. “I learn to be a critic about everything. Try to understand everything around you because on that journey, you can become someone and choose who you want to be by understanding others. But the amazing thing about being on this journey is that I found, back when I was still very little, what I wanted to do. I didn’t waste any time. I was able to work with the people I admired, travel because of my work, go back and do theater in Mexico, have a company to produce, act and direct for.” He stressed, “I never thought there would be a limit. I never thought there would barriers—I could always reach something and then just stay there. I learned from my father that life can always teach you something. That ends the day you die. I am eager to learn and that’s part of my education.” It was no surprise then to hear Diego admit, “I’m obsessed with directing now. I love it more than anything else. I’m enjoying the journey so much.”

But folks who admire Diego as an actor shouldn’t worry. He declared, “The good thing is, I never have to stop being an actor. I can act for the rest of my life. Many have done that. I started acting when I was 6. I’ve been doing it for quite a while. As an actor, you’re always a tool for someone else’s point of view. One day, I realized I wanted to say something. You cannot be an actor and try to say it because then you become a pain in the ass—you’re one of those actors who are trying to direct and that’s very dangerous.

Asked where his personal Elysium is, Diego replied, “The good thing about my Elysium is that I don’t have to do what Matt Damon’s character has to do. I get free entry. It’s an open house for me– my family, my two lovely kids. Whenever I am with them, life changes; time stops. What’s important is not important anymore. When you think something matters so much, in fact, it doesn’t. It’s about being able to share with them, listen to them, enjoy life with them and discover the world with them.” Diego grinned when he said that as a result of hanging out with his kids, he “recently became a fan of animated films. It’s such an amazing ride as a parent to discover cinema with your kids. I guess that is my Elysium.”

On wearing his hair long these days (he can play Jesus), Diego said: “This is as long as my hair has ever been but I promised not to cut it until I show ‘Chavez’ to an audience.” Laughing, he quipped, “I hope it doesn’t grow so much longer!”

Read the full interview here: http://entertainment.inquirer.net/93245/diego-lunas-film-recognizes-role-of-filipino-farm-workers-in-us-history