Gael Garcia Bernal on Diego Luna, ‘Zorro’ remake

BERNAL. Teams up with Will Ferrell in “Casa De Mi Padre.”

“YOU saw him? Did you ask him?,” Gael Garcia Bernal excitedly asked when he learned of our interview with Martin Scorsese.

One of the master filmmaker’s projects is “Silence,” in which Gael will reportedly play one of two Jesuit priests who suffer violence and prosecution in 17th century Japan. “I would really love to do that movie. It would be an honor (to work with Scorsese)!”

In the meantime, Gael is in a comedy with Will Ferrell, “Casa De Mi Padre,” which he describes as a funny take on westerns and telenovelas. The international actor was all praises for the comedian, who speaks Spanish in the movie: “Will is the most generous and nicest guy there is. He’s a team player.”

“I’m going to mention, of course, that I had my sidekick with me,” Gael said, referring to Diego Luna, his best friend all the way from their child-actor days and his co-star in such films as the acclaimed “Y Tu Mama Tambien” and “Rudo y Cursi.”

The Guadalajara native, who has two kids (a son, 3, and a daughter, 1) with partner Argentinian actress, Dolores Fonzi, said that he splits his time between Mexico City and Buenos Aires. Excerpts from our talk:

How have you stayed friends with Diego even though you’ve probably been vying for the same roles through the years?

The fights that Diego and I were supposed to have, we had them already when we were kids and growing up.

You didn’t fight for roles?

No, we fought over lollipops and things like that—we’ve run out of things to fight about. The good thing is that, our friendship is now based on respect and generosity. We’re very happy with each other’s successes.

Real friends are genuinely happy for each other when things go well. When things go bad, that’s when true friends appear. A person who appreciates and loves you, and asks for nothing in return is a genuine friend. I feel that for Diego, as a friend. He’s more than that. He’s my brother.

Did you ever fight for girls?

Fortunately, never. We’re completely different people, so girls either like Diego or me.

Normal life

You are quite popular in many countries, including the US. Do you lead a normal life and how do you deal with the paparazzi?

I didn’t want to buy into the image of a person who’s famous. You attempt to live a normal life, but it’s very abnormal (laughing). For me, it happened when I was young. I was like, “I’m not going to stop doing the things I like just because people are watching me.”

But, the thing is, I’m a very boring person for the paparazzi. I go buy diapers. How many pictures can you take of that? But, that’s my public life. I don’t think about it too much.

What can you tell us about your “Zorro Reborn” movie? Will it be science fiction and futuristic?

Yeah, kind of. Let’s see how it goes. I’m curious to see what it ends up being. It obviously needs a personal interpretation from a director to give it life. For now, on paper, it sounds fun and weird, like “Casa De Mi Padre.”

Speaking of “Casa De Mi Padre,” did you plan how it would be equally funny to both mainstream American and Latin American audiences?

The idea that came across when I first heard about this movie was that it was going to be Will Ferrell talking in Spanish. That’s already funny for both English- and Spanish-speaking audiences. You’re already buying into a premise that isn’t commonly seen. The film is quite crazy in a way. It was funny for Diego and me, because we were talking in Spanish, and the director sometimes didn’t know what we were talking about.

How did Will fare speaking Spanish in the film?

Will might say that he doesn’t speak Spanish—but, he understands. He’s very smart in that sense. He speaks Spanish OK; he can get along. But, I’d say I was thrown off, not by the comedy aspects of it, but by the spoof of telenovelas and westerns.

Are you planning to direct again soon?

Yes, I hope so. Sometimes, I get anxious about directing, because it takes a long time, and it’s a big process that normally lasts two years. Sometimes, I want to do more as an actor. But, I want to direct something soon. I just have to find the time.

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