Not so long time ago, in a galaxy not so far away, Alfonso Cuarón was unintentionally influencing the future of the Star Wars franchise.
Andor star Diego Luna recently recalled that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) director Gareth Edwards originally pitched him on the film by comparing his vision to Cuarón’s Y tu mamá también (2001), which starred a young Luna.
“I’ve been a Star Wars fan since I was a kid. I grew up with the first trilogy and became a fanatic,” he explained to Vanity Fair of how he ended up going from mostly indie projects to the Disney franchise. “I played Jedi with my cousins, although I must admit that part of me was always drawn to the dark side. I can’t deny that. I was the smallest of all my friends, and I went crazy playing Star Wars.
“The director of Rogue One came to see me, and told me that he wanted to make a very particular Star Wars movie, with a different style of acting and hyperrealistic tone bordering on naturalism. He wanted to create something that was close to being almost like a documentary in its tone.”
Luna recalled, “‘I want them to improvise, to take over the characters, the dynamics between them. I’d love to feel like I’m watching something like Y Tu Mamá También,’ he told us. At that moment I thought, Well, maybe this is a role for me.”
Felicity Jones and Diego Luna in ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story‘ (2016) (Jonathan Olley/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/ Lucasfilm Ltd./Courtesy Everett Collection)
Y tu mamá tambien stars Luna and Gael García Bernal as Tenoch and Julio, two 17-year old best friends who embark on a summer road trip across the country with an older woman, Luisa (Maribel Verdú). The film is known for its use of a handheld camera to employ a documentary-realist style that gives it a candid footage vibe.
Luna reprises his titular role as Cassian Andor in Season 2 of the Disney+ series, the first three episodes premiering April 22 on the streaming platform.
Content shared from deadline.com.