Diego Calva - ContentMode

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Diego Calva

stars in film

BABYLON

Best Lead Actor Golden Globe & Satellite Awards nominee

“Sometimes it takes an outsider to show you what’s remarkable about your own landscape and people.” So Rachel Kusher observed of documentary filmmaker Robert Frank, adding, “But to be merely an outsider isn’t enough.” All of which is applicable to Damien Chazelle’s three-hour epic Babylon, where he lasers on nascent Hollywood in its turbulent transition from silent films to talkies. Kushner’s words are also true for actor Diego Calva and his heartrending star turn as the immigrant outsider Manny Torres. We join Manny on his tour of that babylonian landscape, witnessing everything with his wide-eyed innocence, poetic determination and dexterous humor. Calva’s openness and wonder are potent reminders of what makes cinema worth the journey – despite all we know about its wretched underbelly. I was thrilled to talk to Calva about his multifaceted artistry and learn where and what he will show us next.

Shirt & Pants: Saint Laurent F22

Coat, Sweater, & Pants: Saint Laurent F22

Thank you so much for your role as Manuel “Manny” Torres, so delicious and dexterous! Much of your performance veers from the physical comedic brilliance of Buster Keaton to the sweet and naïve innocence of Jimmy Stewart, along with the mischief of Charlie Chaplin – Manuel can even call forth, when needed, the menace of Orson Welles. And all this often happens in a single scene! What enabled you to make such remarkable transitions so seamlessly?

Thank you so much for saying those names. It feels amazing to be part of a movie like this one and to work with a director like Damien, so talented and curious. But honestly, it’s all Manuel. The person that Damien and I created. It takes a team to develop a multidimensional character, with many layers and humanity.

Manuel has to be endlessly creative and resourceful to get his foot in the door of Hollywood’s silent-film industry. I understand that you sent a reel of your work for the team to consider. Many actors passively hope to be discovered, but your ingenuity seems like something Manuel would appreciate! And like him, you also believe in your ability to accomplish what many would say is impossible – to make a genuine impact in film. What led you down this path?

Movies, I guess. I needed to be part of the movies. The pleasure of them.

Your mother is in publishing. I know that sometimes parents who are in the arts can be fearful about their children entering such a mercurial profession. Can you describe your parents’ opinion and influence over your professional goals?

My mom is the true punk. She’s always working, and she always took care of me and my feelings and gave me freedom. There were hard moments. Any other parent would step back. But not her. She always believed in me and supported me.

It’s the same with my dad. He’s always there for my feelings. I’m glad I can finally call my parents my best friends.

Trench Coat, Shirt, & Pants: Saint Laurent F22

I love how you call your mom a punk! I understand you are also a writer and have published a book of poetry. When can we expect a second book of your work? Will you do the translation?

It was something like a magazine, I think, which I did with my best friend at the time. It was many years ago. We hated poets but loved poetry. So, we published this magazine to be rebellious. Good times before life comes for you.

There is a powerful honesty in your performance, especially when Manuel is called to do the dirty work of his bosses – a mosaic of his tortured feelings is artfully transmitted. Does your writing help you process these intense experiences, and allow you to communicate more honestly as an actor?

I don’t know. I don’t really use it as a tool for acting. Not all the time. It’s something I would be working on the side. Like a diary or description of the performance. I used it for memories.

It’s always critical to write down, to capture what captivates – you never know how you might use it. The complexity of expression, the cross-purposes and layering of meaning, are frequently revealed through poetry. When director/writer Damien Chazelle allowed you the freedom to improvise lines, did your work as a poet feed into the nuances of Manuel’s communication?

Oh no. Manuel. It’s Manuel. I wish I could be more like him sometimes.

Trench Coat, Shirt, & Pants: Saint Laurent F22

Of the transportation skills Manuel employs, which is harder, horses or old cars?

Cars.

I can’t drive, so I side with that too! Have you read Fernanda Melchor’s brilliant novel Hurricane Season? I had the honor of speaking with her at Encuentro Internacional de Escritores: Tiempo de Literatura, for a retrospective discussion of my work and Melchor’s. Artists the world over are beginning to receive the attention they deserve here in the US, which enriches us all. You have spoken of your goal to make yourself available for collaborations with writers and filmmakers from Latin America, who might be overlooked by Hollywood. How have you been making those connections? What projects are you pursuing in this direction?

I know the book. I really liked it. Also, talking about cool artists, my friend Elisa Miller is making the movie [of Hurricane Season] for Netflix.

In some years, I would fucking love to play Diego Rivera. He was a talented monster.

I could see you in that role. Well, despite the ruthless, capitalist and patriarchal destruction he’s survived, and all the heartbreak, Manuel still believes in the redemptive and cathartic capacity of film, of art, of storytelling. It is transfixing to see him experiencing this transformative, felt connection of humanity through film, all reflected in his face, from the beginning of Babylon to the end. I have to add, I felt this too, and I wept with Manuel in the darkened screening room. Does Manuel’s directive resonate personally with you?

Everyone keeps asking about the similarities between Manuel and me, and it was hard for me to see the line for a while. Now I think that Manuel and I, we are dreamers and naïve in some cases. That’s another way to say brave.

And about the transformation, I guess that’s Damien and me again, the teamwork we did with everyone on the crew. We talked about the costumes and the makeup to create Manuel. It’s all very important. It’s all layers you add and then take them off after you hear “action”.

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What tools did you employ to access those raw places for the film?

What I use to access those emotions, well, I guess we all, like Nellie, carry with us some footprints of pain. If you’re lucky enough to have someone like Damien by your side, you can share your secrets and don’t have to open those doors alone.

Has your mother seen the film and – spoiler alert! – how did she react to seeing you as an older man with children of his own? How did embodying an older Manuel, now a parent himself, impact you?

Yeah, she watched it. She’s so happy. And I am too. It feels incredible to share this joy with her. She was a little shocked, I’m not gonna lie. I guess it’s hard to see your son covered in blood.

Even if you’re a punk, yup, that’s absolutely true! If you had any advice to give to Manuel, what would you tell him?

That he should be grateful, and he should always play with angels and ghosts.