It is hard to believe but in the entirety of Emmy history only one Latino actor has ever been nominated in the Lead Actor In A Drama Series category, and that was actually Brooklyn-born Jimmy Smits who had four consecutive nominations for NYPD Blue from 1996 to 1999 ( he actually has 12 nominations overall and even a win for Supporting Actor in LA Law), but is that about to change? There is some strong buzz this season for Diego Luna who plays the title role in the Disney+ series spinoff from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story as Cassian Andor in Andor, the critically acclaimed series from Tony Gilroy.
Born in Mexico City in 1979, Luna already received Golden Globe and Critics Choice nominations for the role and is already at work on the second and final season of the show which will have shot 24 episodes in what is essentially a prequel to a prequel and will end just at the point Rogue One begins, the movie that storywise leads right into the very first Star Wars movie, A New Hope. Just this week Andor was named winner of a prestigious Peabody Award.
Luna joins me for this week’s episode of my Deadline video series, The Actor’s Side, where we talk about this exciting turn in his unique and successful career that began in telenovelas when he was a teen, broke out with the international hit Y Tu Mama Tambien from Alfonso Cuaron, and co-starring best friend and production partner Gael Garcia Bernal. His notable films have also included Before Night Falls, Frida, Open Range, The Terminal, Milk, Book Of Life, Rudy y Cursi, and many more. A versatile talent, he even has his own Amazon talk show, and other entertainment enterprises. We talk about all of it, and just what playing Andor has meant to him and his career, plus where he goes from here. To watch just click on the link above.
Join me every Wednesday for a new episode of The Actor’s Side.
