Gael García Bernal Almost Quit Acting Before Starring in ‘Y Tu Mamá También’
Gael García Bernal attended the SXSW premiere of his latest project “Holland” on Sunday, March 9. Starring alongside Nicole Kidman and Matthew Macfadyen in “Fresh” director Mimi Cave’s sophomore feature, his character is the co-worker of Kidman’s and the duo uncover that everything is not quite as it seems.
Speaking with Bernal on the carpet, IndieWire asked the actor to reflect on his time working with Alfonso Cuarón on “Y tu mamá también,” which marks its 25th anniversary next year. “It was my second time working in films,” Bernal told IndieWire. “The first time, I didn’t really understand what happened. It was ‘Amores perros’ and it’s a kind of a film that you really don’t understand what happened, because it was so potent and it took the world by storm.”
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‘Y tu mamá también’ was a different approach, because Alfonso included us in the process of making it and in his thought process and in his creative process,” he continued. “Maybe that was part of the tactic of [a] good director, you know, making the actors feel that they’re understanding what they’re doing. I’ve got to say that the best thing about that film, about the whole cinema experience with Alfonso, is that he introduced us to cinema.”
“He was the the one that explained to me how everything works in a way, and Emmanuel Lubezki, the cinematographer, so it was incredible. I think that’s when I decided to become an actor really, because before, I was still thinking about maybe not doing this as an actor, but it was there discovering cinema and wanting to do cinema and confiding with Diego [Luna].”
IndieWire also asked if Kidman would ever be interested in joining a future season of Mike White’s Emmy-winning phenomenon, “The White Lotus.” “I don’t think I’ve ever been asked,” she said. “I’m a massive fan of Mike White, so I would do anything he writes, because I just think he’s phenomenal. I love ‘The White Lotus.’ So there you go.”
The official synopsis for “Holland” reads: “In this wildly unpredictable thriller, Nicole Kidman is the meticulous Nancy Vandergroot, a teacher and homemaker whose picture-perfect life with her community pillar husband (Macfadyen) and son (Hill) in tulip-filled Holland, Michigan tumbles into a twisted tale. Nancy and her friendly colleague (Bernal) become suspicious of a secret, only to discover nothing in their lives is what it seems.”
“Holland” premieres March 27 on Prime Video. Check out the trailer here.
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