Diego Luna Discusses His Mexican Heritage, Trump, and Rogue One‘s Diverse Message on Conan
Even if Disney’s Bob Iger doesn’t want anyone to view Rogue One as a political film, we all know Star Wars is very political, and that Rogue One is coming out at an unusual time for American audiences. In an interview on Conan, Diego Luna addressed that tension directly, going on to emphasize that he feels “more and more proud of being Mexican,” and he believes it’s more important than ever to be “louder” even in the face of increasing hatred and bigotry.
As Diego Luna explains in the clip, he was born in Mexico City and obviously takes issue with the negative stereotypes that have arisen about Mexicans and Mexican immigrants, here in America. He also points out that, actually, American owes a lot to Mexico, given our history. Conan O’Brien echoes that sentiment, pointing out that their current location for their TV studio, which is in Burbank CA, used to be part of Mexico–as did a whole lot of the United States. Many Americans aren’t familiar with the history of American imperialism, however, and may not realize the extent to which that history is still felt today.
Diego Luna also went on to highlight the importance of the diverse cast in Rogue One, and the movie’s choice to cast diverse actors in heroic roles that are set apart from the extremist, fascist government that they’re fighting against. It’s an important message, and it’s almost impossible to see that message as somehow apolitical.
Also, in the interview, Diego Luna described how great it was to work with the hilarious Alan Tudyk, who plays K-2SO.
I do hope Alan Tudyk shows up on the Conan set while wearing those “pajamas” at some point.
(image via screencap)
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