Disney’s era of Star Wars has been notoriously chaotic and unwieldy, but one TV show stands out. Following Cassian Ander and a growing Rebel Alliance, this prequel to Rogue One is a gem, possibly the best thing to come out of the entire franchise since The Empire Strikes Back.
Diego Luna, who plays Ander, also gets to live out his dream. Although Luna was already a successful actor before Rogue One, he had never been a part of something this big and this special. “I’ve never been involved in something this secrecy before,” he said in an interview with Variety in 2023.
However, the biggest surprise for Luna was how little his accent mattered: “Gareth explained the whole movie to me, and at the end he said, “I want you to play this role.” He asked me, “But I don’t see myself here. I love these movies, but how will I fit in here? Nobody has my accent.” “I never thought it could be possible.”
However, Luna’s accent did not bother the Rogue One director. In Luna’s words, “I thought you were perfect for a role like this ever since I saw ‘And Your Mom Also.’ I wanted that accent in the movie. I wanted that realism, that feeling that this is everyday life.” I never thought I would be able to be a part of Star Wars through a movie like ‘And Your Mom Also.’
Edwards’ argument will certainly make sense to fans of the 2001 road trip romance film. In Alfonso Cuaron’s already impressive filmography, this film is one of the best. Tenoch, a young, jovial guy who at first seems to be a scoundrel, eventually reveals himself to be a sympathetic, complex character and is played well by Luna.
It’s still one of Luna’s best roles 23 years later, so it’s easy to see why Edwards and Tony Gilroy would be drawn to it. Endor is a surprisingly grounded, realistic story within the Star Wars universe, and “Y Tu Mama También” feels painfully real.
In both the first and now the second season of Ender, Diego Luna brought subtlety and realism to his work. Luna stressed that his approach was different from traditional Star Wars thinking. According to him, the show’s creator, Tony Gilroy, was clear in his instruction: “You have to forget that this is Star Wars.”
Gilroy emphasized simplicity and authenticity, telling the team, “It’s got to be simple. It’s got to be easy. It’s got to be real.” If something sounded gimmicky or reminiscent of a galaxy far, far away, they knew they were off track.
Also read: ‘Expanding the world’: Jude Law explains how Star Wars influenced his life, inspired him to join Skeleton Crew