Gael García Bernal Embodies ‘Exótico’ Luchador in ‘Cassandro’ Trailer Starring Bad Bunny
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An iconic queer luchador and Bad Bunny? Sign us up. On Tuesday, Amazon Prime Video debuted the trailer for Cassandro, a biopic about the Lucha Libre superstar, starring Gael García Bernal as the protagonist and featuring a kissing scene with the Puerto Rican reggaetonero.
The trailer follows the life of Saúl Armendáriz — the queer luchador who used the stage name Cassandro — on his journey to becoming a title-winning Lucha Libre fighter, despite being an “exótico,” a term used for male fighters who take on gay mannerisms during their fights.
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The trailer introduces Bad Bunny as one of Bernal’s love interests in the trailer when the Puerto Rican musician walks up to Cassandra and asks him if he’s a luchador. The trailer then follows the fighter as he decides whether he’ll opt to be an exótico in the ring, even though “they don’t let exóticos win.”
“I want to flip it,” Cassandro says in the trailer.
As a Spanish version of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” plays, the trailer showcases Cassandro’s real-life journey and rise to become a Lucha Libre “legend” and how he “pushes” the envelope by dancing sensually and flaunting his queerness during fights. (And still winning.)
The end of the trailer captures a glimpse of Casandro seemingly leaning for a kiss from Bad Bunny, following a scene of the two dancing with wide grins.
Bad Bunny previously opened up about his onscreen kiss with Bernal in an interview for Time. “My first kiss for a movie, and it was with a man,” he said, later adding, “That’s the penalty I get for being with so many women during my life.”
“If you’re acting, you’re being someone you’re not,” he added. “So when they asked me for that, I said, ‘Yes, I’m here for whatever you want.’ I think it was very cool; I didn’t feel uncomfortable.”
The film marks director Roger Ross Williams’, who co-wrote the script with David Teague, first work doing a scripted film after focusing on documentaries before.
“I was totally blown away by his story,” Cassandro director Roger Ross Williams told People. “For me as a storyteller, as a filmmaker, there’s just a moment where a story hits you, and you know this is right.”
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