Exclusive: Diego Calva on Showing Latinos Chasing the American Dream in Babylon

It isn't often that the Latino community is able to see themselves represented in the early days of Hollywood—outside of the odd stereotypical roles Latin actors typically get.

But in Babylon, a film by Oscar-winning La la Land director Damien Chazelle, the script is flipped and the ambitious Manny Torres finds himself at the center of the film.

While the film follows along with the stories of both Margot Robbie's Nellie LaRoy and Brad Pitt's Jack Conrad, it's Mexican actor Diego Calva's Manny Torres that moves the story along and proves to be its heart and soul.

In an exclusive interview with People Chica, Calva discusses what it was like for him to work on Babylon and the importance of showing Latino greatness during a time period whose narrative we are often excluded from.

Your character Manny Torres is one of the central storylines of Babylon, oftentimes being the focal point of the movie. What was it like bringing the story of Manny to life on screen?

Well, it was an amazing, amazing experience. I feel very lucky. And also, I love the idea that you actually see the movie through Manny's eyes. You know, he's always like watching, and I don't know, I like that.

In the film, Manny's chasing his version of the American dream but unfortunately has that thwarted. How do you feel this reflects the reality of what it means to chase the American dream?

I mean, I never chase it, but I think it's very important to—at least for people in Latin America, you know, like in Mexico, Colombia, like all Latin America—to watch faces like us [...] on screen because we've been here since forever.

You know, like [we've been here since] the '20s, and [there] were Mexicans and Cubans [in Hollywood]. And I mean, René Cardona one of the greatest producers of that time period. And so it's very important for me, and I feel very lucky, to put a face into that [time period] because I don't have [a reference or] a face [of] a successful Mexican from the '20s. So, I think it's very important.

How do you hope the film will resonate with audiences once it hits theaters?

I really hope that people connect—people that [are] not involved [with] movies, you know, because Babylon is not like an inside joke or an inside story about movies.

[It] is more about how some things [bring] people to create something and the price of success in a way. And it's also a love story and it's very fun. So, I really hope that people connect with it.

What was the biggest lesson you learned about your craft while working on this film that you plan to take to other movies in the future?

[To] make decisions. Like, make decisions and go for it till the end. You know, like don't doubt and trust your instincts. And don't feel small—that's something very important. Embrace it.