Diego Luna on Star Wars, finding his voice as a director, and preserving the cinema experience

Mexican star Diego Luna has brought a vibrant mix of characters to the big screen, both as an actor (Y Tu Mamá También, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) and as a director (Cesar Chavez). He did an AMA post on r/movies to discuss his expansive career and his latest directorial work, Ashes, which premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. Luna gives fans a candid look into his creative life, answering questions about his emotional connection to his roles, the evolving landscape of the entertainment industry, and where he and collaborator Gael García Bernal would end up in a horror film.

On the Star Wars universe

Question:

Hello Mr. Luna!

I have family who don't speak English and they were SO delighted to hear that you did the dub for Andor in español Latino. Hearing your voice in Spanish made the experience feel even more premium for them so thank you for doing that!

Where there any interesting advances in filmmaking or VFX that you thought were cool going from filming Rogue One to Andor years later?

Thank you for your time!

Diego Luna:

Comment in r/movies

First of all, I have to say just so you know, if you ever find a film that I did in English where I'm not doing the voice in Spanish it's because they didn't ask me to do it or they didn't let me do it. Sometimes they do that process in such a rush that it's impossible for you to get involved or they don't want to get you involved, but it's something I try to do for every project I do in English. That's how so many people I love and are important to me get to see my work, so I fight for that.

As for Andor, we had the urge to approach it like a movie. We all come from doing movies, our language is movies, you have Tony Gilroy and Kathleen Kennedy and the DPs and the actors. I had only done one series before Andor and it was a two year commitment so it felt like doing a very long movie, I knew the beginning and the end when I signed on. And that's how we approached Andor, we said we want to do a bunch of movies. A certain amount of movies that tell this story, but we approached it like a movie. The directors were hired to do blocks of three episodes, so there was a sense of unity for the length of a movie shoot. We were celebrating movie making and everything was very much like the movies we grew up watching and then doing. We were shooting on location, we didn't have a crazy amount of cameras we were focused on one shot at a time. The shooting schedules were built like movie schedules where you shoot the whole arc of a location before moving on to the next because we didn't have access to all the locations all the time. Even though long format is something new in my life it felt like what I'd been doing the whole time. So not many tools and effects I was no used to but the shoot itself felt a lot like Rogue One.

The Star Wars universe is so amazing because the stuff that you relate to is mechanical, it exists. The droids are there and the droid had a little speaker and the actor was playing the voice from afar so I could hear it coming from the speaker. The droid had four people working on it just on set, someone operating the droid to move, someone doing the voice, someone operating the lights, it's not an easy experience but very enjoyable because you're actually interacting with something.

Question:

Hello Diego! Really enjoyed the character of Cassian and you did amazing bringing him to life.

When filming Andor, you've said that Cassian's fate in Rogue One "haunted" you and that you had to keep your emotions "on the side" because you knew the ending while Cassian doesn't. How did that shape your acting? Did knowing the ending change how you played certain moments?

Diego Luna:

Comment in r/movies

Definitely. Every decision for me, every choice I made through the process of performing Andor, had Rogue One in mind. It was always present. It signifies, not just for me as an actor but also for audiences, what things mean. When someone asks the character something like, "Are you going to come back?" it means something different because we know Rogue One. Everything is just different, the only thing we know as people is we are going to die but we don't know when or how, but even that is simplifying it too much. It's also about knowing what the character is capable of. The sacrifices he will be willing to make for his community and for the betterment. Knowing that also gives you permission to explore in other places and try to go as far as possible to create an interesting arc.

On Y Tu Mamá También and perspectives on cinema

Question:

Y tu mamá también was the favorite movie of my father for a long time and because of that I watched it as a 15-year-old, just for curiosity... And didn't get it at all. Besides for a couple scenes ended up being a really numb experience to me because at that time I couldn't relate at all. But last year, almost 10 years later, after experiencing a longtime relationship that ended up in the two of us cutting all contact... I watched the movie again and it finally hit me. I ended up crying like a Magdalena... What do you think about the fact that a movie can mean something totally different in different times of our lives? Are you proud of making a movie like that?

Diego Luna:

Comment in r/movies

Yes, definitely I'm very proud. That's one of the many things I love about cinema, how films hit you in a specific moment of your life. And then when you go back to them, they can hit you differently, connect differently with you, or raise questions you didn't find in them before. Film is all about the perspective you are witnessing it from, that's what makes it such a personal experience. Once you put a movie out there the movie doesn't belong to those making it but those receiving it, and that's what happens with great movies. They keep showing different faces or different layers that you weren't aware of before. I think it's also a beautiful compliment to the work of Alfonso Cuaron and how many layers he brings into everything he's done.

Probably 15 years old was a little too young, but it also depends on you! There are probably people who that would have been just perfect and others not, but I'm glad to hear it ended up hitting you.

Question:

I'm sure that when you filmed Y tu mamá también over twenty years ago, you couldn't have imagined the impact it would have or the fulfillment it would bring you as an actor. Now that you're an established actor, producer, and director with an incredible list of roles behind you, is there anything left you still want or need to do to feel truly fulfilled?

Diego Luna:

Comment in r/movies

Yes. Definitely. And that is to work as hard as possible to defend the opportunity of audiences to get together and watch films. I think this world is becoming way too much about our devices and technology is isolating us in many ways. I grew up and found myself and grew to be who I am with many tools but cinema was one of the most important tools. Cinema allowed me to connect with others, not just through the stories I was witnessing but through the experience of watching it with community. And also that pause you have to make in life to go inside a cinema and witness an experience, a movie, is something that I really think is healthy. So, YES, I see myself working in cinema as a promoter, as a defender.

On taking the director's chair

Question:

Hi Diego!

My first role I ever saw you in was Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights and while not critically acclaimed, I really enjoyed your acting. I love when actors branch out to making their own films. What was the biggest difference between acting and directing in Ashes and why should we check it out? Thank you for your time.

Diego Luna:

Comment in r/movies

Directing came in my life when I became a father. I was ready to tell my own stories, I was going through a process that was actually asking me to slow down and to go deeper. Directing also allows me to bring all the tools I have as an actor, they're all useful. I am very curious and I think it has a lot to do with the influence of my father and the process that happens before and after the actors are involved. I've always had this necessity of telling my own story, and Ashes is probably the film I am the proudest of. It's a film that allowed me to keep talking about the stuff I've been talking about since the first movie I directed which is the absence of parents. My mother died when I was two years old and the way that shaped me, that absence shaped me, the way that shaped the relationship I have with my father, and the way that kind of helped me go through the loss of my father later is basically there in everything I do. It's there because it's who I am.

With Ashes I was able to find this story inside another story that I care a lot about which is the story of those that have to leave everything behind. Ashes is based on a book written by Brenda Navarro and it gave me the opportunity to talk about those Mexicans that are forced to move, that can't stay home, it's the story of a Mexican going to Spain. And talking about the conflict, the contradiction, the challenges that brings not just to those moving, but also to those receiving us. And in a very different situation, you think language would help create that bridge but then you realize it's not everything and the other layers of society show themselves and you're still talking about fear, anger, violence, just from a different perspective. Anyways, it's a very specific film because it just talks about the journey of one young woman but it allows me to bring so many layers that matter to me and hopefully connect with audiences and cause us to reflect on our own community. Because we are all involved in migration, you cannot avoid it, we are all moving or receiving.

Question:

Hola Diego, como estas? Saludos desde Paraguay.

With directorial experience under your belt, what director's note would you give your young self on the set of Y tu mamá también?

Diego Luna:

Comment in r/movies

I would be, like, so pissed off with myself. I would have to have a long conversation with myself, I wasted so much time where my energy was not aimed in the right direction. I believe in actors who understand the journey and understand the things that happen around them. But I think the best thing to happen to me as an actor was to direct. My acting, my process benefit so much from directing. I understand where the energy has to be going to, what you have to protect yourself from, you understand what's behind those giving answers. Sometimes we are so unfair to those holding the big responsibility on their shoulders and something we don't always understand is that the writing doesn't end until editing is done. And we sometimes are just not aware of that, it's about possibilities, it's about what can happen in the accident, and it's about what we are not controlling, that's when films elevate. That doesn't mean you don't have to do a lot of work to get the point of shooting the film, but then the most magical stuff is what you're not in control of and you have to allow yourself to go through the accident and many times I found myself as an actor trying to fight that.

The first time I directed I wanted to call so many directors I had worked with to apologize and to say, "Hire me again, I promise not to charge you, and let's start from scratch." And I'll tell you one other thing, directors will also benefit so much from acting. It is important for a director to understand what actors have to go through and what it means to be there. Whenever I work with directors that have allowed themselves to be exposed on a camera or on a stage, the communication just becomes easy and the collaboration becomes more intense and more honest. So it serves both sides.

On memorable collaborations

Question:

Hello Diego! I hope you are well and best greetings from Lower Saxony in Germany.

I first noticed you in Elysium and I really liked your character. How was it like working with Neill Blomkamp and Matt Damon and what was your favorite memory from the set?

How did you feel when you were approached with the TV show pitch of Andor after your character died in Rogue One? Were you surprised that Disney wanted to continue the story of Andor or were you like skeptic on how they would further handle your character?

Diego Luna:

Comment in r/movies

Wow, you brought up a film I haven't thought of in a while. For me, District 9 was very important, a very special film. The social content I felt there and the director's vision really stuck with me. And then when I was offered by Neil to participate in Elysium I felt very lucky. To be doing a film of that size with such a specific comment on the world we are living in. And it made me connect with people that do cinema for the same reasons I do cinema. Obviously working with Matt was very special and getting to know him, and getting to know his integrity as an artist it was something very special that meant a lot to me. But also working with Alice Braga and Wagner Moura, we were shooting in Mexico and working with a big community of the industry of my country that participated in that film. And it was all because of Neil, how he approaches cinema. You can definitely feel the duality he has, like where he comes from and what he dreams of for his films. There is a very independent pulse in what he does and also he's so young! It made me feel so old working with him, he was such a young guy doing the films he wanted without asking for permission. I think that's an impressive thing to have these days.

Question:

Hi Diego! I’ve always loved the film Book of Life growing up, it was one of those hidden gems and my sister still plays your songs to this day. I wanted to ask what the experience of that filming was like for you and if you would ever consider making something similar?

Diego Luna:

Comment in r/movies

I would consider doing anything Jorge, the director, brings to the table. And I will always have gratitude with Guillermo Del Toro who sat me down in a room in front of Jorge and said you have to let him pitch you the film he wants to make. So he did and I was like, I have to be part of this. And it has the heart of that man, you know, that is huge. And then the influence of Guillermo who also has a gigantic heart, so yeah, it is an important film to me in many ways and definitely one of my favorite jobs ever because I got to witness the whole process. I was there from when things were a sketch to the very last moment of release.

On filmmakers and friends

Question:

Who are your favorite filmmakers who just started up in recent years and what directors would you want to work with the most?

Mister Lonely is one of my all time favorite films. Thank you so much for all your beautiful performances.

Diego Luna:

Comment in r/movies

Wow, that's a good question. There are so many directors out there that are so interesting. I keep going to the movies and I keep going through an experience of discovery, it never ends. That's the beauty of cinema, if you are willing to search you will find. I guess the only thing I would say is the beautiful luxury of doing this for so many decades now is that I now get to ask to know the directors before working with them. I rarely end up in front of someone I don't believe in, can't trust, or don't agree with. I make sure that happens before I commit and that only comes after all this time and experiences. When I was 20 if I was offered something I would accept and only find out who I'm working for later, and that doesn't happen to me anymore. But gladly, there's so many interesting people out there telling stories with something to say.

The film I directed recently happens half in Spain and half in Mexico, it's about a Mexican migrants experience in Spain so I spent a lot of time in Spain prepping the film and getting to know crews and I tell you there are so many female directors that I discovered in this process of watching films to cast actors or technicians or designers, so looking for people I watched a lot of films and I found so many cool directors I was not aware of in Spain. So I say take a dive into the last five years of Spanish filmmaking, there's really interesting work especially from the female directors I found very strong voices there.

Question:

Hello! It's a very silly question, but if you ever were to do a horror movie with Gael García Bernal, which one of you would be the villain and which one would be the final girl? Or maybe the well-meaning party that gets got in the midst of helping the final girl? Did you have a favorite horror trope you would like to act out alongside of your friends?

Diego Luna:

Comment in r/movies

I think we are both meant to be the villains, we would have to go find a third.

It's clear that Diego Luna has an enduring passion for storytelling, whether he's helming his own projects or dipping into the Star Wars universe. His reflections show a deep care for his work and the future of cinema.

Which answer surprised you the most? Read the full AMA in r/movies, and find more conversations like this in r/StarWars, r/television, and r/TrueFilm.