By Alicia Powell
(Reuters) – Mexican actors and childhood friends Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal have paired up again, to deliver Hulu’s first Spanish-language series, “La Máquina.”
Luna and Garcia Bernal have been best friends since childhood and have worked on several projects including “Y Tu Mamá También” in 2001 and “Rudo y Cursi” in 2008.
After a decade of creating and producing, Luna believes the timing is perfect.
“Ten years now make sense in a way, you know, because we couldn’t be more ready, basically and … it feels like the right moment,” Luna said. “It means a lot, you know, it’s … the time to do it.”
“La Máquina” delves into the world of professional boxing, with Garcia Bernal playing Esteban, a boxer who, despite his knowledge and passion for the sport, is grappling with the realities of retirement due to his body’s limitations. Luna plays his manager Andy, who places a higher value on success and money than life.
The show will begin streaming on Hulu on Wednesday.
The actors reflected on their friendship and the opportunities that have come their way.
“There is that little moment of, well, this is crazy. Like … who would have thought that we were … riding on the bicycles together and all of a sudden we’re doing this. It’s crazy,” Garcia Bernal said.
Luna added that “it’s important to allow that, you know, to come. … There’s something beautiful about having another opportunity to tell another story.”
Director Gabriel Ripstein said the chemistry between the two actors on set was both a benefit and a drawback.
“It became a challenge at certain points, where we had to like hit the dramatic scenes and these guys would just go off and it was very contagious,” Ripstein said. “It became like a snowball of comedy and my job many times was – OK guys, let’s bring it down because … we need to shoot.”
(Reporting by Alicia Powell; Editing by Mary Milliken and Mark Porter)
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