{"id":1243,"date":"2026-05-08T16:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T16:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/2026\/05\/08\/after-babylon-diego-calva-worried-hed-be-a-one-hit-wonder-now-hes-pulling-cannes-double-duty\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T16:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T16:30:00","slug":"after-babylon-diego-calva-worried-hed-be-a-one-hit-wonder-now-hes-pulling-cannes-double-duty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/2026\/05\/08\/after-babylon-diego-calva-worried-hed-be-a-one-hit-wonder-now-hes-pulling-cannes-double-duty\/","title":{"rendered":"After \u2018Babylon,\u2019 Diego Calva Worried He\u2019d Be a \u201cOne-Hit Wonder.\u201d Now He\u2019s Pulling Cannes Double Duty"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\tDiego Calva<\/a> had the kind of American film debut that, on paper, sounds too good to be true: a lead role in a massive production helmed by Oscar winner Damien Chazelle<\/a>, playing opposite A-listers Brad Pitt<\/a> and Margot Robbie<\/a>. And even as that film faltered at the box office and drew divisive reviews, Calva\u2019s mesmerizing introduction of a performance was undeniable, leading to a Golden Globe nomination and mountains of speculation as to what he\u2019d do next. The Mexico City native faced a familiar predicament for those suddenly thrust into the Hollywood spotlight: to seize the moment, or take a breather. \t<\/p>\n

\tCalva initially struggled with this, mulling over his future as an actor, but four years out from the Babylon<\/a> <\/em>breakout, he sounds energized by the road he\u2019s taken. Indeed, this is shaping up to easily be the biggest year of Calva\u2019s career since his 2022 explosion. Already, he\u2019s made for a seductively complex adversary in the second season of The Night Manager<\/a><\/em> \u2014 including anchoring the sexiest scene<\/a> of 2026 so far \u2014 and he\u2019s about to head to Cannes<\/a> with meaty supporting parts in two anticipated films: Club Kid<\/em>, as a kind-hearted love interest to director and star Jordan Firstman<\/a>\u2019s in-over-his-head protagonist, and Her Private Hell<\/em>, the first film from Drive<\/em>\u2019s Nicolas Winding Refn<\/a> in a full decade.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

\tIn his first conversation about the films, Calva teases what to expect from both as he gears up for Cannes \u2014 and reflects on the trajectory from Babylon <\/em>to hitting the Croisette for the first time, and why it might lead to a move to Los Angeles. \t<\/p>\n

\tYou\u2019re in two movies premiering at Cannes. What\u2019s the feeling?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tActually amazing. I remember when I was a kid going to Blockbuster and renting any Cannes movie I found. Just to see the Cannes logo or insignia, that was enough to pick the movie. It\u2019s how I was introduced to [David] Cronenberg movies and to Korean cinema, stuff like that. This is a dream. My inner kid is pretty happy.<\/p>\n

\tLet\u2019s start with <\/strong>Club Kid. <\/em><\/strong>How did this come your way?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tWe have a friend in common, Olmo Schnabel \u2014 he\u2019s Julian Schnabel\u2019s son \u2014 and he was the one who put me in contact with Jordan. It was an instant match. We had a lot of things in common, music-wise and in fashion and especially movies. I checked out Jordan\u2019s work. I\u2019d already watched Rotting in the Sun<\/em><\/a>, which I loved so much. It was a no brainer.<\/p>\n

\tWhat kinds of movies did you guys talk about?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tWe talked a lot about Mysterious Skin<\/em>, about weird coming of age movies. Mysterious Skin<\/em> is the most beautiful coming of age movie ever made. We also talked about weird stuff like Clueless<\/em> and comedy. And I got really attracted to the idea of acting with the director. It was my first time acting with someone that is directing [me]\u2026. He was able to switch his mindset when he was acting with me. Then he\u2019d take a pause to direct, to give me some notes, and he always went to his team and asked, \u201cWhat do you think about the take?\u201d He was always close with the DP, but then forgot about the camera. It was cool to see him changing his mindset every 20 minutes on set. \t<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t \t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>

\t \t\t\t\t\tClub Kid<\/em><\/span> \t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAdam Newport Berra<\/cite> \t\t\t\t\t \t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\tYou mentioned bonding over coming-of-age films. These guys are in their 30s, but was that your way into this story?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tI really liked the idea of a coming-of-age for a 30-something-year-old guy, because that\u2019s my age, literally (Laughs<\/em>). And I\u2019m really attracted to failure in a way. Characters that are in the middle of a crisis or they are used to failing. Jordan\u2019s character\u2019s life is about to change in a very important and radical way, but at the same time it\u2019s impossible for him to stop being that way and he has to change everything. I thought that was funny. It\u2019s pretty wild at the same time, like the movies I like, but the core of the movie is something really sweet. It talks about family, talks about love, talks about changing your life. It is a movie that talks about my age \u2014 a 30-something years-old adolescent.<\/p>\n

\tThe two of you are telling a love story here, and it\u2019s very intimate and sweet, as you say. How did you develop that chemistry together?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tFirst of all, as a director, Jordan gives you room to play, which is amazing. When we were finding Oscar, we talked about our personal lives, and we talked a lot about my childhood in Mexico City and how I used to be a skateboarder and rough stuff that happened when I was a teenager. We kind of found that Oscar would be someone that\u00a0 had a situation during his childhood, something that attracts him to try to help other children. In those conversations before getting on set, when I was actually shooting [Her Private Hell<\/em>] in Copenhagen, we got really personal. Jordan told me all these real life stories that influenced him to write the script. So the moment I went to New York to start the shooting, we\u2019d already built the relationship.\u00a0 \t<\/p>\n

\tI need a really safe place to be able to get that intimate. I need to be curious and to be able to play, to have fun with my work. Jordan gave me that. All this intimacy, the script is really wild, but it\u2019s tender. There\u2019s no explicit sex because it was not needed, but there\u2019s something really sweet about the way they look at each other. We really thought about those first looks, those first interactions\u2026where, in this moment of their lives, they\u2019re really important for each other. We talked about those kinds of people: the people that maybe don\u2019t stay, but change or help us through something.<\/p>\n

\tFilming a Nicolas Winding Refn movie while talking through your <\/strong>Club Kid <\/em><\/strong>romance from afar must have been interesting.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tI remember being in my hotel in Copenhagen, when I got on my first Zoom with Jordan \u2014 like a two-hour Zoom. I remember it perfectly because it was a Denmark, Copenhagen, summer, and I wanted to be outside taking in the sun and enjoying the afternoon. And I ended up talking for hours with Jordan.<\/p>\n

\tThis is Nicolas\u2019 first film in quite some time. Were you a fan going in?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tYes. I was in Madrid at the time and I just got a call from my agent: \u201cNicholas is going to direct a film, he wants to talk to you.\u201d I\u2019d weirdly just finished watching Copenhagen Cowboy<\/em> on Netflix with my father, so that was pretty weird, just finishing his show and right away getting his call \u2014 kind of destiny. He told me, \u201cYou have to read the script. Where are you?\u201d \u201cI\u2019m in Madrid.\u201d \u201cOkay. My assistant is going to take a flight tomorrow. She will be in Madrid around the afternoon tomorrow. She\u2019ll give you the script. You have two hours.\u201d It was like, \u201cIf you affect this mission, this message will destroy itself,\u201d from Mission Impossible <\/em>(Laughs<\/em>). Literally: His assistant flew to Madrid, gave me the script, and in two hours I read it and I gave it back. \t<\/p>\n

\tHe has a unique way of working. What can you tell me about the process?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tIt was pretty cool working with someone that free. Nick writes the script in a way to try to explain his vision to others, but he finds the movie during the making. My character was written as there for three, four scenes \u2014 I ended up staying in Copenhagen for longer. I actually went back to Madrid and back to Copenhagen because Nick was writing more stuff for my character. He changes everything during the shooting, which is pretty confusing at some moments, but with a genius like that, you have to give and surrender.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\tThe other thing is that everything was about music. Nick is a rock and roll fan and he directs you with music. We were listening to Iggy Pop and Suicide and The Cure and The Marvelettes during the shooting. For every sequence, he chooses a song and we listen to that song on repeat for the whole day. You get into some kind of trance\u2026. He was not looking for something like a performance. He looks to the essence of the person. It was pretty fun to work with someone like that, where it is not about words. He [couldn\u2019t] care less about my accent or the way I pronounce words \u2014 which was amazing for me. (Laughs<\/em>.)\u00a0<\/p>\n

\tYour main co-star here is Sophie Thatcher, the lead of the movie. How did you get on?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tAgain, we share a lot of music tastes. Sophie is a punk-rock queen. She\u2019s something between Helena Bonham Carter and Kim Gordon, with a little bit of Patti Smith. My character is always with her, and we became friends right away because of the music. Then she has this look, this inner something in her expression, where you can see that she\u2019s a deep person. There\u2019s some sadness mixed with true joy. I don\u2019t know how you say it \u2014 timeless, I will say. It\u2019s like a Cure song. I was really, really looking forward to working with her.\u00a0 \t<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t \t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>

\t \t\t\t\t\tTom Hiddleston with Camila Morrone and Calva in \u2018The Night Manager\u2019 season two.<\/span> \t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Ink Factory\/BBC\/Amazon Photographer: Des Willie<\/cite> \t\t\t\t\t \t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\tYou were also terrific in <\/strong>The Night Manager<\/em><\/strong>, which aired in the winter. It\u2019s a big year for you \u2014 probably your biggest since your breakout in <\/strong>Babylon <\/em><\/strong>from 2022, right? Does it feel that way to you?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tThe other big year for me was 1992, when I was born. (Laughs<\/em>) I feel pretty honored. But also I feel that I\u2019m learning how to navigate all these situations because I\u2019ve been making the right decisions with my team. I\u2019m finding people that I really like to work with, people that I share visions with \u2014 not only music-wise, but politically, the way we see the world. I find myself less afraid of committing a mistake in my career. I feel less pressure and more intrigued, more curious, because it\u2019s different to feel pressure than to feel curiosity. It\u2019s different to be afraid and to be worried. I\u2019m still afraid of course, of everything, but I just have the sense that I\u2019m working with the right people.<\/p>\n

\tDid you feel that pressure or that uncertainty after <\/strong>Babylon<\/em><\/strong>? I imagine there was a lot of noise around that time.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tYeah, this idea of being a one-hit wonder was a big thing. The other was that I never fully dedicated myself to acting. Even after Narcos<\/em>, the Netflix show I did in Mexico, I wanted to write and to paint and to keep trying to do music or directing \u2014 that was the goal. It still is in a way, to be a director or to direct some movies. But Babylon<\/em> was going to college. I started to call myself an actor, but it was hard to navigate a new industry. I kind of knew the Mexican industry, but then I was thrown to the American industry and to the European industry and everything was just too fast at some moments. I was really concerned about my decisions and not knowing how to swim in this beautiful sea called Hollywood. But I\u2019m learning at least, and finally I\u2019m having a good time. \t<\/p>\n

\tIt\u2019s interesting, as an actor for hire, to have found a way to keep working with people who you feel very aligned with. Is there a secret to achieving that?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tIt\u2019s important to have good communication with your team. I go back home all the time to the people that don\u2019t care. My friends don\u2019t care if I was nominated for a Golden Globe any more than if I\u2019m eating a cold slice of pizza. They don\u2019t care. (Laughs.<\/em>) That was very important, going back to Mexico after Babylon<\/em>, keeping myself grounded. Now I might be ready to come to L.A. and live here, but it was the right decision at the moment.<\/p>\n

\tSo you\u2019re thinking about making the move?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tYeah, I think I want to give it a try. Los Angeles is a toxic girlfriend, I just have to come back and see her. It\u2019s easier to talk bad about Los Angeles when I\u2019m not in Los Angeles. When I\u2019m in New York, I feel like I love New York and I want to live there and I kind of don\u2019t see myself in Los Angeles. But when I arrive to Los Angeles, I just kind of have an easy, quiet life. I\u2019m a Mexican city rat, and the city is so huge and so beautiful that sometimes when I\u2019m in Los Angeles, I feel like an adult. This might be my coming of age, having a quiet life in California \u2014 who knows?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\tSo who else is on your dream director list right now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tI would love to do a movie with Almod\u00f3var. When I was a teenager and I got my heart broken for the first time, I remember just getting obsessed with Almod\u00f3var, the way he portrays love and passion and betrayal. He can be political too.\u00a0 \t<\/p>\n

\tI can say a lot. I would love to act for Scorsese, why not? Why not? For Lynne Ramsay and Andrea Arnold. I love her movies. A Mexican Director named Natalia Berist\u00e1in. I can keep going and going and going and going. Something cool that I\u2019ve found is that you can try to materialize or to put yourself in any situation you can want to work with someone. But wishing for one thing, for me, is too much. Of course, if Tarantino or Scorsese read this interview and say, \u201cOh wow, why not?\u201d It will be amazing. But for now, wishing is too much.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t \t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>

\t \t\t\t\t\tBrad Pitt with Calva in Babylon<\/em>.<\/span> \t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tParamount Pictures<\/cite> \t\t\t\t\t \t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\tYou do get to go to Cannes for the first time the same year as Almod\u00f3var has a new movie there, at least.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tI know it. Believe me. I\u2019m trying to get at least an autograph. I\u2019m still a movie fan. I enter any room here in Hollywood and I\u2019m the guy that wants the selfie and to ask for everyone. It\u2019s pretty cool to still have the sense that it might be the last time.<\/p>\n

\tI imagine you\u2019ll want to see other movies at Cannes while you\u2019re there for the premieres \u2014\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\t\u2014 If [my publicist] is listening to this conversation, I hope she will help me to find the most amount of tickets to watch movies that we can.<\/p>\n

\tIt may be tough for you, though, to find the time.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tBut I\u2019m Mexican. It\u2019s hard to stop me.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Diego Calva had the kind of American film debut that, on paper, sounds too good to be true: a lead role in a massive production helmed by Oscar winner Damien Chazelle, playing opposite A-listers Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie. And even as that film faltered at the box office and drew divisive reviews, Calva\u2019s mesmerizing introduction of a performance was undeniable, leading to a Golden Globe nomination and mountains of speculation as to what he\u2019d do next. The Mexico City native faced a familiar predicament for those suddenly thrust into the Hollywood spotlight: to seize the moment, or take a breather. Calva initially struggled with this, mulling over his future […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1244,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[788,166,423,307,789,790,2,791,79,164,60,792,793],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1243","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-babylon","category-brad-pitt","category-cannes","category-cannes-2026","category-damien-chazelle","category-diego-calva","category-hollywood","category-jordan-firstman","category-margot-robbie","category-movie-features","category-movies","category-nicolas-winding-refn","category-the-night-manager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1243","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1243"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1243\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1244"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1243"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1243"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1243"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}