Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna Think Their Younger Selves Would Tease Them for Doing TV Now (Exclusive)

Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna 's friendship has matured alongside their careers. Since working together on their first film, 2001's Y Tu Mamá También, the lifelong friends have gone on to achieve success starring in various movies and shows, including Mozart in the Jungle , which earned Bernal a Golden Globe, and Luna's Star Wars series Andor .

Reflecting on their journey since Y Tu Mamá También , the actors admit that their younger selves would be surprised at them doing television. "Back then, TV wasn't what it is today, so they would be teasing us, like, 'Oh, you ended up doing TV," Luna, 44, tells Parade in an exclusive interview, revealing that they "had a prejudice around TV."

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"We would have been like, 'Oh my God, you ended up doing TV. What a shame," he says with a laugh.

Bernal, 45, agrees, adding, "I think we would be like, 'What, you guys came up with another idea? Not another Y Tu Mamá También or something?'"

"You just kept repeating yourselves," Luna chimes in. "Again [with] the friends?"

"Friendship, friendship, friendship, always about friendship," Bernal laughs.

Friendship just happens to be what La Máquina , their first-ever series together, is about. Bernal plays aging boxer Esteban "La Máquina" Osuna, while Luna portrays his manager and best friend Andy Lujan—whom he underwent a physical transformation for—in Hulu's first Spanish-language produced original series.

"We had an idea like 10 years ago about doing something together, and that was the genesis of this," Luna shares. "We talked about a boxer and his manager. We talked about the opportunity to talk about the end of a career, to get there in the peak of success when everything is downhill. And we spoke a lot about the opportunity, also, to reflect on friendship and family, but from now this new perspective."

Luna explains, "We were already parents, we were our age, and time had passed, and it was a nice opportunity, yeah, to reflect on a more mature friendship."

Continue reading for more from Parade's exclusive interview with Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna about La Máquina —which premiered Oct. 9 on Hulu—and their friendship, plus why the Andor star does not watch their movie Y Tu Mamá También often.

Diego, what was your reaction the first time you saw yourself in the mirror? And Gael, what did you say when you saw him?
Diego Luna: I saw the whole process, obviously. [But] the moment when I was like, "Okay, this is it. We've got it," it was a triumph. We were so excited because it took us time to get there, and the clock was ticking. We had to be ready to start shooting soon, and you cannot go back or forward easy with those things. It takes time to create them. It's an art and there's a lot of people involved. It was magical when we got it. We were like, "Yes, this is it." And it wasn't just about the prosthetics because the prosthetics didn't work by themselves. It was the prosthetics, the hair, the makeup, [and] the wardrobe. So, it wasn't until we saw everything that we realized, "Okay, we got our Andy."

You looked unrecognizable.
Gael Garcîa Bernal: Very unrecognizable and very different. A character, no? Completely. And that's what we all felt when we saw him walking out of the trailer with the costume. It was like, "Wow, okay!" It was difficult to hold the notion. But then we started to not get used to it, but accept the new character, and it was wonderful. Very imposing. Very well-constructed as well.

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This is a story about friendship. Did your lifelong friendship and shared history add an extra layer of depth to your work on this project?
Bernal: Many layers of depth. Yeah. Ones that we know, ones that we don't know, ones that we were conscious of, and ones that they just surfaced and are still there. That's what's so nice about being an actor is you can put all those things into play. You can toss the dice and say, " Aver , let's see what comes out." And everything that is constructed, it is right there. Also, [I] gotta say, me and Diego were born in the same world of theatre. So, the step towards the stage was just one step away. Literally. It was like we were right there. We were right there in the theater. So life and performing were things that were very close by, very intertwined. I wouldn't know if, normally, someone's relationship, whatever that relationship is, if it transcends or translates into something that is added into the game of interpretation. I'm not sure if that's a rule– Luna: No, I don't think so.
Bernal: Maybe no. No?
Luna: Otherwise, there's so many other relations that we could say, "This happens just between us." And I have many friends that are actors. But it's the way we were introduced to the fictionalized process of life in a way. It's simple, and that's why I think we're always in the search. It doesn't matter if we're on set or not. It's always happening. I remember we were sitting with our partners from Searchlight when we talked about this project for the first time, and they were like, "It doesn't matter. It's about this. It's this dynamic." [ Points to himself and Bernal .] We were, I don't know, pitching them something, and they were like, "It's not about what you're pitching, it's the way you're pitching it. It's what's happening between you at this moment." And I don't know, I mean, that just happens to me with Gael.

Diego, what makes Gael a great scene partner? And Gael, what makes Diego a great one?
Luna: I think Gael is the most committed actor I've worked with. He goes in and he goes deep and nothing actually stops him. You feel he's on a mission, which is fascinating because there's no time to get distracted. It's all about what's happening there. It is fascinating to see that amount of commitment, because you just have to follow. That's one thing.
Bernal: I think what Diego has is a wonderful, beautiful energy that gives a rhythm to the scenes. It's like a heartbeat of the dramaturgy in a way. [He] puts it out there, and then everyone starts walking around. [ Smiles and gestures moving along. ] It is very appreciated because [on] the contrary are actors that you have to drag them from their kind of thing. And Diego's a very generous [actor], his energy is very forward and to many different places. It's very inspiring and very contagious as well. You have to catch up, also. You have to catch up. [ Laughs ]
Luna: I want to say another thing about Gael. He's aware of what's around. He's aware of what you're doing, what's happening. I guess that's the theatre kind of background. Sometimes in cinema, you find actors that are just thinking about a frame or what's happening here, and he's aware of what's around. Generosity is part of his process, too.

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This isn't the first time you've worked together, but La Máquina is your first TV show together. Your first [joint] project was Y Tu Mamá También . What do you think your younger selves would say about your journey since then? Do you think they'd be surprised?
Luna: [ Laughs. ] Back then, TV wasn't what it is today. So they would be teasing us, like, "Oh, you ended up doing TV." [ Laughs ] Back then, TV was network TV, and there was a prejudice around TV. We had a prejudice around TV. We would have been like, "Oh my God, you ended up doing TV. What a shame." [ Laughs ]
Bernal: Exactly. Absolutely. I think we would be like, "What, you guys came up with another idea? Not another Y Tu Mamá También or something?"
Luna: " You just kept repeating yourselves. [ Laughs. ] Again [with] the friends?
Bernal: "'Try it again.' Friendship, friendship, friendship, always about friendship." [ Laughs .] Something like that.

How often do you guys watch Y Tu Mamá También ? Is that a movie you watch a lot, or no?
Luna: No.
Bernal: No.
Luna: No, no, no, no, no. I mean, I like Y Tu Mamá También . But I'm not gonna be watching Gael naked once a week. "Oh, I gotta see Gael naked again!" [ Laughs .] Also, for me, in my memory, Y Tu Mamá También is one thing. I don't know if I want to ruin that. Last time I saw it was like 8, 10 years ago.
Bernal: Yeah?
Luna: Yeah. Have you seen it?
Bernal: I think I saw [it] recently, something because there was this new Criterion Collection Blu-ray that came out, and I wanted to see it. But I ran into the making of Y Tu Mamá También and it's very funny. For example, you can look at it and see what we would say about ourselves right now. I love that we have different voices. We were very young. We were very hopeful of many things. We were kind of, for the first time, putting words to concepts that we didn't even know what we were doing. But there was something really, really touching and very tender about what we talk about. Because we were putting words to something that we love doing and that we were discovering. In Y Tu Mamá También , we discovered cinema properly. Even though we had participated in other films before, this was the film that made us understand a little bit how cinema is made, and made us understand the rigor, the commitment, the discipline, the fun, the craziness, the bravery. You have to experiment [with] things, and this film was the one that got us into that. I know for sure it was the film where we decided, "Oh, cinema is fantastic."
Luna: Yeah.
Bernal: "Let's do more cinema. Let's not only be actors in cinema. But let's direct, let's peruse, let's learn how to do things."

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

All 6 episodes of La Máquina are now streaming on Hulu

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