Why Diego Luna is Singing his Praises of ‘The Book of Life’

By Jorge Carreón.

When it comes to creating magical and wondrous worlds on screen, you do not need to look further than the incomparable talents of director Jorge Gutierrez and producer Guillermo Del Toro. With “The Book of Life,” the duo has crafted a vibrant fantasy-adventure that defies the conventions of the animated film genre.

For Gutierrez, “The Book of Life” has been a passion project since he first entered the realm of animated art. Inspired by his own family life growing up in Mexico, the film also honors the ageless cultural traditions he learned as a boy to create a 21st century fable. The film chronicles an extraordinary hero’s journey, where the young Manolo travels through several fantastic worlds of the living and the immortal to reunite with his one true love and defend his village.

Possessing an aesthetic entire its own, the film turns the fairy tale on its head with a decidedly modern mix of action, comedy, romance and music. Yet, for all its technical and visual wonder, “The Book of Life” is first and foremost a story about people, of families and heroes, of lovers and dreamers. This is a “Book” designed to catch the eye and stir the soul. And, with the same precision with which they led the animation team to realize this dreamy world, Gutierrez and del Toro knew they would have to hand pick the ideal voice cast that would provide the emotional counterpoint to the vivld art on screen.

Enter Diego Luna.

A filmmaker in his own right, Luna shares more than just a nationality with Gutierrez and del Toro, The Mexican born actor-director has become an international star by taking on projects that are both complex and fulfilling. Now a young father of two, the arrival of “The Book of Life” offered its own set of creative challenges. Like Gutierrez, he would be venturing into the world of feature animation for the first time by voicing the central role of Manolo. He might have been a bit surprised to discover there was an element of singing involved. (Well, not an element, rather several key songs.) But the opportunity to honor a rich cultural past, as well as the vocal encouragement of del Toro, ultimately sealed the deal

In talking with Luna about his contribution to “The Book of Life,” you will quickly discover that the artistic challenge, while gratifying, was ultimately eclipsed by something profound. He found much in common with Manolo’s journey, understanding the poetry of what it is to be a dreamer. But, the sweeter gift was having the chance to create a role in a film that could be embraced by his children for the first time. For Luna, writing that colorful new chapter in his life’s story only reinforced the message and appeal of “The Book of Life.”

QUESTION: It is a nice coincidence that many of you co-stars, even your director Jorge Gutierrez, are venturing into the feature animation world with “The Book of Life” for the first time.

DIEGO LUNA: Yeah, it’s my first time. I once worked on a version of a film for Latin America, but that’s a different thing. This is the first time I got involved from the beginning, from the moment the characters were sketches. It’s a very nice process because you are part of the development of the whole character whereas what I did before was just putting my voice on a film that already existed.

QUESTION: It’s hard to believe there was a time where it was considered kind of “uncool” to voice an animated film character. Given the power and standards of the genre today, many actors are eager to embrace the challenge of recording a vocal performance. What intrigued you most about playing Manolo in “The Book of Life?”

DIEGO LUNA: I have kids and I want to share my work with them. My daughter said something the other day that was very funny. Our dentist asked her, “Have you seen your father’s films?” She said, “No, no, no. I can’t see them.” The dentist was like, “Why?” She told him it was because there are films for kids and then there are ones that my father does and they’re in a different section. [LAUGHS] She’s four years old and I completely get it, you know? I tell her I’m going to go and do something, but she’s never been able to watch it. So, for the first time I’m going to be able to share what I’m doing with my kids. I’ve been able to share the whole process with them. I think it was that and also that the world of animation has changed dramatically. It’s a very interesting world. You’re involved from the beginning. They record your face while you’re doing the lines. Many of the gestures that the character has, the little faces it makes? The animators have those images while they’re animating. The line between what’s real and what’s not is so thin. I have always loved to watch animated films and there is a lot for me to do as an actor that the films I normally make won’t allow, like being silly or, like in “The Book of Live, sing. I didn’t know if I was even capable.

QUESTION: And not just sing, but you’re crooning songs from Radiohead!

DIEGO LUNA: I sing Radiohead! I sing an Elvis Presley song that he made famous. There’s also two originals from (film composer) Gustavo Santaolalla! My favorite bands have been produced by Gustavo!

QUESTION: The passion with which director Jorge Gutierrez explains “The Book of Life” is hard to resist. It sounds like that enthusiasm played a role in wanting to also record Manolo’s singing voice. But did a little pressure from your fellow countryman, producer Guillermo Del Toro, help you decide?

DIEGO LUNA: When the filmmakers came to me and showed me the script, they never said, “You have to sing.” [LAUGHS] They had a Plan B which was, “We’ll find a voice similar to yours,” which many do. They came to me because of my voice. The first thing that was the weirdest is that I arrived and Jorge did a presentation for me. (Producer) Guillermo del Toro was there telling me, “You have to do it! You have to do it!” [LAUGHS], Jorge showed me a little bit of the character, which had been animated with my voice. I went, “What?” They grabbed stuff from my other films and animated it. They cast my voice without me knowing! [LAUGHS] When I saw it, it made sense, you know? There was no room for saying, “I don’t know if this is going to work, Jorge.” It worked perfectly! But, then they said there was a lot of singing. I went, “Oof.” I thought about it for a while. I remember telling Jorge,”You know what? I don’t want my kids to ask me at home. ‘Dad, can you sing that song?’ And I say, ‘Go hit play on the stereo’ and then do a lip sync for them? They were not going to buy it. I hated the idea of having them recognize that it wasn’t my voice. So I said, “Please give me a chance.” Jorge was pretty sure I could do it. Gustavo was a little more, how do you say, cautious. [LAUGHS] He knew the complexity of basically what is an “apology song.” It’s a very difficult one, so he said, “Let’s go for it and we can do a Frankenstein of you or we can record another voice.” I said just let me work with two songs and give me a few weeks to train. They had me working with an amazing coach. We arrived at the studio and showed Gustavo and he was very happy. Everyone thought I could do it and from that point I never had doubts again.

QUESTION: Jorge’s passion is certainly formidable.

DIEGO LUNA: If he didn’t have that enthusiasm, if he didn’t have that hunger, he would’ve never made “The Book of Life.” It’s not easy to do “the first one.” It’s not just that animation is tough, it’s a long journey and it’s a journey that is mostly on the shoulders of one or two people. And he’s doing the first animated film that actually explores the culture and the richness and the complexity of the Latino world. This one is more specific about Mexico and the traditions of a beautiful but complex country. He managed to do a huge film and to bring this story and get it viewable for an audience in this country that, I believe, is not used to diversity in terms of films. It tends to be a formula and it’s really tough to get people to look for a change, to explore new things. He had to convince everyone. It was that commitment, that energy, that passion which made him succeed. He had a difficult task and he did an amazing job. When you see the film, you see that passion and soul behind it. That light, that big star behind the film and that’s the passion for this project and for the opportunity to be himself as a director. He’s been working in animation and learning from the best, but he wanted to do a film about him and he succeeded.

QUESTION: Much of what the audience will learn rests on the shoulders of Manolo, who is the focal point of “The Book of Life.” How did you want to highlight the strengths of this key role?

DIEGO LUNA: This is something that Jorge and I had very clear. We wanted to avoid falling into the stereotype of the lead of these films, like his being “the clumsy character.” In fact, the idea was to create a very humble, very honest man where everything for him was truly about love. As simple as it sounds, it’s also very difficult not to fall into the trap of trying to be funny. Animated films and cartoons allow you to go silly and it’s easy to fall into that, but here it was important for us to keep the integrity of the character and to keep it close to who we really are. Even the voice, it needed to be very clear, very real, the singing had to come from the heart. It wasn’t about the skills of singing. It was about that honesty where the words are coming out like as if he was thinking what’s he’s singing. This is all about a crazy director asking his actor all the time to keep it real in an animated film which sometimes can be almost impossible.

QUESTION: Your co-stars, including Channing Tatum and Zoe Saldana, were selected because they possessed an emotional tone Jorge wanted to achieve with “The Book of Life.” Does this multiculturalism also enhance the audience’s experience?

DIEGO LUNA: I think so. I think the only thing that has a specific context is the story. But those who tell the story should come from as diverse world as possible. The richness can come from that. I never question who’s telling the story and where they are from. In terms of actors, we’re so used to seeing Australians and Brits playing Americans or vice versa. But when it’s about Latin America, we get very picky. We go, “No way! They cannot do it.” What do you mean they cannot do it? Yes, they can and in fact, the result is going to be richer, for sure. I am pretty happy. There was no prejudice around this casting, that everyone had to be Mexican or that no one had to be Mexican to make it work in the general market. What is very nice is that mixture Jorge created, that mixture of voices, accents and energy? I mean, come on! When we were recording the song for the ending, it was unbelievable! Here’s an actor that has never done animation, which is me, that has never sung before, singing with Placido Domingo in the same studio! There’s Channing, There’s Zoe. It’s all a result of the stubbornness and craziness of our director that never allowed any cliché, any prejudice to run this film. He said, “It’s the first, we cannot compare it to anything, so let’s just do it!” I think the result is pretty amazing.

QUESTION: Early reaction to the artwork from “The Book of Life” has generated a lot of audience interest for its originality. However, people really don’t know what’s in store for them once they see the entire film. It’s hard to describe its original vision.

DIEGO LUNA: We go to worlds that are warm and exciting and colorful. The amount of detail in the animation, every room, every space, every one of these characters is unbelievably beautiful. But it is tough to describe! It’s definitely a film that can’t be compared to any other. You sit down and it is really a new world in terms of animation. You cannot say, “This is another one of those films that happened like this or that.” This is special and unique.

QUESTION: If Manolo learns by the end of “The Book of Life” to write his own story, what part of your own narrative has provided you with a sense of pride?

DIEGO LUNA: I guess the chance to always be exploring. That’s something that makes me very proud in that I found a way to always encounter new challenges. I’ve never taken myself so seriously. But I’m always ready to fail. I don’t care, I’m young. At the same time, I feel as if I’ve covered a lot of ground and I’m not tired. I feel really happy because there’s a lot more to explore!

“The Book of Life” opens nationwide on Friday, October 17.