This past weekend, Mexican actors Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna co-starred alongside comedian Will Ferrell in his subtitled, todo en espanol, satirical latest: Casa De Mi Padre, (Spanish for My Father’s House).
A rip on telenovelas -- a “soap opera” staple of Spanish language television -- the love triangles, backstabbing family members and overacting provides plenty of material for parody.
And, like a handful of Latin American actors who have successfully crossed over into the U.S. mainstream (i.e. Sofia Vergara, Salma Hayek, and Penelope Cruz to name a few) -- Bernal and Luna are no strangers to cinema.
Real-life childhood friends, Bernal and Luna are most recognized for their steamy roles in the critically acclaimed coming-of-age film Y Tu Mama Tambien, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film in 2002.
Individually, Luna has appeared to U.S. audiences in films, The Terminal, Frida and Milk, and, most recently, the villain in Contraband with Mark Walberg.
Bernal has appeared in Amores Perros, portrayed a young Che Guevara in The Motorcycle Diaries, Bad Education and The Science of Sleep.
In a profile by Cynthia Ellis for the Huffington Post, the pair have created their own film company and the first traveling documentary film festival in Mexico: the Ambulante Festival.
For Bernal, "The collective experience of watching a great film together in a room is a transcendent moment that will never die. Canana and Ambulante are a way to give back but also honestly, to take, because we get so much out of it. I know I do."
Given their acting range and upcoming release, let’s take a look back at their careers:
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The Pair Were Child Actors in Mexico
Diego Luna was 12 years old when he appeared in his first Mexican telenovela, <em>El Abuelo Y Yo</em> in 1992. He would meet his longtime friend Gael Garcia Bernal, then 14 on set. By the time they were teenagers, both actors were Mexican teen heartthrobs and fan <a href="http://gaelfeminista.tumblr.com/" target="_hplink">adoration</a> has hardly dwindled.
A Young Gael Garcia Bernal
Source: <a href="http://usa.publiboda.com/cm/images/zona-latina/hairstyles_and_beauty/gael-garcia-bernal-9-20964.jpg" target="_hplink">Publiboda.com</a>
"Y Tu Mama Tambien" (2001) Brings Its Stars International Acclaim
Real-life childhood friends, Garcia and Luna are most recognized for their steamy roles in the critically acclaimed coming-of-age film <em>Y Tu Mama Tambien</em>, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film in 2002.
Picture Source -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ2LrIZq1s8 " target="_hplink">SundanceNow Official Youtube Page</a>
Luna Shares the Critics Choice Award With The Cast of "Milk"
Luna shares the Critics Choice Award for Best Acting Ensemble with the cast of the 2009 biopic <em>Milk</em> for his role as Milk's lover Jack Lira. In his talk at the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWXz2YyszOE" target="_hplink">USC Annenberg Distinguished Lecture Series on Latin American Arts and Culture</a> in 2010, Luna said, "I have to say, Jack Lira was a really tough character to play. I feel really proud of what we did."
Luna Adds "Director" To His Resume
Here, Luna poses during the photocall of the movie <em>Abel</em> presented in the competition at the 36th American Film Festival, in Deauville, northwestern France, on September 6, 2010.
His Friend, Gael Garcia Bernal Produced The Film
(L-R) Producer Pablo Cruz, director Diego Luna, and executive producer Gael Garcia Bernal arrive at <em>Abel</em> screening during AFI FEST 2010 presented by Audi at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on November 7, 2010 in Hollywood, California.
Luna Wins Horizontes Award for His First Directorial Feature Film "Abel"
Mexican director Diego Luna receives the Horizontes award for his film <em>Abel</em> during the 58th San Sebastian International Film Festival closing ceremony at the Kursaal Palace on September 25, 2010 in San Sebastian, Spain.
Luna Speaks at USC About Film, Culture & Politics
On his career, Luna said "Acting became the chance to find a point of view...I believe the screen is a mirror and has to work as a mirror. Otherwise, it has no point of existing."
Gael Garcia Bernal Fundraises For Victims of Mexico's Drug-Related Violence
Garcia Bernal, a member of the 'El Grito Mas Fuerte' (The Strongest Shout) movement, speaks during a press conference at the Museum of Memory and Tolerance in Mexico City on February 21, 2012. A group of Mexican actors, including Garcia Bernal and Luna, donated $5,600 dollars raised in artistic events to victims of the wave of drug-related violence that shakes Mexico.
"Case de mi Padre" Premiere
Actor Diego Luna arrives at Premiere of Pantelion Films' <em>Casa De Mi Padre</em> at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on March 14, 2012 in Hollywood, California.
The Actors Arrive On The Red Carpet
In an <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/13/casa-de-mi-padre-gael-garcia-bernal_n_1341942.html " target="_hplink">interview</a> with Nicki Gostin on the Huffington Post about the soap opera comedy, Garcia said "we had to make efforts to be serious every now and again. And also, to make it work we'd have to be super serious, but we would laugh a lot. It was quite impossible to film sometimes."
Here, the duo arrive at the Premiere of Pantelion Films' <em>Casa De Mi Padre</em> at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on March 14, 2012 in Hollywood, California.
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The Huffington Post | By Andrea Long-Chavez Posted: 03/19/2012 5:54 pm Updated: 04/ 5/2012 3:51 am