Mexican actors and producers Gael Garcia Bernal (L) and Diego Luna attend the Los Angeles premiere of Hulu's "La Maquina" at the Hollywood Athletic CLub in Los Angeles© FREDERIC J. BROWN

Diego Luna looks unrecognizable for his latest role in 'La Maquina': Gael García Bernal talks about his intense boxing training [EXCLUSIVE]

"I also remember the face of Gael the first time I came out of the trailer with the character on, that I'm not gonna forget," he said to HOLA!


Daniel Neira - Los Angeles
Senior WriterLos Angeles
OCTOBER 5, 2024 1:10 AM EDT

Diego Luna and his longtime friend and collaborator Gael García Bernal embarked on a special project. The two Hollywood stars have had successful careers in the entertainment industry, and after not working together for 16 years, they decided to join forces to create 'La Maquina.'

The new Hulu show starring Eiza Gonzalez, Lucía Méndez, Andres Delgado, and Karina Gidi, tells the story of a boxer and his manager, played by Gael and Diego, respectively. 'La Maquina' is also the first Spanish-language series on Hulu, highlighting Mexican culture and Latin representation. 

During the red carpet premiere of the show in Los Angeles, the two actors talked to HOLA! about their experience working on the series, as they are also executive producers. Diego revealed that he is "very proud" of the final result and the "incredible journey" with the cast and crew.

© Hulu

Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal join forces to create 'La Maquina.'

The actor looks unrecognizable as Andy, who has many cosmetic surgeries done in the show. Diego talked about the preparation for the character and the process of embodying the role with prosthetics with the help of the makeup team. 

"I also remember the face of Gael the first time I came out of the trailer with the character on, that I'm not gonna forget," he said to HOLA! "Every night when we were done, everyone would leave, and I would stay for 40 minutes in the trailer with the team getting rid of the prosthetics, and the feeling was just amazing."

Gael went on to talk about the intense training he underwent to play his character and his passion for boxing, revealing that his favorite scenes to film were the boxing scenes. "I had to train very hard," he said, adding that he has been doing it for 12 years.

© JC Olivera

Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna attend the Los Angeles premiere of Hulu's 'La Maquina'

"Fortunately that gave me a lot of the ground in order to be able to achieve something close to the technique of boxing and finding the boxer that I am," Gael said. "It was a lot, a lot of training, a lot of discipline, everything hurt when I was doing it but that helped me to play the guy."