‘Cassandro’ First Look: Gael Garcia Bernal Gay Wrtlg Movie – IndieWire

Contents:

• GAEL GARCíA BERNAL CHAS STARDOM AS A GAY WRTLER ‘CASSANDRO’ FIRST LOOK
• GAEL GARCíA BERNAL ON PLAYG ‘CASSANDRO,’ THE GAY WRTLER ADORED BY MEXI’S MACHO MEN
• GAEL GARCíA BERNAL IS SENSATNAL AS A GAY LUCHA LIBRE STAR ‘CASSANDRO’’
• GAEL GARCíA BERNAL TO PLAY GAY WRTLER NEW BPIC
• DIRECTOR ROGER ROSS WILLIAMS ‘STALKED’ GAEL GARCíA BERNAL FOR SUNDANCE GAY WRTLER DRAMA ‘CASSANDRO’
• BERNAL DEFENDS 'COOL' GAY ROL

GAEL GARCíA BERNAL CHAS STARDOM AS A GAY WRTLER ‘CASSANDRO’ FIRST LOOK

But while some thought his homosexualy would be a hdrance such a machismo-driven dtry, he soon rose to the top of the Mexin wrtlg world by embracg a flamboyantly gay persona known as “Cassandro. The official synopsis for “Cassandro” reads: “Saúl Armendáriz, a gay amatr wrtler om El Paso, ris to ternatnal stardom after he creat the ‘exoti’ character Cassandro, the ‘Liberace of Lucha Libre. The 44-year-old actor nonts that dualy om a new perspective “Cassandro, ” the performance name of real-life gay Lucha libre wrtler Saúl Armendáriz.

GAEL GARCíA BERNAL ON PLAYG ‘CASSANDRO,’ THE GAY WRTLER ADORED BY MEXI’S MACHO MEN

As Cassandro, Garcia said, Armendáriz provid Mexi wh a amework for acceptance a society steeped homophobia. “Here was this proud, openly gay man and nobody saw as an issue.

Williams add that his film addrs what he views as a signifint gap portrayg gay liv. “I don’t thk I’ve ever seen a gay sports movie.

The gay person who seems to be most popular now is a serial killer, ” he said, referrg to Netflix’s recent Jefey Dahmer miseri.

GAEL GARCíA BERNAL IS SENSATNAL AS A GAY LUCHA LIBRE STAR ‘CASSANDRO’’

There are so many prsg stori about the challeng we have as a gay people.

He feels no reprentatn qualms about stg García a gay role. I have a bisexual character, a homosexual, a trans character all si me a way, and I tapped to them to play different people.

Profsnal wrtlg has always had a homoerotic subtext, and Mexi (where the “sport” is known as “lucha libre”), ’s been right on the surface thanks to exótis: wrtlers drag who serve as the queer-signalg foils for heroic straight wrtlers. In dog so, he striv to be his thentic self, somethg that’s ma more difficult by his ght relatnship wh two men who n’t accept homosexualy and share a siar pattern of betrayal, ce and first of those is Saúl’s father Eduardo (Robert Salas), who was married and had a fay when he began his dalliance wh Saúl’s mother Yosta (Perla la Rosa).

GAEL GARCíA BERNAL TO PLAY GAY WRTLER NEW BPIC

He’s so spectacular that ’s relatively easy to overlook Cassandro’s volutn to creaky Sundance-gra nventn, here epomized by a paful tragedy, a TV talk-show appearance which a young boy thanks Saúl for spirg him to e out as gay (to an acceptg father, no ls), and a fal nontatn between Saúl and his own MIA Bernal sells as much of this rny material as he do is a ttament to his poised, graceful work, and he allows the film to ast over s speed bumps on the way to a feel-good climax volvg Saúl seizg his shot at the big time Mexi Cy agast luchador legend Son of Santo. The Sundance Film Ftival selectn om Prime Vio marks the narrative feature but of acclaimed documentarian Roger Ross Williams and sts Gael García Bernal the tle role as Saúl Armendáriz, a gay amatr wrtler om El Paso who ris to ternatnal stardom after he creat the character Cassandro, aka the “Liberace of Lucha Libre.

DIRECTOR ROGER ROSS WILLIAMS ‘STALKED’ GAEL GARCíA BERNAL FOR SUNDANCE GAY WRTLER DRAMA ‘CASSANDRO’

I unrstand reprentatn, of urse, as a Black gay man, but I wanted the bt possible actor who uld brg this amazg character to life. Asked specifilly to rpond to the qutn of what type of actors should play what rol — whether gay, straight, relig or racially diverse, margalized, etc. It’s fascatg to see someone om the gay muny play a very, very straight character.

BERNAL DEFENDS 'COOL' GAY ROL

Actor Gael García Bernal is set to play Cassandro (aka Saúl Armendáriz), the gay El Paso-born Mexin wrtler who worked as an exóti (a male wrtler who pet drag) and beme a former NWA World Welterweight and UWA World Lightweight Champn, a new bpic by filmmaker Roger Ross Williams.