Diego Luna shows his activist side in latest TV show

Migration, racism, corruption, and the coronavirus pandemic are among the thorny issues that Hollywood star Diego Luna will tackle at the dinner table in his latest television project.

The Mexican actor is bringing together politicians, experts, and opinion makers to highlight social issues on Pan y Circo (Bread and Circus), a series of discussions that he will moderate starting Friday on Amazon Prime Video.

It reflects a growing tilt towards social activism for Luna, known internationally for his roles in movies including Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Milk, and The Terminal.

His latest project marks a radical departure from his role as drug trafficker Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo in the Netflix series Narcos: Mexico.

“Turning attention toward the issues that concern… is a responsibility that comes with the spotlight,” Luna told AFP in a video interview.

Gael Garcia Bernal, his co-star in the 2001 racy road-trip movie Y tu mama tambien and former Colombian president and Nobel laureate Juan Manuel Santos are among the guests who will gather in a dinner party setting.

“This conversation already happens at other tables. We’re simply bringing it to ours to amplify the debate,” Luna said.

“So that’s where the effort goes… reflecting more and more and questioning the reality in which we live,” added the 40-year-old.

The actor-director has stepped up his activism in recent years and in 2018 founded a platform bringing together numerous organizations and social movements in Mexico.

Gender violence, abortion and climate change are also among the hot-button issues up for discussion on his new show.

One episode is dedicated to the coronavirus pandemic and the crisis it has unleashed since arriving in Mexico in February while the Spanish-language series was being filmed.

The virus “is like a lens that came to put in focus who we are,” Luna said. “We’d better use this moment to reflect about how we can improve.”

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© Agence France-Presse