Diego Boneta’s New York premiere has been a long time in the making.
The 35-year-old actor, originally from Mexico City, attempted to move to the city just as the pandemic was taking hold, and therefore only spent a handful of nights in his apartment over the course of the two years he had the place. But as luck would have it, his next project would have him shooting in New York for months, and the film then found its way to the Tribeca Film Festival.
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Boneta stars as Fidel Castro in “Killing Castro,” which premiered at Tribeca on Monday. The night prior, Tiffany hosted Boneta and the rest of the cast — Al Pacino, KiKi Layne, Kendrick Sampson and more — for a cocktail party to celebrate the film.
“The whole movie takes place in New York. It’s the week that Fidel travels to New York to give his U.N. speech, and everything that happens during that week and how it changes the course of history,” Boneta says from his room at the Bowery Hotel, clad in a hotel robe as he preps for the Tiffany event. “So the fact that the actual premiere is in New York feels so full circle. And then Tiffany doing tonight’s event with Pacino, it’s like New York, New York.”
Getting Ready with Diego Boneta for “Killing Castro” Event
After chatting with the director, Eif Rivera, about the role, Boneta realized how much of a challenge it posed.
“I was very scared because I would ask Cuban friends, both Cuban American and Cuban friends, ‘Hey, what do you think?’ And some friends were like, ‘Dude, you cannot play him. He’s like he’s our Hitler.’ Even actor friends,” Boneta says, as his groomer combs through his hair. “And then other people were like, ‘Oh my God, we worship him.’ Even the research was so hard to do and it was just so polarizing.”
Ultimately the difficulty of the task was what led him to sign on, which involved working with three different dialect coaches and studying with a Cuban professor named Rafael Rojas.
“I know that if it scares me, that’s jumping into the unknown, that’s being out of your comfort zone, that’s a big learning experience,” Boneta says.
Al Pacino, Diego Boneta
For the event the actor, who works with stylist Warren Alfie Baker, was pairing plenty of Tiffany pieces with a Tiffany blue-inspired suit by Caruso. Boneta included a personal touch underneath, a necklace that belonged to his grandfather.
“He was the only one in my whole family who had something to do with the arts, so this is kind of like my tattoo,” Boneta says.
After a gametime sunglasses decision and some final photos in the elevator down, it was off to Tiffany’s uptown for Boneta and family.
“Tiffany’s throwing this amazing cocktail. We have a premiere tomorrow, 50 Cent is at the after party,” Boneta says. “It’s like, guys, we’re in New York.”
Getting Ready with Diego Boneta for “Killing Castro” Event
Launch Gallery: Getting Ready with Diego Boneta for “Killing Castro” Event
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