Diego Calva is a newcomer to Hollywood, but he is now nominated for a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Manny Torres in Paramount’s Babylon from director Damien Chazelle. Calva performs alongside seasoned actress Margot Robbie as his character’s love interest and a star-studded cast including Brad Pitt, Tobey Maguire, and Olivia Wilde.

Considering Calva was an unknown actor compared to his on-screen counterparts, it’s expected that Chazelle had some initial reservations about casting him. According to The New York Times, after Chazelle’s initial discovery of Calva, there were multiple months of self-taped auditions and redirections from Chazelle. Despite still being struck by Calva, Chazelle knew it could be risky to cast an actor with limited experience in a big production and in need of improvement in his English. Interestingly, Chazelle says that his wife and Babylon producer, Olivia Hamilton, had “unwavering belief in [Calva].”

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A few months into the casting process, Calva put those reservations to rest when he traveled to Los Angeles for a chemistry read with Margot Robbie. Robbie and Calva performed in Chazelle’s backyard while the director filmed the scene on his cellphone. It was then that Chazelle was sold on Diego Calva. Sold may be an understatement, as Chazelle compared Calva’s acting to that of the legendary Al Pacino, whose arc in The Godfather had served Chazelle as inspiration, saying about Calva, “He had this kind of Al Pacino-level ability to command the camera without seeming to do anything.”

Margot Robbie was equally struck by Calva and his ability to improvise in his second language. When talking about Calva and their chemistry read, Robbie said, “It’s so transformative to act with him because he’s so present that you forget you’re doing a scene, he was the greatest scene partner I could ever wish for.”

Margot Robbie Says Damien Chazelle Gave Diego Calva a ‘Crazy Piece of Direction’ for the Last Scene in Babylon

     Paramount Pictures

The admiration for her scene partner didn’t end with the chemistry read. Calva and Robbie went on to spend eight months filming together under the direction of Chazelle. In the final scene of Babylon, Calva’s character Manny Torres watches Singin’ in the Rain and cries. For this final moment, Chazelle told Calva to play out the absolute entirety of Babylon from his character Torres’ perspective using only his facial expressions.

According to Robbie, that’s a “crazy” direction, but Calva did it, “It’s such a crazy piece of direction, and he does it … You feel everything you’ve felt for the last three hours play out on his face in a few seconds.” Chazelle also admiringly remembers Calva playing that scene, “I needed an actor who could really dig deep and summon something … It’s the hardest kind of acting to do because you don’t have the benefit of words, language or even body movement. You have to do it all just in your face, in your eyes.”

Calva attributes some of his success in the role to how he personally relates to the character. “I identify with him wanting to belong in the world of the movies,” Calva says. “My first day on a Hollywood set was also the character’s first day on a Hollywood set, all of the expressions of surprise you see on my face are real.” Calva’s parallel to his character may contribute some to the newcomer’s success, but it’s clear to fans, Chazelle and Robbie, that Calva has a remarkable acting ability.