Out promoting his new film, a remake of the 1990 drama Flatiners, Mexican actor Diego Luna stopped by Conan O’Brien’s late-night talk show Monday night.
Luna and O’Brien spent a significant amount of time discussing the actor’s Omaze campaign he started with friend Gael Garcia Bernal to help victims of last week’s deadly earthquake in Mexico. Luna himself was in Mexico City when the earthquake struck, and though, “I was there in ’85 when there was a gigantic earthquake” his previous experience didn’t compare. Witnessing the devastation, Luna says he was humbled to see so many people join in to help others. “Everyone is helping everyone…it’s the Mexico I feel proud being part of.”
He showed pictures he’d taken from the city, including candid shots of citizens pulling people out of the destruction and a dog skilled at detecting people trapped in the rubble. His campaign via Omaze will help to rebuild Mexico, a long process that could take years, and Luna has guaranteed all funds collected will go directly to those who need it.
The whole interview wasn’t somber, Luna took time to have fun. In between talking about his belief in Star Wars’ “The Force” and how the U.S. poster for his 2008 film Rudo y Cursi had to photoshop out an unsightly gesture, he explained why director Alfonso Cuarón says mariachi bands are similar to poppers.
He even took a knee for a moment to mock Trump’s call out of athletes who protest the national anthem. Then Conan pointed out that anyone who was just tuning in might think Diego was proposing to him.
You can watch Luna’s entire interview via the Team Coco website.
Flatliners hits theaters on Friday, September 29.