Diego Calva: Fans ‘frustrated’ over Mexican actor ‘being left out of headlines’ about Babylon

Calva is reportedly the main lead of Damian Chazelle’s ‘Babylon’, but fans are upset his role hasn’t been highlighted as much as Margot Robbie’s or Brad Pitt’s

Up-and-coming Mexican actor Diego Calva (Getty Images)

Some fans have expressed “frustration” over Mexican actor Diego Calva “being left out of headlines” about Damien Chazelle’s forthcoming film Babylon.

The first footage from the period epic, which chronicles Hollywood’s transition from the silent film era to the talkies in the late 1920s, was presented at CinemaCon on Thursday (28 April).

As these never-before-seen clips from the Paramount Pictures showcase began gaining traction in news and social media, one fan post about Calva also began circulating online.

Film critic and poster designer Ahmad (@thisisnotahmad) tweeted: “The lead of Damien Chazelle’s Babylon is Mexican actor Diego Calva and it’s frustrating seeing him already getting left out of headlines and discussions about the film.”

In a follow-up to the original tweet – which has received over 1,300 likes at the time of writing – Ahmad listed “up-and-coming” Calva’s forthcoming acting credits such as the third season of Narcos: Mexico, the Spanish remake of Bird Box and Apple’s Midnight Family.

Ahmad argued that Calva’s pivotal role in Chazelle’s new film, his first he’s written since 2016 Oscar winner La La Land, should mean that the 30-year-old actor is mentioned in the same sentences as Babylon’s other stars, such as Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, and Tobey Maguire.

“I’m talking about publications listing more than five actors but not the lead who is literally playing the main character,” Ahmad tweeted, in response to another Twitter user’s suggestion that news outlets would lead the film’s coverage with the most popular and well-known Babylon cast members.

Numerous publications had indeed left Calva’s name out of their reports about Babylon at Cinemacon.

Providing further insight into Calva’s role, Ahmad shared screenshots about the movie from Film Updates’ Twitter handle.

One of these tweets read: “In Babylon, Diego Calva will play Manny Torres, an ambitious young actor, born in the US to Mexican immigrant parents, who is determined to pursue a career in Hollywood in the 1920s.”

Other users also reacted to the omission of Calva’s credit in news stories about Babylon, with one person tweeting: “This. Diego Calva is THE lead of BABYLON. Not Brad Pitt. Not even Margot Robbie. THE DEFINITIVE LEAD. Put some respect on his name.”

Another user wrote: “I think he’ll be the Miles Teller or Channing Tatum when we talk about awards prospects, but that shouldn’t take away from his status as the lead of Babylon. His name should be on the poster.”

Meanwhile, Calva also shared a screenshot about the film on his Instagram.

The actor reposted Cinema Solace’s tweet, which read: “Diego Calva is reportedly the main lead of Damian Chazelle’s Babylon, followed by Margot Robbie. Brad Pitt will have a supporting role.”

Screenshot from Mexican actor Diego Calva’s Instagram account (Instagram/@diegocalva)

The Independent has reached out to representatives for Calva and Chazelle for confirmation.

While the movie’s plot is officially being kept under wraps, Variety described Calva’s role in Babylon as “pivotal’ in an interview with the “fast-rising new talent from Mexico”, which was published last April.

Calva was notably last seen depicting Mexican drug trafficker Arturo Beltran-Leyva in the third season of Netflix’s acclaimed drama series Narcos: Mexico.

Babylon is scheduled for limited theatrical release on 25 December, followed by wide release on 6 January 2023.