Diego Calva on Bringing Two Hot Movies to Cannes and 'Babylon' Fears

Diego Calva.

Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images for Gucci

Diego Calva had the kind of American film debut that, on paper, sounds too good to be true: a lead role in a massive production helmed by Oscar winner Damien Chazelle, playing opposite A-listers Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie. And even as that film faltered at the box office and drew divisive reviews, Calva’s mesmerizing introduction of a performance was undeniable, leading to a Golden Globe nomination and mountains of speculation as to what he’d do next. The Mexico City native faced a familiar predicament for those suddenly thrust into the Hollywood spotlight: to seize the moment, or take a breather.

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Calva initially struggled with this, mulling over his future as an actor, but four years out from the Babylon breakout, he sounds energized by the road he’s taken. Indeed, this is shaping up to easily be the biggest year of Calva’s career since his 2022 explosion. Already, he’s made for a seductively complex adversary in the second season of The Night Manager — including anchoring the sexiest scene of 2026 so far — and he’s about to head to Cannes with meaty supporting parts in two anticipated films: Club Kid, as a kind-hearted love interest to director and star Jordan Firstman’s in-over-his-head protagonist, and Her Private Hell, the first film from Drive’s Nicolas Winding Refn in a full decade.

In his first conversation about the films, Calva teases what to expect from both as he gears up for Cannes — and reflects on the trajectory from Babylon to hitting the Croisette for the first time, and why it might lead to a move to Los Angeles.

You’re in two movies premiering at Cannes. What’s the feeling?

Actually amazing. I remember when I was a kid going to Blockbuster and renting any Cannes movie I found. Just to see the Cannes logo or insignia, that was enough to pick the movie. It’s how I was introduced to [David] Cronenberg movies and to Korean cinema, stuff like that. This is a dream. My inner kid is pretty happy.

Let’s start with Club Kid. How did this come your way?

We have a friend in common, Olmo Schnabel — he’s Julian Schnabel’s son — and he was the one who put me in contact with Jordan. It was an instant match. We had a lot of things in common, music-wise and in fashion and especially movies. I checked out Jordan’s work. I’d already watched Rotting in the Sun, which I loved so much. It was a no brainer.

What kinds of movies did you guys talk about?

We talked a lot about Mysterious Skin, about weird coming of age movies. Mysterious Skin is the most beautiful coming of age movie ever made. We also talked about weird stuff like Clueless and comedy. And I got really attracted to the idea of acting with the director. It was my first time acting with someone that is directing [me]…. He was able to switch his mindset when he was acting with me. Then he’d take a pause to direct, to give me some notes, and he always went to his team and asked, “What do you think about the take?” He was always close with the DP, but then forgot about the camera. It was cool to see him changing his mindset every 20 minutes on set.

Club Kid

Adam Newport Berra

You mentioned bonding over coming-of-age films. These guys are in their 30s, but was that your way into this story?

I really liked the idea of a coming-of-age for a 30-something-year-old guy, because that’s my age, literally (Laughs). And I’m really attracted to failure in a way. Characters that are in the middle of a crisis or they are used to failing. Jordan’s character’s life is about to change in a very important and radical way, but at the same time it’s impossible for him to stop being that way and he has to change everything. I thought that was funny. It’s pretty wild at the same time, like the movies I like, but the core of the movie is something really sweet. It talks about family, talks about love, talks about changing your life. It is a movie that talks about my age — a 30-something years-old adolescent.

The two of you are telling a love story here, and it’s very intimate and sweet, as you say. How did you develop that chemistry together?

First of all, as a director, Jordan gives you room to play, which is amazing. When we were finding Oscar, we talked about our personal lives, and we talked a lot about my childhood in Mexico City and how I used to be a skateboarder and rough stuff that happened when I was a teenager. We kind of found that Oscar would be someone that had a situation during his childhood, something that attracts him to try to help