Mexican actor Diego Calva, an actor in the Babylon film, which opens in the United States in late December, tells an epic story about ordinary people who became Hollywood legends during the golden age of silent cinema in the 1920s.

According to NBC, “Viewers will see these characters indulge in the excesses of their movie fame before fading from the spotlight — sometimes tragically and brutally — as talking movies make them feel invisible”.

The 30-year-old Mexican actor who stars in “Babylon” with Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie wants viewers to remember the pioneering artists of cinema, including some Latinos who had helped build Hollywood, but who were somehow forgotten by the history of cinema.

“It was pretty cool to put a face to a successful Mexican in that time”, Calva told NBC News, referring to his fictional character Manny Torres, who ultimately works his way up from being an assistant to a silent movie producer.

His role in the film earned him a 2023 Golden Globe nomination for best actor in a comedy or musical. Calva is also recognized for his work on Netflix’s “Narcos: Mexico”, in which he played drug trafficker Arturo Beltrán Leyva.

“Early Latino actors were featured in stereotypical characters as bandits, cantina girls and lovers. But some became legends in the 1920s, including the Mexican-born actor Ramón Novarro, who starred in the 1925 silent film hit ‘Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ’. Novarro’s cousin, Dolores Del Río, also had crossover success between Mexico and Hollywood, and even starred in talking movies after becoming a silent film star. Her 1943 romance ‘María Candelaria’, was the first Mexican movie to be screened at the Cannes International Film Festival”, according to NBC.

Movies then and now, Calva said, have the power to appeal to viewers with different backgrounds, with “Babylon” as an example of people teaming up to tell stories of diverse characters on the big screen.

“I think it’s beautiful what is going on right now, because we are finally mixing all stories to create something that belongs to everyone. And that’s important”, the actor told NBC.