SEATTLE — In a sport with pre-determined winners and losers, an openly gay luchador named Cassandro made his own destiny.
The new Amazon Studios film “Cassandro” is based on his true story, and stars Gael García Bernal as the professional wrestler.
Saúl Armendáriz – whose wrestling persona is Cassandro – is an exótico in the world of luche libre.
Exóticos dress in drag and are traditionally meant to be mocked, losing to more macho wrestlers. But Cassandro embraced his identity and ultimately, the crowds embraced him right back.
It’s fitting the true story was directed by someone whose prior career was documentary filmmaking.
Roger Ross Williams is an Academy Award winner whose documentary “Life, Animated” played at the 2016 Seattle International Film Festival.
Entertainment reporter Kim Holcomb talked to him about writing and directing "Cassandro," his first feature film.
HOLCOMB: "I'm curious, what is the main difference between working with actors versus real people?”
WILLIAMS: “You know, there's not a lot of difference. The same skills that you use to draw out truth and honesty from a subject in a documentary is the same skills you use to draw out that same truth and that same honesty from an actor. And I think I got a pretty good performance out of Gael, what do you think?”
HOLCOMB: “I mean, you know, it's okay. (laughter) He's astonishing. Is it true that he was your day one for this role? That you knew this was the guy you wanted?”
WILLIAMS: “Day one."
HOLCOMB: "The movie is obviously about a unique human with a unique life story. But it also has so many relatable elements to it."
WILLIAMS: "The universal theme is self-acceptance, self-love, really embracing who are - taking off your mask. I didn't want it to be this drama or coming out story - I wanted it to be this relationship where (his mother) accepted her son since he told her, since he was 15 years old."
HOLCOMB: “Has the real Saúl seen the film?”
WILLIAMS: "Something you may not know is two weeks before we started shooting, he had a stroke. Unable to walk and speak. Amazon rented this theater for an audience of one. And we showed the film to him and it was the most emotional screening I've ever been to. To show him that film was very emotional because imagine, after his long career and long life, a debilitating stroke, and being rewarded with seeing Gael play you on the big screen."
“Cassandro” is rated R and begins streaming on Prime Video on Friday, September 22.
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