It is a great responsibility to play a political figure on film, particularly one who is well-loved and greatly revered, one who even has iconic stature in the United State, his face gracing the T-shirts of hundreds of rebellious teenage boys who probably know nothing about him beyond his name: Che Guevara.
Imagine being given the task of portraying this man on film - a position widely open to criticism and speculation, and also to potential reverence. Gael Garc¡a Bernal, a Mexican actor who caught the eye of audiences with his performances in "Y Tu Mam Tambi?n" and "Amores Perros," recently took on the awesome task of becoming a 23-year-old version of political leader Guevara in Walter Salles' "The Motorcycle Diaries."
It took Bernal more than six months to prepare for the role. He read everything written by and about Guevara, studied the cultural and political climates of Latin America (specifically those of Peru, Argentina and Chile, where much of the film takes place), visited Guevara's family in Cuba and met with people who knew him, studied leprosy (since a large portion of the film takes place in the San Pablo leper colony) and followed a heavy workout regimen to bulk up for the role.
This preparation is not surprising considering the enormous responsibility of playing a role such as this. Bernal noted that the responsibility lies "first of all for what the character means to oneself, and then for what the character means to millions of people around the world."
He added, "I would definitely not be the same person if it weren't for Che Guevara and the world would not be the same, because he's a character that we, as Latin Americans, hold incredibly close to our hearts."
The perception and knowledge of Guevara in the United States is rather limited, and while Bernal admits that he feels very closely aligned with Guevara after all this preparation, most of Latin America has a similar amount of knowledge about the man, a knowledge that goes far beyond that of a face on a T-shirt.
"I think I definitely feel in touch with his ideals," Bernal said. "I definitely do. Very few people don't in Latin America."
With this understanding of Guevara's politics, does Bernal agree with them?
"As for his political viewpoints, he has thousands," Bernal said, saying it is difficult to make such a definitive statement. "I agree that imperialism is something that destroys the world. Do I think the situation is fucked up? Yes. I don't agree with an armed solution, but I think I can say that because I come from a different time period. It's not an agree-disagree kind of situation. It was a very different life. Now we have a much wider perspective on whether things work or not."
Though the film portrays Guevara before he became a political figure and steers clear of making statements about Guevara's politics, Bernal insists that the film is political, not because it discusses his character's thoughts on Communism or government, but because it reveals the underbelly of Latin American society at that time.
"I think it is truly political because it deals with the real politics, which is the bread we eat," Bernal said. "That is the real politics. Politics has become so far away from us, and politics is real people, all around you."
Bernal, who said he feels distinctly closer to his homeland after making this film, noted that in terms of societal change, not much has shifted - almost 50 years later.
"The social climate in most places is the same," Bernal said. "Also, that cultural identity is being maintained, which is great, but the problems keep on being seen - if not, they are more acute."
Traveling across South America (the majority of the movie was filmed on location) crystallized Bernal's belief that anyone who lives in the Americas is an American and that the lines separating countries on maps are meaningless.
"You can realize that the borders were constructed out of bureaucratic and administrative decisions," Bernal said. "It doesn't surprise me that we discover so many countries inside one country. There are many Mexicos in Mexico, many Argentinas in Argentina. And we all share the same territory."
Bernal, clearly a deeply thoughtful man, finished with a statement that aptly captures the attitude of the film.
"I think people are people first, and then they are given passports," Bernal concluded, as a reminder that there is something to be learned from Guevara regardless of our beliefs - and it is not how hip we would look in a red, yellow and green Che shirt.
