Twenty-four years after winning his Oscar for “Traffic,” Benicio Del Toro is back in the awards conversation with a performance that reminds us why he’s one of the most compelling actors of his generation.
In Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another,” Del Toro plays Sensei, a character whose quiet dignity and unwavering optimism provide the film’s emotional anchor amid chaos and uncertainty.
When Anderson called, the answer was simple. “It’s PTA,” Del Toro says matter-of-factly. “He calls any actor on the planet, and they’re going to say, ‘Yeah, what do you got? Whatever, I’ll do it.’” The prospect of working alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn only sweetened the deal.
However, what truly informed Del Toro’s performance was the research. The production visited facilities in El Paso where migrant families wait in limbo, uncertain of their futures. “It was pretty moving, seeing these people, what appears to be good people, looking for a better future, being stuck in a situation that is pretty unstable and not knowing what their future would be,” Del Toro recalls. “That research that we did just made it real for everybody — for the set decorator, for the art department, for the director and for me.”
Anderson gave Del Toro a piece of direction that became a mantra for the character and a philosophy for life: “Get back on defense.” The phrase, which Del Toro remembers from working with the auteur on “Inherent Vice,” eventually made its way into the script. “Don’t get bogged down on things,” Del Toro explains. “Just keep looking, being. Think about the next play. He’s a ‘next play’ type of director, always looking ahead. I think that it’s healthy for actors to be like that. You try your best, but you can be stuck on something you did. You need to learn to let it go real quick, because tomorrow is another day.”
As one of only a handful of Latino actors to win an Academy Award — and with Latinas having won just three times in history — Del Toro has a unique perspective on representation in Hollywood. While he acknowledges there’s more opportunity now than when he started, he’s frank about what’s still missing.
“I still haven’t seen a Latino movement,” he admits. “There was an African American movement with Spike Lee, Denzel Washington and Don Cheadle. There’s a lot of filmmakers, and it’s amazing. The Italian American story has been told. Latino is somewhat different.”
He pauses, searching sensitively for the right words, and then continues: “I’m always hoping that there’s more opportunity and there’s more stories. I don’t think we’re there when it comes to stories of the Hispanic story in the United States, and that includes Puerto Rico, every different Latinos that live, whether it’s in Florida, Chicago, California, New York, Texas, New Mexico. There’s a lot of Latinos in this country.”
Del Toro sees a potential solution, one that involves stepping behind the camera himself. “I like to get behind the camera and tell a story about that,” he says. “That’s something I would like to do. I’m not saying that I’m that voice. That voice is right now probably in high school, or they’re in college right now, and are about to break out. It’s going to happen.”
Having directed a segment in “Seven Days in Havana,” Del Toro feels ready himself.
“I’ve had an incredible education on cinema. If you take everyone that I’ve worked with and all the projects that I’ve worked with, inevitably you start feeling like, I want to maybe get behind and tell a story that comes from me — being American, being Latino, and the experience of being a Latino in this time and world that we’re in.”
In a moment when the world feels increasingly fractured, Del Toro finds hope in his “One Battle After Another” character.
“Sensei has this thing that I feel is always positive,” he shares. “It’s staying in that positive and keep doing your thing. Good and truth will hopefully come up and show its face and win.” He draws parallels to 1968, another tumultuous time. “Kids were being drafted to go to war. Leaders were being shut down permanently. You just have to keep going. I have faith in the youth, even though my daughter is stuck on a phone all the time. There’s good, and we have to trust in the young people.”
As Del Toro prepares for his next role — he’s shooting another film in January — he’s also laying groundwork for that directorial debut, ready to tell the Latino American story that still hasn’t been told. For now, though, he’s savoring the response to “One Battle After Another” and the character who embodies resilience in dark times.
“The worst thing would be to quit,” Del Toro says. “You can’t quit.”
Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio Del Toro in “One Battle After Another.”
Read excerpts from his interview below, which has been edited and condensed for clarity.
What made you say yes to Paul Thomas Anderson for this film?
It’s PTA. He can call any actor on the planet and they’ll say, “Yeah, what do you got? I’ll do it.” And the fact that Leonardo DiCaprio was in it — and then Sean Penn shortly after — that’s what I was surrounded by when I first spoke with him.
What did it mean to you personally to see the refugee families depicted in the film? Did it feel realistic?
We visited places where migrants were living and waiting to be processed, families stuck in that limbo of not knowing whether they’d be allowed in or sent back. It was moving — they seemed like good people looking for a better future, yet trapped in instability. That research made everything more real for all of us: for the art department, for the director and for me. It was intense.
Was there a piece of direction from PTA that changed your understanding of the role?
He kept saying, “Get back on defense.” It’s even in the movie. It means don’t get bogged down — stay present, look ahead. Actors can get stuck on something for a year. PTA’s a “next play” director, and it’s healthy. He told me that on “Inherent Vice,” and we ended up adding it to the script here too.
You won your Oscar 24 years ago and remain one of the few Latino actors to do so. Do you see representation improving?
Opportunity is the big question. I think there’s more opportunity now for Latino actors because there’s more opportunity for actors in general — so much content, so many platforms. But when it comes to stories, I don’t think we’re there yet. I haven’t seen a Latino movement like we saw with African American filmmakers or Italian American stories. We need more stories about the many Latino communities across the U.S. I hope that comes.
Do you have the itch to direct?
Maybe one day. Right now I’m prepping another acting project, but I’ve had an incredible education just from the filmmakers I’ve worked with. At some point, I’d like to tell a story that comes from my experience — being American, being Latino, living in this moment. I’m not saying I’m the voice. That voice is probably in high school or college right now. But we need more young Latinos feeling like it’s possible. If my work helps shine a light for someone, that matters.
Is there a filmmaker you haven’t worked with who’s on your bucket list?
There are many. Scorsese, Spielberg, Spike Lee, Kathryn Bigelow. The Coen brothers. Tarantino — I actually auditioned for “Reservoir Dogs.” And filmmakers like Barry Jenkins and Celine Song. I feel like I could work well with them too.
The movie touches on issues we’re facing today. What wisdom do you lean on right now?
I think Sensei, my character, carries something I believe: tomorrow is another day, and there’s always hope. You can’t quit. I hope good and truth eventually rise. Extremes are scary on both sides, but you have to listen, respect, reach across. That positivity is part of why people like the character.
History has had other chaotic periods — look at 1968 and ’69. We just have to keep going. I have faith in the youth, even if my daughter’s glued to her phone. They care. They’re aware. And in the movie, Chase Infiniti’s character shows that spirit — standing up for what’s right. Maybe this generation will get it right.
You appeared on Bad Bunny’s “SNL” episode but haven’t hosted. Are you open to it?
There are a lot of things I haven’t done. I have to save something for later. But I love “SNL.” Doing that episode was a lot of fun. So yes — maybe one day.
Clayton Davis
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