Cover Story

Diego Boneta Stars in “At Midnight,” a Film he Produced

Feb 27, 2023 @ 10:00 am By Shirley Reynozo

Diego Boneta is s a Mexican actor, producer and singer. Diego first made his rise to fame on the Mexican series Rebelde (2005-2006). Soon his talent reached the eyes of the American canon and he is now one of Hollywood’s brightest young talents and a global sensation. In 2010 he landed two major television roles on Pretty Little Liars as Alex Santiago and in 90210 as Javier Luna. His influence spread after after starring in Mean Girls 2 (2011) Rock of Ages (2012) alongside Tom Cruise and the Netflix biographical series Luis Miguel: The Series (2018). The filmography credits keep rolling in, released on Paramount+ on February 10, Diego stared in the film At Midnight, which he stars in and executive produced.

In addition to acting, Diego gets the party going with his Latin Pop music! Now signed with EMI, Diego recorded his self-titled debut album, Diego, with his first single, “Responde” in 2005. In 2008, he released his second album titled Indigo.

As if this isn’t enough, Diego is an entrepreneur in the many iterations of the word. Not only does he have his own tequila brand Defrente, but he has his own production company called Three Amigos with his sister Natalia and his best friend and manager, Josh Glick.

“We started this production company after Luis Miguel, which was a show that I [executive produced] and Nuevo Orden, which is a movie that I also produced that won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Tom Cruise, when we work together inspired me to start producing.

During COVID, we set a lot of projects up at different streaming on different streamers, we sold a lot of projects to Amazon and Amazon Prime Video came to us and we signed an overall deal with them, which is very exciting. I never thought that this would happen. So, so quickly, and then and so organically.” Diego shared with ESQUIRE.

Here at Galore he had the pleasure of interviewing Diego on his acting roles, co-starring with icons like Tom Cruise and Gloria Estefan, his production company Three Amigos, best cocktails to make with his tequila brand Defrente, his new film At Midnight, and more!

Suit: Musika NY
Shirt: Saks Fifth Avenue
Shoes: Santoni
Watch: Omega Speedmaster Racing
40mm Stainless Steel Black/White dial

FEATURE INTERVIEW

How has music influenced your career from starring in Rebelde to playing the iconic Luis Miguel?

Music was my first love; my dream was to become the biggest solo artist in the world. I started taking vocal lessons when I was eight and began singing on a reality show for kids when I was twelve. I started acting on a TV show called “Rebelde”, and when they played my music on the show, it went number one in Latin America and Brazil. Since then, acting has become my number one priority, but music has always found ways to influence my career. For example, I got to sing in ROCK OF AGES and in “Luis Miguel: The Series.” Music will always be my first love, but sometimes you don’t always end up marrying your first love.

What acting role has been your favorite in your career history?

am really proud of what we did with “Luis Miguel: The Series.” Playing someone like him and performing his music was amazing, but also was one of the biggest challenges of my career. It was also the first project I ever produced so that made it very special to me.

Tell us about “At Midnight” airing on Paramount Plus?

“At Midnight” is the story of a famous Hollywood actress who catches her long-time boyfriend and co-star cheating on her while they’re filming a movie together. Even though she wants to break up with him, she has to pretend to be with him and be the it-couple to promote the movie. When they go to Mexico to finish filming the movie, she falls in love with a hotel manager, but their love is forbidden due to her fake relationship and his inability to date hotel guests. They end up secretly meeting at midnight to be together. What made “At Midnight” so special to make was that it was the first project I ever produced with my production company, Three Amigos. We had a really incredible team with the best of Hollywood and the best of Mexico that believed in this movie and put so much heart into it.

What is your favorite part about getting behind the camera as executive producer on At Midnight?

My favorite part of getting to be behind the camera is developing something from the ground up and creating stories that I want to tell. I’ve never been one of those actors that just says their lines and goes home; when I’m filming something, I really believe in it. I also love working as a team; it’s so inspiring to work with so many creative and hardworking people.

Growing up what was the first film you saw that made you want to pursue acting?

I was obsessed with Gladiator and Moulin Rouge; the stories, the acting and the history all inspired me as an actor and storyteller. They still inspire me today.

You have co starred with icons like Tom Cruise and Gloria Estefan who would be your dream cast of actors to work with?

There are so many amazing actors I’d love the opportunity to work with. I would love to work with Robert De Niro, Cate Blanchett, Jennifer Lawrence and Christian Bale, just to name a few.

What cologne are you obsessed with at the moment?

I love Tobacolor by Dior at the moment.

What are your valentines day plans?

I spent Valentine’s Day with my girlfriend in Mexico City. We went to dinner at our favorite restaurant and just spent quality time together.

Suit: Viggo
Shirt: Casablanca
Shoes: Jean-Baptiste Rautureau
Sunglasses: Jacques Marie Mage
Watch: Omega De VillE Trésor
Co-Axial Master Chronometer
Small Seconds 40 Mm

So we hear you also have a tequila brand, what cocktail is a must try by Defrente?

I’ve always loved tequila; it has always been my drink of choice. When my partners at Casa Lumbre approached me to do a tequila together, I told them I would do it as long as I could honestly tell people it was the best tequila I’d ever had, and we didn’t stop until we perfected it. Defrente is definitely a sipping tequila; my favorite is just to have it neat or with a big rock of ice. I’d also recommend a margarita, which you can never go wrong with!

What inspired you to create your production company Three Amigos?

Tom Cruise inspired me a lot when I worked with him on ROCK OF AGES. Seeing what he was doing with production in all different stages of it was amazing to watch and learn from. After producing “Luis Miguel: The Series”, I realized how much I enjoyed the production side, and I only wanted to do more.

What is next for you in 2023?

I’m about to shoot a mini-series for Amazon based on the assassination of Paco Stanley, who was like Mexico’s Jay Leno. I get to work with the same team that I worked with on “Luis Miguel”, and we’re like a family, so that’s really exciting. It’s going to be a really transformative role; I get to work with Bill Corzo, who’s a great friend and one of the best makeup artists in the world. I’m really excited about my other upcoming projects that I’m producing as well. Each project is completely different, and I think it’s really important to continue to build a well-rounded body of work and do things that challenge me.