I came away from Cuba with great memories. The movie Che could never have been made without the help of some amazing people I met in Havana and Santa Clara. It is truly a fantastic place to take a holiday, but you have to get out into the countryside to feel the real vibe of the island. Don’t just stay in an inclusive hotel for the whole time you are there.
Cannes has an amazing vibe that only the French can create. It’s a beautiful location, perfect for a party. I was there last year to promote Che. On the evening I won best actor, we had a big celebration on the Côte d’Azur in honour of Latin American cinema. The film festival is wonderfully cosmopolitan. There was even a Mexican director on the panel.
I love La Croisette in Cannes. There is the beauty of the sea on one side and those gorgeous big classical white-walled hotels, like The Carlton and The Majestic, on the other side. What could be better than attending one of those parties on the beach, with the Mediterranean Sea as the most dramatic of backdrops.
Mexico City is full of surprises. Often visitors are wary of the city itself because of its sheer size, but everyone is really happy to explain where you need to be heading if you get lost. Latin America has been making a lot of truly great cinema for some time now. Try to go there and see for yourself some of the stunning locations.
I grew up in Puerto Rico. It’s a Hispanic version of the United States. Imagine a scene from Madonna’s song La Isla Bonita, and you have Puerto Rico. I actually appeared in that video – very fleetingly though.
Art in London is so diverse. I went to one of Sam Taylor-Wood’s art exhibitions at the White Cube Gallery in Hoxton recently. It was a great example of how much talent exists in the city. London artists take risks, and you see this in the architecture, too.
Benicio del Toro stars in The Wolf Man, on general release from 3 April, and Che: Part Two, which is out now.
Interview of Benicio del Toro by Andrew Threlfall
Politics and Hollywood go hand-in-hand. Read all about it here.
