Actor Benicio Del Toro was compelled to play his Sicario character to represent the suffering of people fighting the war on drugs.
The Puerto Rican star plays former prosecutor turned CIA collaborator Alejandro in the movie alongside Emily Blunt and Josh Brolin. The film centres around drug smuggling near the Mexico/United States border and while Benicio has dealt with the subject matter previously in his career, Sicario offered him a chance to deliver a different aspect of the battle.
“I felt he represented the pain and frustration of the people who have been hurt while fighting in this war,” he told Britain’s The Guardian newspaper. “I was compelled by the character, who is quite mysterious, and how you find out more and more about him. And the script felt different, it had an element of film noir. It tells a story of fighting fire with more fire, which is a desperate move, but it had a truth to it.”
His alter ego’s mysteriousness was further developed once Benicio got hold of the script. In one scene Alejandro was supposed to deliver a long monologue about his life and past, but the 48-year-old didn’t feel it was realistic.
“When someone says “they cut the dialogue” it can sound a little insulting to the writer (Taylor Sheridan) or presumptuous on my part, but it’s not like that,” he explained. “I’ve met people who’ve gone through traumatic experiences like Alejandro or even worse. They don’t open up like that. So I spoke to Denis (Villeneuve, the director), and he understood, so he took out the monologue and brought some of the lines to another character. It’s not like I went, ‘I just want to act with my eyes.’”
The shoot was quite intense for everyone involved but the cast were able to crack a few jokes to lighten the mood. Benicio was particularly impressed by British star Emily, who he felt had a similar work ethic to himself.
“She’s not afraid of asking questions, of saying “I don’t understand”, and I’m like that too,” he said. “And she’s a lot of fun, she can make fun of you, me, and herself.”
