‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ actor has ‘a lot of love’ for his Filipino friends

LOS ANGELES – Tonatiuh, hailed for his breakthrough performance opposite Jennifer Lopez in “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” grew up in West Covina,

“I did grow up in West Covina, and it was a really fun and diverse community,” Tonatiuh answered when I asked him about being raised in the city east of downtown LA in our recent one-on-one interview. “A lot of my childhood friends are Filipino, and I speak a little bit of Tagalog.”

In his first major film role, Tonatiuh (pronounced Toh-nah-tee-yoo), the son of Mexican immigrant parents, is just as dazzling as J Lo as they sing, dance, and act in Academy Award winner Bill Condon’s version based on the 1993 Broadway musical.

Tackling the Luis Molina role for which the late William Hurt won a 1986 Best Actor Oscar in director Hector Babenco’s direct adaptation of Manuel Puig’s 1976 novel, Tonatiuh earned raves as an imprisoned gay window dresser during Argentina’s Dirty War who escapes his harsh prison life through Technicolor movie musical fantasies.

Tonatiuh as Luis Molina, imprisoned for being gay, escapes to movie musical fantasies in “Kiss of the Spider Woman.” CONTRIBUTED

In these fantasies that hark back to the golden age of Hollywood musicals, Tonatiuh transforms into Kendal Nesbitt, a closeted star.

“How it (West Covina) influenced me was it made me hungry for different cultures,” shared the performing arts graduate of West Covina High School. “It made me curious, and I always love learning about new people. So I was invited to different homes, and people welcomed me like family.

“West Covina was a really great place to grow up. Like the staff at the high school was really invested in the kids who wanted to learn about acting. So much so that I still go back every year to teach a little bit of acting.”

He added, “And when we premiered (‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’) in the fall, I gifted them with screenings. And my friends from high school, more than 10 years ago, came, and they helped us organize. And got everybody on board.

Tonatiuh and Diego Luna in “Kiss of the Spider Woman” | CONTRIBUTED

‘A lot of love for my Filipino brothers and sisters’

“And so it was really cool to see the love of the community coming together. But yeah, I have a lot of love for my Filipino brothers and sisters. I’m not a kababayan, but I’m not not a kababayan, you know what I mean. I got a ninong and everything!”

When I jokingly asked if karaoke sessions with his Pinoy friends helped him with his singing skills, Tonatiuh answered with a laugh, “First of all, the karaoke sessions hurt me because they (Filipinos) sing so well. It embarrassed me to not want to sing with them. It (karaoke) is like the Olympics for you guys.”

Tonatiuh | Photo by Ruben V. Nepales

The University of Southern California School of Dramatic Arts and School of Cinematic Arts alumnus praised his mother in interviews, gratefully citing her as a symbol of the dignity, adaptability, and fortitude of the immigrants, whether Latino, Filipino or any other race.

Supportive mom

“When my mom first got here, she did work at a drive-through,” the actor said about the woman who named him after the sun god in Aztec mythology. “There’s no shame about that. There’s dignity in all kinds of work, and she supported our family with it and eventually opened her own beauty salon with my aunt. And they supported our families with those businesses.

“And not knowing the language, not knowing the culture, not knowing the infrastructure or the business, the tax codes. Those didn’t stop them from persevering.

“We grew up in a time in Los Angeles when there was a lot of racial tensions and a lot of anti-immigrant rhetoric,” recounted the rising star whose credits include the series “Vida” and Ryan Murphy’s upcoming “American Love Story.”

“But there was still joy in our house. And there was still tenacity, there was still hope, and there was still pride. I think the reason why I’m not some whiny mama’s boy, the reason that I’m showering her with as much love and appreciation, is because this is as much a victory for her as it is for me. At 17, I decided that I wanted to be an actor, an artist. And without blinking an eye, she said yes.

“I think if I didn’t come from and witness her and my family working so hard, I don’t think I could have the tenacity to keep pushing through in an industry where I didn’t know anybody.”

Tonatiuh almost lost the role of a lifetime

Tonatiuh revealed that he almost lost the role of a lifetime, which pairs him with J Lo as a glamorous Hollywood star, Aurora, and as the mythical Spider Woman, and Diego Luna as a political revolutionary who shares a prison cell with Luis during Argentina’s military regime.

“It was kind of a whole hero’s journey in a movie in and of itself,” Tonatiuh began. “It was around this time. It was December 20 (2024) when I got the email in my inbox for the audition. I fell in love with the material. I thought it was fantastic, and I understood who this person was, and what Bill wanted to tell with it, and so I submitted a tape.

“And they loved it. Yeah, I think. On December 22, they were like, don’t move. They wanted to see me the first chance we get in New York.

“On January 2, at 9 am, they messaged me, and they said, you’re coming to New York. I did this song. I did the dance. I did the scene. Bill clapped. He said it was incredible. And I walked away feeling like, my gosh! I did it. I think we were close.”

Then came the notice, which must have been an agonizing moment for the actor, excited to land his big break. “I got news that they decided to pass. That Bill had a vision of the character being much older, in his 40s, maybe early 50s. I can’t change my age that much without prosthetics.

“It was one of those moments where I just felt wrong. This didn’t make sense to my soul. I remember I told my agents that I was going to take a little vacation to move. I was moving apartments.”

‘I lit a candle’

He recalled, “I lit a candle. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I lit a candle, and I just said, if this job comes back to me, I will give it my all. And if not, I’m going to let it go.

“The next morning, I got a call from my manager, and he said, did Bill Condon email you? I was like, why would Bill Condon email me?

“And so I looked, and he emailed me, and it was just to me. Nobody else was copied. And it said, and I quote, ‘Tonatiuh, I’ve been having second, third, and fourth thoughts about you. Would you mind reading with Diego Luna one last time? You can also tell me to fuck off, Bill.’

“I emailed back, and I said, yes, I will do it, and make me one promise. Let’s make some magic. And that’s what it was like.”

It was ironic that after an intensive casting search in Mexico, Central and South America, and throughout the United States, the filmmakers found their star right in Southern California.

Jailed for being gay

On his character, Luis Molina, who was jailed for being gay in early 1980s military-ruled Argentina, as a representation of how there was and still is a lack of acceptance for gays in mainstream society, Tonatiuh remarked, “It’s a struggle for a reason, right? The fight for liberation is exactly that – it is a fight. Molina is really interesting because for some people who watch this movie, it will be their first and possibly only interaction that they will get with a gender nonconforming individual.”

“And so it was really important for me to show their heart, their spirit, their dignity, all of their humanity, because fear comes from the unknowing. I wanted to showcase, I wanted to introduce, and I wanted to invite people.”

Asked what he wants to do next – perhaps a musical on Broadway for which he seems perfect – Tonatiuh replied, “I do want to come on Broadway. It’s funny, I’m in New York right now. I am working on obtaining the rights for a Broadway debut for next spring.”

“I would love to drop an album. I think that would be amazing. I would love to write a children’s book. I’m developing a television show. I have a documentary that I’m producing at the moment. There are so many good stories to tell.

“So I’m constantly on the hunt. But from an acting perspective, I’m dying to transform my body again (he lost 45 pounds for ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’). I would love nothing more than to play a villain, or to play James Bond, or to play something different. I’m hungry for something different.”

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