kuno becker: one of hollywood's newest leading men
Kuno Becker arrived in Hollywood at exactly the right moment. The 26-year-old Mexican actor managed, through both luck and talent, to show up in Los Angeles just as Mexican films have become the newest toast of the town.
With the unexpected success of movies such as Antonio Serrano's Sex Shame and Tears (Sexo, Pudor y Lagrimas) and Alfonso Arau's Zapata, every major studio in town searching hungrily for more of the same, and agents, producers, and directors are looking for the next Antonio Banderas.
"I think it's always good to have different voices, voices from around the world", says Kuno Becker. "Obviously the American film industry is the biggest market in the world, but it's getting more and more content from everywhere around the globe, which I think is good. There are more choices for the public and also more choices for the actors and directors and producers. There are all sorts of different projects now, which I think are good for the world in general. Its good to have varied views."
Born and educated in Mexico City, Kuno Becker spent much of his life studying to become a violinist (he's played the instrument since age five), travelling to Austria each summer and practicing the instrument diligently. Well on his way to a career as a professional classical musician, Kuno experienced an unexpected change of heart and decided to try his hand at acting instead.
"After ten years of playing the violin," Kuno explains, "I wanted to do something different. I wanted to express emotions in a different way so I went to drama school. At first I didn't think it was a similar art form to music, but it actually is. It's a way to express yourself, to say things, and to play any instrument helps in my acting as well."
Kuno Becker's musical skills came in handy for his first role in a film in Mexico. He played a violinist in Lucia, Lucia.
"I got to play the violin because the character played one," says Kuno, "so it was useful. In the end it made the role more intimate for me and more personal, to be able to do that."
Fresh of the set of Imagining Argentina, where he starred oposite Antonio Banderas and Emma Thompson, Kuno Becker's decision to move away from music and into movies seem to have been a wise one. He's now found a new agent, a new manager, and what seems to be a new life in Hollywood.
"I'm lucky," he explains. "I did TV, which I liked, but I was lookng for roles with more substance, roles that had some depth. I've been very lucky in that, so far, I've been able to find those roles. So, needless to say, I'm very happy about everything."
