Gay Wrestler Cassandro Is Being Portrayed By Gael García Bernal In New Biopic
Larger-than-life gay wrestler Cassandro is being depicted in a biopic of the same name directed by Oscar-winning documentary maker Roger Ross Williams. Playing the wrestler in Cassandro is Gael García Bernal and a first-look peek at the upcoming film is out now, reports Queerty.
THE LIBERACHE OF LUCHA LIBRE
The real-life gay wrestler being portrayed in the film is Saúl Armendáriz, who adopted the stage name of Cassandro as a wrestling luchador. Armendáriz had ambitions of becoming a professional luchador in Lucha Libre – Mexico’s popular form of professional wrestling. Growing up in both El Paso and Juárez, Armendáriz had the benefit of being able to travel across the US-Mexico border and it was how he formed a passion for Luche Libra, reports The New Yorker.
Wrestling is performance and it’s about more than simply besting an opponent. In Luca Libre, the luchadors lean into this aspect of showmanship with loud and vibrant costumes and personas that speak to the crowds to either win their favour or vilify their character.
It was these performances that inspired Saúl Armendáriz to enter that world as an openly gay man. He chose to follow the stylings of the exotico wrestlers – flamboyant luchadors who fought in drag and acted as a stark contrast to the hyper-masculinity of the other wrestlers reports The New Yorker.
As Cassandro, Armendáriz’s career soared to heights he could have only have dreamed of as a child. He became NWA World Welterweight and UWA World Lightweight Champion and has amassed legions of adoring fans who loved the spectacle of a Cassandro match.
In the upcoming Roger Ross Williams movie, we’ll see Gael García Bernal take on Cassandro in his earlier years. Bernal’s mainstream movie credits include roles in Werewolf By Night, Coco, Old and Bad Education, and the hip, indi, gay favourite, Y Tu Mamá También.
In Cassandro, Gael García Bernal transforms into the iconic Cassandro in one of his most unrecognisable roles to date. Cassandro will stream on Prime Video in 2023.
