Mexican actor Diego Luna just showed that diversity in Hollywood does not go unnoticed.
On Tumblr, a fan by the user name riveralwaysknew posted a story about taking her father to see Star Wars: Rogue One over the weekend. She spoke of how her dad gently asked her if the film was successful and if people liked it, and then marveled at the fact that Luna, who played the lead role of Capt. Cassian Andor, had kept his accent.
The Tumblr user's father, who is Mexican and speaks like Luna, deeply appreciated the down-to-earth casting decision.
"And my dad was so happy," the post reads. "As we drove home he started telling me about other Mexican actors that he thinks should be in movies in America. Representation matters."
Since its posting the story has been reblogged on Tumblr over 53,000 times.
Luna saw the post and tweeted it from his personal account, writing, "I got emotional reading this! #starwarsrogueone." In just 17 hours it has been retweeted over 37,000 times and liked by over 85,000.
In an interview with Mic.com, the Tumblr user said she thought it was important for her father to see a hero in a blockbuster film who confidently spoke with an accent.
"He was so elated," she said. "I mean, have you ever seen a 60-year-old Mexican man skip to his car? Because I have!"
"To see him so excited about a movie and a character wasn't just new to me, it was memorable," she concluded.
