Umbrella Academy's David Castañeda on "Baby Diego" and playing a Mexican superhero on screen

Unlike the knives that Diego curves mid-air, David Castañeda's career trajectory remains direct and unwavering.

After landing minor roles in Blindspot and Jane the Virgin, Castañeda enrolled in The Umbrella Academy, and immediately became a fan-favourite in Netflix's most dysfunctional family show. Diego might be Number Two, but in season one, the hot-headed vigilante stole every scene he's in.

This time round, The Umbrella Academy is better than ever, and that's also true of Diego. Not only are his fight scenes sharper and more impressive, but emotional exchanges with a new love interest and his father cut especially deep, proving that there's more to Number Two than his family could have ever imagined.

Digital Spy sat down with Castañeda to discuss season two and along the way, we talked hair, killing Hitler, and why it's important to see a Mexican superhero on screen.

Congratulations on the new season! I loved it. It's even better than the first one.

Oh, really? Thanks, David. That's f**king dope, man.

Everything's bigger. There's just so much going on. Did you feel pressure coming into season two after the success of season one?

Kind of. But it was not so much pressure from the audience. It was more pressure from oneself. I feel like once you have some sort of recognition in terms of the show or the project that you're doing, you can become a little lazy, you know?

Obviously we had the characters already fleshed out. But after talking to [showrunner] Steve Blackman, and figuring out where the season was going – I think all of us, in general, we really made sure that we did our best as actors to bring the characters to life.

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There's a lot that's different about season two. What was the biggest change for you?

I think the biggest change was possibly the dynamics between the siblings, because we were so separated at the beginning. Everyone had their own storyline. For like the first month and a half, it felt like we didn't really see each other.

There was the thought of: "Could we make it entertaining until we all merge together?" And I think we did. I've got to credit the writers for coming up with these really cool, innovative ways of bringing these characters together, and how they actually would relate and take advantage of being in the ‘60s, right?

One big change that got fans talking right away is Diego's new hairstyle. Can you talk me through that transformation?

It was crazy, because I allowed my hair to grow for about four months, and my beard was really long. I went to Thailand, and it was nice, because I didn't really care about grooming.

And then I get to the set, and Steve's like, "We've got to shave it all off, buddy."

And I was like, "Why?"

And he was like, "We've got to shoot you coming back – going into the '60s."

And I was like, "Wow. Alright."

It just allows me to get into that same place I was in Thailand, not really caring about how I look, and not really worrying about anything else, except just the task at hand.

Before season two dropped, everyone was talking about that scene in the trailer where Allison forces Diego to hit himself. Can you talk about what came after, when Diego finally had the chance to confront his father?

That whole section took us about two days to shoot. And it was probably the most rewarding and fun day on set, I'd say. Because you got to see everyone's dynamic, and how they would react if they had an opportunity to see their father again. Everyone had the opportunity to say what they had been feeling.

When I spoke to Steve before we went into the season, we had talked about the backstory of Diego, including his relationship with his father and JFK. The thought was: Diego believed that his dad brought all of us together to stop a catastrophe that would parallel JFK. So that was the spark in him.

Diego stopping JFK's death is related to his father; "I'm just trying to understand you. I'm trying to understand you, and also, I'm trying to prove you wrong. You said that I was worthless and I was Number Two. I can do things on my own."

I think you see that in that scene, with the dad. Diego is trying to say his piece, and obviously it backfires. He always had that ace card right on his forehead.

But also, even doing that scene, man – hitting myself in the face… We shot that moment a few times. There was one where I clipped myself in the nose and I did hit myself. I have a feeling that's the one they used.

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It looked really damn close to my nostril.

Speaking of violence, Diego in particular had some incredible action scenes this time round. Especially that fight at the beginning of the first episode. How much involvement did you have in that scene on set?

Oh, man, that was the hardest day in Toronto, I remember, and we had to shoot it in this junkyard. They had built this huge set. It was my first time trying all of this gear that I was going to be wearing at the end of the season.

And I remember thinking, "First of all, this is nuts, how big the sets have gotten." And the fact that they wanted me to do a flip? I was like, "I'm going to learn that flip. I'm going to learn that flip."

They were like, "No, David, we have money. We're going to CGI you doing that flip."

And I was like, "Great, yeah, alright."

Once I saw the finished product, I was blown away by how they were able to seamlessly transition between myself, the CGI Diego, and then me landing again.

That whole sequence is amazing. Sylvain [White], who directed the first episode, he had talked about this one take that he wanted to do, and which he's always wanted to do. And thankfully, Netflix and Steve Blackman were like, "Yeah, we want to see that one take."

I think it was like a bang, right? What did you think? Did you like that intro?

Yeah, I was blown away, to be honest. It's so cinematic. It felt like, I could see this on the big screen – like a Marvel or DC movie.

You mentioned wanting to get involved on set wherever possible, like with the flip. Did you have many opportunities to improvise dialogue and shape Diego's character with Steve?

If it happens on the set, it happens. There is a freedom to it. But the dialogue is very crisp, already... Sometimes, there will be a shift here and there that might aid the character and the story. But most of the time, you'll have the script, or else they'll come up to you and be like, "Hey, this is the line" or "That's the line."

But in terms of moulding the character? All the time. We would get scripts weeks in advance, and I would send Steve an email, saying, "Hey, what about this line? Can we flip it?"

There's this one line in the first episode. In the script, it was written as "killing Hitler with a bullet in his head." This is where Steve is so dope. I was able to say, "Hey, man, Diego doesn't like guns. What do you think of, maybe, a butter knife?"

He was like, "I love that. Use it."

So there's a lot of freedom in that aspect. There's a dialogue always happening. Even though Steve is doing 10,000 things a day, he's always open to discussion on that.

What did you find most challenging this time around on season two?

Challenging? I don't know, man. I had a lot of fun.

That really comes through on screen.

Yeah. You know what? I would say this. What was most challenging was just weather things... That was about it. Aside from that, it was a ball. It was really, really fun.

I'm trying to think about what makes Umbrella Academy so great, and I think a lot of it is just the offbeat things about it... For example, I think about Klaus's cult. In my mind, I was like, "Where is this cult going?" And then it kind of disappeared a little bit. And then you saw the arc at the end, when they pick up one of the Swedes. I thought that was very charming, and also, I didn't expect that.

There's a lot of balancing, isn't there? Just so many different plot-lines coming together in season two.

So many plot-lines, man. It's just bigger. And I think, hopefully, if we get another season, it's going to be even more bonkers.

Thinking about the show's future, I need to ask you about that final scene. What was your reaction to the Sparrow Academy reveal, and what does that twist mean to you moving forward?

We didn't get that scene until four or five days before we shot it. So we didn't know how it was going to end.

I remember Justin [H. Min] being like, "Yeah, you know, I die in episode nine. So it's kind of like whatever."

And then I just saw him one day, and he's like, "We got the script. We got the ending." And he's skipping across the trailers.

I was like, "Why is this motherf**ker so happy? What is going on?"

Everyone is like, "The script's come out! The script's come out!"

So then I read it, and I'm just floored, right? I did not expect that whatsoever.

But when we shot it, it was the last day, and it was quite fun, especially watching Justin walk around like he was little 'Baby Diego'. He was like, "Yeah, I'm angry. I'm tough."

I was like, "Sup, 'Baby Diego.'"

And he'd be like, "F**k you, David."

Because Justin got into it, man. He was method. That motherf**ker was meth-od! Nah, I'm just kidding. He was lovely.

A Klaus comic book prequel is in the works, so I wondered if you would ever be up for a potential Diego spin-off? And if so, how would that work on screen?

Oh, man, that would be amazing. I think the best way to do it would be if Diego got transferred to a parallel reality that was very similar to the one we have right now – very similar to the one we have right now – where he has no identity, so he's considered an immigrant.

And then he has to figure out a way to fit in and find all of his siblings who are working regular jobs, where Dad did not exist, and somehow try to bring them together. Because they know that they're a little bit offbeat and they have special powers that they're not capable of sharing with people.

Are there any particular chapters of Diego's history from the comics you'd like to explore in a prequel or spin-off?



Oh, yeah. When he was in a band. When Diego was in a band with Klaus and Vanya. I would love to see that. I would love to see that place when Diego left, and left Vanya by himself. I think in the Dallas issue, at the end, you see a little snippet of that. And that's where Vanya and Diego's relationship kind of breaks, because he chooses something else.

But I'd like to see previous to that, when he was doing the band thing, and trying to insert himself into something creative, which I think is something that is not in his wheelhouse —or you would not expect it at least.

Maybe there could be a flashback to that in season three?

Maybe. Though they'd have to CGI me, that's for sure. They'll have to do a little "De Niro" on me.

Now you've finished filming the first two seasons, what are you most proud of when it comes to The Umbrella Academy and your career as a whole?

I'm very proud of the ground work that's been laid for me to even have this. When I was coming up, I never really saw the skin colour.. I never saw that side. I just saw stories and characters, and I really loved it.

But once I started acting, I would see a lot of homies, a lot of older cats. They would come in, and they would audition for this one gangster role, or the one thug, and all these things.

I never really thought about it in any bad way. I thought, "That's great. You're acting. That's beautiful." And then I'd realise later on that that's all they had. That's the only box.

So I'm very proud of the fact that those people who I looked up to when I was a kid laid that framework. So that way, for me, I'm able to expand and be given the opportunity to do this other kind of work. And through that, to learn. So that's my biggest thing.

Every job, I think it's an amazing opportunity to learn. So from now on, everything I'm doing now is: I want to assert myself, and become more informed, and hopefully spark a dialogue with the audience, or whoever's f**king watching.

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And I think Umbrella Academy is definitely a step up to where I think we're all going to go. I think it's beautiful.

The Umbrella Academy is far more inclusive and diverse than most superhero stories we see play out on screen.

Yeah, exactly, and I think it was kind of a scary trip to take, into the ‘60s, with all of us being so diverse. Because you have to honour how they would live in that space, you know? And I think they did a great job in really trying to be as truthful as possible.

We took a lot of honour in telling the story in that era.

What does it mean to you personally to play a Mexican superhero, to be a role model on screen?

I mean, it's not at the forefront. It's definitely not what I'm thinking of. But a buddy of mine pointed out: you're brown skinned. You're brown skinned, and you're doing flips, you're bending bullets. People are going to see it, and somehow kids are going to connect to it.



So you've just got to make sure that you're a good role model. I'm an older brother. It's no different than being an older brother, and setting an example for my sisters.



The Umbrella Academy season two is now available to watch on Netflix.

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