Babylon's Diego Calva Learned English Through the Power of Pokemon

Babylon's Diego Calva Learned English Through the Power of Pokemon

Although Diego Calva is turning heads with his performance in "Babylon," the Mexican actor had a lot to prepare before starring in the film, including learning English. He recently appeared as a guest on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," where he elaborated on how he managed to learn a new language for Damien Chazelle's latest film.

Calva admits that while his English isn't perfect, he never took classes or had a teacher, choosing instead to improve his fluency through music, movies, and video games. "Pokémon.' All day 'Pokémon,'" the actor said when asked what video games he played. "Because, back in the day, they didn't have the translation or like the Spanish versions. So if you want to play it [Pokémon], you have to at least have a dictionary." Calva then motioned to show him using a dictionary to translate the words on the screen while he was on his journey to be the very best that no one ever was. The actor admitted that Pikachu was challenging to translate, joking that someone really needs to know him to understand what he was saying.

His love for "Pokémon" runs deeper than just playing video games. In a separate interview with GQ, Calva listed cards as the first essential item in his life, whether standard cards, "Magic: The Gathering," or "Pokémon." It's not about acquiring the most expensive card, according to Calva. Instead, he wants to build the perfect deck, which has been his hobby since childhood. While shooting a movie, he uses multiple decks to play against himself, which helps him stay focused.

James H. Sterling
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James H. Sterling

James Sterling reports on renewable energy developments, climate policy, ecological conservation, and green tech innovations around the globe.