Benjamin Bratt thinks Pixar are "master storytellers".
Benjamin Bratt
The 54-year-old actor stars as singer Ernesto De La Cruz in the new Oscar-tipped animation 'Coco' and he admitted he loved that the movie will "illuminate the beauty and uniqueness of Mexican culture".
In an interview with the Metro newspaper, Bratt said: "I'm a fan of Pixar films - I have children under 12, so I'm quite familiar with their canon. Pixar are master storytellers. And I loved that it was going to illuminate the beauty and uniqueness of Mexican culture. It's quite timely that this film in a way reintroduces Latino culture to the rest of the world. As much as it's a piece of entertainment, I also see it as an opportunity to remind us of our shared humanity."
'Coco' follows the story of Miguel who finds himself in the colourful land of the dead and he unlocks the real story behind his family history.
Bratt also admitted he has never sang before but would trade any artistic ability he has, including acting, to be able to be a balladeer.
He said: "I've often said I would trade it all in, any artistic ability I have in any other form, even when it comes to acting, if I could be a talented balladeer. I just don't have the chops for it. They hooked me up with a musical wizard, Liz Caplan, and they give you an infinite amount of takes to get what you can give.
"And I wouldn't be surprised if they then put on some kind of secret sauce. That's as much as I will say about that, adding finally, once and for all, that at least I'm not embarrassed with the results."
Although the film is set in Mexican and features a Latino cast, Bratt believes that American cinema has a lot of "catching up" to be more diverse.
He said: "I think so. But American cinema still has a lot of catching up to do - the landscape of television is more so. I'd love to see a Latino in the future or in space or in science fiction, although Jimmy Smits did make it into 'Star Wars' ... Look, I misspeak, I realise Oscar Isaac ... I think what I meant was I want to see myself..."
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