Thoughts on the Minor Characters in If Beale Street Could Talk

If Beale Street Could Talk is such an interesting follow-up for Barry Jenkins after Moonlight. It shares a certain spiritual and emotional similarity with his Best Picture-winning debut, and it expresses a similar visual language in a different way. It stays true to his more stripped-down roots while also nodding to his newfound clout in the industry.

That latter point is best demonstrated through the prominent actors featured in small roles in the film. It’s not huge-name stars or anything—it’s not like we get Denzel Washington popping up in a single scene as, like, a subway driver or something—but there are a number of actors in this film who only appear in a scene or two, actors you wouldn’t necessarily expect to see in a part that size. It’s reflective, I think, of how much people wanted to work with Jenkins after Moonlight. It doesn’t matter to them how small the role is, they just want to be a part of this beautiful piece of art he’s creating.

That’s what I’d like to talk about today for Y tu Luna también. I already reviewed the movie when it first came out, and I knew Luna’s role was small enough that it wouldn’t warrant something like a Character Highlight post. So going into rewatching the film, I wasn’t sure what I was going to say. I think this is a good topic, though: how much these actors add to the film in their small scenes, and how Jenkins’s film gives the smallest roles space to shine.

Obviously, the acting is great throughout. Stephan James and Kiki Layne are quietly electric together as Fonny and Tish, Regina King won an Oscar for her role as Tish’s mother, and everyone else playing a member of Fonny or Tish’s families is fantastic—we get lovely performances from folks like Teyonah Parris and Colman Domingo. But today, I’m focusing specifically on these minor roles, touching on three others before I circle back to Diego Luna.

First, of course, we have Brian Tyree Henry as Fonny’s old friend Daniel Carty. In his one extended sequence in the film, Henry explodes with charisma and good humor before the scene quiets down and we see Daniel’s vulnerable side. His monologue talking about his recent experience in prison is one of the highlights of the whole film. Next up is Dave Franco as Levy, seemingly the only man in New York willing to rent to Tish and Fonny. Franco’s low-key performance is really effective here, and I love the bit where Fonny, encouraging Tish to imagine their future place, gets Levy to “help” him carry in their imaginary fridge. In the space of a few minutes, you get a genuine sense of who this guy is. And then there’s Pedro Pascal as Pietro Alvarez, who Tish’s mom Sharon meets when she goes to Puerto Rico. Again, he’s only in one scene, but plenty is accomplished about his character in his short time onscreen. While he gives off an initial air of being obstructive, and maybe untrustworthy, we see that what he really wants is to spare Victoria Rogers more grief. It’s only when Sharon goes for broke in leading Fonny’s case that he agrees to set up a meeting.

Finally, we have Luna as Pedrocito, a waiter at a restaurant Tish and Fonny visit. Despite being in two scenes, Luna’s role is the smallest and least substantial of the four, and yet, every second he’s onscreen, he simply exudes who this man is. From casually exchanging pleasantries with Fonny in Spanish, to teasing Fonny when they show up broke but hungry, to slow dancing with a partner while Fonny and Tish do the same in the foreground, he feels like a genuine person, even though we know hardly any facts about him or his life and he only has a handful of lines.

I really like that, that Pedrocito’s character still comes through when he’s such a tiny part of this story. It’s a credit to Luna’s breezy, charming performance, as well as Jenkins’s thoughtful direction. I also like how Pedrocito is used within the story, giving Tish her first glimpse of who Fonny is outside their own neighborhood. These two little scenes are so small, but both of them are beautiful moments.

I’ll end with my Yu tu Luna también addendum for If Beale Street Could Talk.

Recommend?

In General – Yes. What a gorgeously made film, shifting easily between sumptuous romance and painful issues of systemic racism.

Diego Luna – I can’t in good conscience recommend a two-hour movie purely to watch a few minutes of Luna in such a minor role. But he’s actually wonderful in it, and if you have any non-Luna-related desire to see the film, rest assured that he makes his small part of it even better.