Meet Eddie Velez

Eddie was someone else who came in and read and it was love at first sight. He came in early in the process but again we had to find a young counterpart to match him before we could cast. What Eddie intuitively understood about the role of Diego Adult was the sadness of it. Whereas Giancarlo as Diego Teen has the dashing leading man quality I was looking for, Eddie brought that down to earth. There was a hurt in Eddie's eyes as he read that nailed it. No one else even came in second.

The Diego character is based on one of my favorite actors: Errol Flynn. When Flynn was a young man he was an incredibly charming, rakish, cocky, adventurer. He was everything every young man dreams of being. But as alchohol and scandal and a number of bad decisions overtook Flynn in his later years he became a tragic figure. When I see photos of Flynn post-45 years old they're heartbreaking. It isn't that Flynn looks bad, but the light's gone in his eyes. That sparkle that won Olivia De Havilland in nine films is dimmed. Flynn died at 50. Terrible loss. Irreplacable star. There will never be another. Not even close.

If I had met Flynn on the street in his later years, I wouldn't have thought anything of it. The tragedy comes from knowing who Flynn was. Knowing Robin Hood and Captain Blood. And that's what I wanted from Diego. I wanted a young, dashing, near-cocky young man to contrast the adult who's lost all that. Eddie got it his first read. He got it on film. We were lucky to get him.