Luis Gerardo Méndez Opens Up About ‘Animals’, Ben Affleck, and the Reality Behind Immigration

When Luis Gerardo Méndez’s phone buzzed with a note from Ben Affleck’s team, his first reaction was disbelief. “Ben wanted me in his movie? I barely knew who he was,” the actor laughs, recalling the moment the Oscar‑winner sent over a script with a handwritten post‑script that read, “Luis, I’m rewriting the part for you. Call me around Christmas.”

The two finally met not on a red carpet, but on a sweaty rehearsal floor in Los Angeles. Méndez remembers Affleck’s enthusiasm like it happened yesterday: “He walked up, wrapped his massive Batman‑sized shoulders around me, and shouted, ‘This guy is the best actor in Mexico!’ I was stunned.” The hug turned into a marathon conversation that lasted an hour, where Affleck praised Méndez’s turn as the corrupt cop Victor Tapia in Narcos: Mexico and explained why he needed that same fire for the new film.

“He said, ‘I watched ‘Narcos,’ and I thought, we need the cop you played. It’s perfect,’” Méndez recounts. It was a flattering, if unexpected, compliment that set the tone for what would become a collaborative rewriting process. Affleck, who also directs and co‑writes Animals, reportedly tweaked the script night after night, shaping the character of Ramón—an undocumented Mexican boyfriend of the housekeeper played by Adriana Paz—until it felt authentic to both the actor and the story.

In the film, a powerful businessman (Affleck) and his wife (Kerry Washington) receive a frantic call: their son has been kidnapped. The plot thickens when Ramón, thrust into the crisis, becomes an unlikely fixer. “It was magical,” Méndez says. “Ben seemed to read my mind about what was missing—how the character talks, how he moves, the weight of his undocumented status.” The result is a thriller that, while meant to entertain, also holds up a mirror to the lived experiences of countless migrants.

“No one leaves their home because they want to,” Méndez emphasizes, his voice softening. “People flee violence, persecution, climate disaster. They’re just trying to work, to provide, to be human.” He hopes audiences pause long enough to recognize that, behind every news headline about illegal entry, there’s a person risking everything for a chance at safety.

Beyond the set, Méndez divides his time between Los Angeles and Mexico City, juggling acting gigs with his role as a goodwill ambassador for the UNHCR. The United Nations agency that assists refugees has given him a platform to speak on a broader stage about displacement, a cause that feels personal after witnessing families torn apart by ICE actions.

When asked about the recent ICE shooting of Oscar Belgal in New York, Méndez’s eyes welled up. “It’s heartbreaking to hear about families being ripped apart, regardless of their paperwork. Dignity shouldn’t be a privilege for the few,” he says, his voice barely above a whisper.

He also warns that climate change will soon add another layer to the immigration debate. “California is already seeing people move because of droughts and wildfires. In a decade, we might be the ones seeking refuge somewhere else,” Méndez explains. “Empathy matters because you never know when you’ll be next.”

“Animals” finally hit theaters with Affleck’s gritty, character‑driven direction and Méndez’s nuanced performance, delivering both suspense and a subtle call to action. Whether you walk out thrilled by the plot twists or left pondering the plight of undocumented workers, Méndez hopes the film nudges a conversation that’s been overdue.

“We’re doing the right thing in a system that often refuses to see us,” he concludes. “If we can make people think, even for a minute, that we’re all one step away from being the next immigrant, then maybe we’ve earned something beyond applause.”