Actor Andy García is in the final post-production stage of 'Diamond', his latest film as a director. It is an 'independent' film that, after 15 years of seeking financing, was shot in just 25 days 'with very little money', but with a script that attracted a stellar cast including Brendan Fraser, Robert Patrick, and Bill Murray. 'It's a very beautiful process for me to be able to tell the story I've had inside, not just here (head), but here (heart),' García tells EFE about this contemporary noir tale. Lacking a budget, García explains that the 'key' to securing an A-list cast was the film's script—which he wrote—which tells the story of Joe Diamond, a peculiar man with a traumatic past and an amazing ability to solve crimes. This will be García's third feature film as a director, following the documentary 'Cachao… Como Su Ritmo No Hay Dos' (1993) and 'The Lost City' (2005). García emphasizes that as it is an independent film, so far only his editing team and he himself have seen the movie. 'It has to be finished, it has to be shown, it has to be sold. I don't have any studio backing the film at the moment,' explains the filmmaker, who was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1991 for his performance in 'The Godfather Part III'. While putting the finishing touches on 'Diamond', García is also returning to the small screen for the second season of 'Landman', in which he reprises his role of Gallino, the boss of a cartel in Texas. García was the big surprise of the last episode of the first season when Gallino spares the life of Tommy Norris (the series' protagonist, played by Billy Bob Thornton). The actor highlights the political influence of his character, created by Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace. 'In the first season, he tells Billy's character that he is connected to senators and to everyone,' recalls García, who was born in Cuba and emigrated to the United States with his family as a child. Set in West Texas, the second season of 'Landman', which premiered on November 16, tells the story of the pursuit of fortune among oil workers and ambitious millionaires who are fueling a 'boom' for black gold. 'Most of my work has been with Billy, who is a sublime actor and we get along very well, (he's) very generous and we're like brothers, although we sometimes have moments of antagonism, we always enter that world with a lot of respect and a lot of generosity,' notes García. He also reveals that in this season, Stefania Spampinato (known for her work on series like 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'Station 19') joins the cast of 'Landman' to play his wife. 'She is younger than me, but nowadays everyone is younger than me,' says the 69-year-old actor in reference to the 43-year-old Italian actress and jokes that he is already a 'grandfather'.
