Benicio del Toro reveals 'bizarre' moment he knew 'One Battle' was a hit
Patrick RyanNEW YORK – "One Battle After Another" is not only an awards juggernaut and sleeper box-office sensation.
The Paul Thomas Anderson movie has also become a low-key pop-culture phenomenon, inspiring countless Halloween costumes and memes featuring its vibrant cast of characters.
Benicio del Toro has many of the film's best one-liners as Sensei Sergio St. Carlos, an even-keeled karate teacher who helps run a "Latino Harriet Tubman situation" for immigrants out of his apartment building.
In perhaps his most memorable sequence, Sensei comes to the aid of revolutionary-turned-stoner dad Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio), speeding down the freeway sipping Modelos before they're spotted by police.
Bob safely jumps from the moving vehicle, but the cops still apprehend Sensei for driving under the influence. When asked what he's imbibed, Sensei softly replies: "A few small beers."
Del Toro knew that "One Battle" had become a crossover hit "when people were quoting that line, or people would show me, 'This is on the internet,'" he tells USA TODAY at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards, where he was honored with the group's best supporting actor prize on Jan. 6.
"I'm not on the computer all the time, but that was kind of bizarre because I don't remember saying that line," del Toro, 58, continues. Although, "when the police officer asks me, 'How much have you been drinking?' I do remember thinking that Sensei should not lie.
"But hearing that line go out there, and seeing so many people dressed up like DiCaprio at Halloween, and people imitating Sean Penn's walk [as Col. Steven J. Lockjaw] – I saw a couple of those videos and thought they were really funny."
Ben Stiller salutes 'unforgettable' Benicio del Toro at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards
"One Battle" has been an unstoppable force so far this Oscar season, picking up best picture prizes at the Critics Choice, Gotham and NYFCC awards. Del Toro, too, is considered a formidable contender for best supporting actor, having picked up the largest share of major critics' trophies since groups began announcing their awards the first week of December.
Ben Stiller, who directed del Toro in the Showtime miniseries "Escape at Dannemora," was on hand at Tao Downtown restaurant to present the actor with his NYFCC honor.
"His memorable moments-to-screentime ratio is off the charts," Stiller said of his "incredible" and "singular" friend. "In a movie where he comes in late to the story and leaves before the end, he's integral. ... In real time, we see and feel Sergio's humanity. He's there for Bob as he comes in and guides him and ultimately saves him. It's very moving."
Stiller continued to praise del Toro for his ability to create moments "that we go to the movies for." He pointed to Sensei's pivotal arrest scene, and the idiosyncrasies that del Toro brought to the already-iconic character.
"The dance when he lifts up his jacket; his attitude towards police as they arrest him; the twinkle in his eye when he says 'a few small beers,'" Stiller recalled. "It's funny. It's emotional. It's unforgettable."