Xolo Maridueña Reveals How Blue Beetle Cast Filmed Their Most Emotional Sequence

DC's Blue Beetle featured a bevy of thrilling action sequences, but some of the most unforgettable moments from the film were the ones grounded in emotion and family. The death of Jaime's father Alberto Reyes (Damián Alcázar) is one such moment, and the scene carries immense emotional weight in the moment but also throughout the rest of the film. While the scene itself was tragic, creating it was the exact opposite. In an interview with ComicBook, Xolo Maridueña was asked about filming that sequence, and Maridueña knew it was a character-defining moment. Thankfully he didn't have to go to a dark place to make it all work, and a surprise from the cast and crew truly brought things full circle for him.

"It was definitely those types of scenes are like the biggest scenes. When you're reading the script and you're thinking 'ah, this is a character-defining moment'. You know, after your dad dies, you're not the same for the rest of your life, right? So it was something, it was exciting to get to act that out personally for me," Maridueña said. "I don't know, that feels like the greatest pain that one could have, so getting to explore that, having not been through that yet thankfully, was so fantastic."

"Damián, the guy who played my father, was such a generous... he had such a levity and lightness to him that I think was so comforting, and we banged it out in one day. It was one of those things where we're like, we're here, let's just run through the whole thing. Luckily I didn't have to go to any dark place," Maridueña said.

There was also a surprise that awaited him in the house, and it brought in elements of his own childhood to bring things full circle for him and for the character.

"They did surprise me. I guess they asked my family for videos of me as a youth, so when we got to set we were on the carcass of the house, which was like the floor and some of the walls and just like the furniture. On the TV there were videos of me and my family when I was like 1, 2 years old, s*** I had never seen before. So being in that space and knowing it was full circle for these two characters was beautiful," Maridueña said. 

The official description for Blue Beetle reads, "Recent college grad Jaime Reyes returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab. When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the Super Hero BLUE BEETLE."

In addition to Maridueña (Cobra Kai), Blue Beetle stars Adriana Barraza (Rambo: Last Blood, Thor), Damían Alcázar (Narcos, Narcos: Mexico), Elpidia Carrillo (Mayans M.C., the Predator films), Bruna Marquezine (Maldivas, God Save the King), Raoul Max Trujillo (the Sicario films, Mayans M.C.), with Oscar winner Susan Sarandon (Monarch, Dead Man Walking), and George Lopez (the Rio and Smurf franchises). Blue Beetle also stars Belissa Escobedo (American Horror Stories, Hocus Pocus 2) and Harvey Guillén (What We Do in the Shadows).

Blue Beetle is now available to stream on HBO Max.

What did you think of Blue Beetle and that scene in particular? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things DC with me on Threads @mattaguilarcb!