interviewed a range of people , including those who knew him when he was a child , as well as those who were there in his last days . And then there were the countless photos of the iconic and controversial leader which he pored over . Looking at the pictures , seeing the attitude that he had in the photographs , '' he says , `` I learned a lot from the photographs . '' The meticulous study pays off on screen . Del Toro delivers a soulful performance that has earned him accolades . He won the Best Actor award at Cannes this year and he is being hotly tipped for another Oscar nod . Which films and actors do you think are contenders for this year 's Oscars ? Share your picks in the SoundOff below . Che 's life `` is what movies are made of , '' Del Toro told CNN . The incredible story , along with the opportunity to work with Soderbergh , who directed him in 2000 's `` Traffic , '' for a second time drew him to the project . The 41-year-old bilingual actor was born in Puerto Rico but
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The decision to make `` Che '' was an easy one , Benicio Del Toro says . Filming the movie was anything but . Benicio Del Toro stars as Latin American revolutionary Ernesto `` Che '' Guevara . `` I have to say it probably is the most difficult movie I 've ever made , and I 've made a few , '' Del Toro says of his starring role in director Steven Soderbergh 's Spanish-language biopic . One of Hollywood 's most bankable stars , Del Toro has made a name for himself playing dark and brooding characters in movies like `` 21 Grams , '' `` The Usual Suspects , '' and `` Traffic , '' for which he won an Oscar . He now adds to that list the role of revolutionary Ernesto `` Che '' Guevara , an Argentine doctor whose role in the Cuban Revolution in the 1950s vaulted him to cult status where he remains today . To play the Latin American revolutionary , Del Toro says he had to start with the man himself rather than invent a character . He read what Che wrote and