Del Toro attends screening of 'Che' in Havana

[December 08, 2008]  HAVANA (AP) -- Actor Benicio del Toro says protesters at the Miami screening of "Che" should have watched the film first.

Del Toro plays Argentine-born Ernesto "Che" Guevara, a hero of the Cuban revolution and global icon. He says the role was difficult and took a lot of time.

Cuban exiles protested the movie in Miami last week. Many opposed Guevara for executions of officials from Fulgencio Batista's government, which was toppled in 1959.

But del Toro says "a lot of the people protesting the movie hadn't seen it."

He spoke Saturday as about 1,500 people attended the screening of the movie by director Steven Soderbergh at a film festival in Havana.

The Puerto Rican actor won the Cannes Film Festival's best-actor prize for his performance.

[Associated Press]

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