From the streets of Santiago to the sets of John Wick: Chapter 4 and Machete Kills, Chilean actor Marko Zaror has earned a reputation as Latin America's most physical action hero. But with his new film Affinity, he takes a dramatic turn. This time, the fight choreography shares space with something far more vulnerable: heartbreak, grief, and the question of whether real love can be replicated by machines.
"I had this question stuck in my head for years," he told me during our interview from Chile. "We're making robots that look human. People are forming emotional bonds with AI chatbots. But can we replicate the emotional bond that forms between two people over time?"
In Affinity, Zaror plays Bruno, a former Navy SEAL haunted by trauma. He finds peace when he falls for Athena, a mysterious woman played by Jane Mirro. When she disappears, Bruno launches a rescue mission that reveals a dark truth. Athena is not who she seems. She was created by a grieving scientist attempting to bring his late wife back to life.
The film is a gripping sci-fi thriller, but its heart beats with something deeper. Zaror not only stars in the film. He also co-wrote the script, produced it, and was involved in every creative decision.
@aliciacivita_ El rey de las escenas de acción @markozaror sobre su nueva película #Affinity
♬ sonido original - Alicia Civita - Alicia Civita
The Vision Behind the Story
The idea for Affinity came to life about six years ago. Zaror had been developing it with filmmaker Daniel Zirilli, who passed away during the early stages of the project. Determined to carry the idea forward, Zaror took it to director Brandon Slagle, known for his work in genre films like Battle for Saipan. Together they built the world of Affinity, a near-future version of our own where loneliness, technology, and synthetic biology collide.
"Brandon understood that this was a very personal story," Zaror said. "He helped shape the structure while giving me the freedom to express my vision. I knew what I wanted the tone to be. From the color grading to the pace of the action to the emotion behind each scene."
Helping him bring that vision to life was his longtime collaborator Ernesto Díaz Espinoza, the Chilean director behind Kiltro, Mirageman, and El Puño del Cóndor. Although Díaz Espinoza did not direct Affinity, he was deeply involved in post-production, helping with music, sound design, and the final edit. The dupla also premiered their film Diablo this year.
Between Combat and Emotion
Known for his powerful physicality and precision in martial arts, Zaror admits that Affinity was a new kind of challenge. The action scenes were intense, of course, but the emotional moments demanded something more.
"Physical action is something I train for. I know how to fall, how to take a hit, how to choreograph a scene. But the emotional scenes in Affinity asked me to open up in a different way. That kind of vulnerability is just as exhausting," he said.
The film features an ensemble that includes Louis Mandylor as the grieving scientist, Brooke Ence as a cyber-enhanced soldier, and Brahim Chab as the antagonist. Zaror and Chab face off in a climactic fight sequence that was shot in long takes, using Steadicam, so every blow and reaction lands in real time.
A New Kind of Hero
While Affinity explores the future, Zaror's next role takes him into Chile's past. He just wrapped filming Dancing in the Ring, where he plays Arturo Godoy, the Chilean boxer who famously fought Joe Louis in 1940. That film also involved Díaz Espinoza, who handled the camera for the boxing scenes. It is expected to hit theaters in Chile soon, and Zaror is currently looking for a distributor in the United States.
"I grew up hearing about Arturo Godoy," he said. "Telling his story is a way of honoring our culture and showing audiences that our heroes are not just fictional."
Creating, Not Waiting
Zaror has a clear message for fellow Latino actors and filmmakers: do not wait to be invited to the table. Build your own.
"You can go to auditions, and that's fine. But if you want to tell your story, you have to write it. You have to produce it. You have to make it real. That's how Affinity happened. It started with a question and a blank page."
Zaror is already working on his next project. Whether it is another sci-fi thriller or a deeply personal drama, one thing is certain. He is not just starring in stories. He is building them from the ground up.
And he is doing it with heart, with muscle, and with vision.
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