In 2008 , del Toro was awarded the Prix d'interpretation masculine ( or Best Actor Award ) at the Cannes Film Festival for his characterization of Che Guevara in the biographical films '' The Argentine '' and '' Guerrilla '' ( together known as '' Che '' ) . During his acceptance speech , del Toro dedicated his award " to the man himself , Che Guevara " along with director Steven Soderbergh . Del Toro was also awarded a 2009 Goya Award as the Best Actor for his depiction of Che . Actor Sean Penn , who won an Oscar for his role in '' Milk '' , remarked that he was surprised and disappointed that '' Che '' and del Toro were not also up for any Academy Award nominations . During his acceptance speech for the Best Actor 's trophy at the Screen Actors Guild Awards , Penn expressed his dismay stating , " The fact that there are n't crowns on Soderbergh 's and del Toro 's heads right now , I do n't understand ... that is such a sensational movie , '' Che '' . " For the final portions of the film ( shown here ) , del Toro shed 35 pounds to show how ill Guevara had become near the end of his life in the jungles of Bolivia
Cannes Film Festival
2008 Cannes Film Festival
Benicio del Toro