García Bernal has worked for acclaimed directors including Pedro Almodóvar, Walter Salles, Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Michel Gondry, and Iciar Baillin, among others.
Igral je tudi v gledališču, med drugim leta 2005 v igri "Krvna poroka (Bodas de Sangre)", po predlogi Federica Garcíe Lorce v Almeida Theatre v Londonu.