Kate del Castillo is taking on a whole new role as the First Lady of Mexico in her Netflix series debut, “Ingobernable.” The first season of the telenovela is set to air March 24th, with del Castillo acting alongside Leah Allers and Erik Hayser.
Kate del Castillo became a household name after her acting debut as Leticia in the popular telenovela, Muchachitas. She then went on to star in multiple telenovelas such as La Reina del Sur and Duenos del Paraiso. In her most recent series, Netflix has brought to life the story of Emilia Urquiza, the First Lady of Mexico with big plans to improve the violence and instability of her country.
Our very own OJ WilliamsΒ sat down with del Castillo to get an inside scoop on what is to come from the highly anticipated Netflix original:
On what attracted her to the part of First Lady Emilia Urquiza:Β
βWell, everythingβs attractive. Playing the First Lady of Mexico, for the first time, is also attractive. I love playing these roles as empowering women. And this lady, that everything goes wrong in the first episode, so she starts running and proving herself every single day as women do all the time, proving ourselves to the world. And sheβs a strong woman and she is fighting for her ideas, and for Mexico. They promised something, and now she has to make it happen.β
On strong women in her life that helped form her character:
Β βMy mother. My mom is the strongest woman I have ever known. She taught my sister and I how things are in life. And how you have to see within, because she always says that we are warriors. We just need to put it out.β
On why a show like this is important for television right now:
βI think itβs just the right timing. Netflix does that. They know exactly whatβs going on, and they just put it out there with amazing shows. I think this is a very interesting show not only for Mexicans and Latin Americans, but for Americans and the entire world. Itβs something that happens in every single government. Theyβre all corrupted. Thereβs always things going on. But right now, the timing is just great. Itβs not based on the real First Lady at all; itβs fiction. Still there are some things that are going on in Mexico that we relate to in the show. Which is interesting, also for Americans to see this big difference between the wealthy, powerful Mexico, and exactly the opposite, going all the way to the lowest.β
On how she felt about doing a fully Spanish speaking show for American audiences:
βNo, I think itβs the right time. Itβs time for you, Americans, to start reading subtitles. We grew up with that, watching your movies. So for me, itβs just normal. And I watch every single show. If I need to read Portuguese or French, itβs just the content. And I think this content is appealing to every audience.β
On if she had a hand in choosing her attractive cast members:
βNo, not at all. I do have my say in it, because I am also producing. Theyβre amazing, amazing actors. They are more theater and more on-stage actors. They are amazing and I had a great time with them.β
