dearJulius.com

Michael Peña says Narcos: Mexico is 'more ambitious' than The Wire

Michael Peña says Netflix's Narcos: Mexico is 'more ambitious' than HBO's The Wire. He also talks about his character, based on a real DEA agent.

The actor also opens up about doing right by his character, who is based on a real DEA agent.


By Andrew Husband, UPI

Whether made by esteemed television critics or cultural historians digging into the parallels between storytelling mediums, David Simon’s breathtaking HBO series The Wire is often described as a novel in television form. That is to say, its seasons may consist of 20 or more individual episodes, but the story they tell is far more serialized than it is episodic. Another crime series, Netflix’s Narcos, has operated in a similar fashion for three seasons and, with Narcos: Mexico, is sticking to the formula.

But according to actor Michael Peña, who plays DEA Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena in the show’s Mexico-centric “reboot” of sorts, what they’re doing is “more ambitious” than what came before it.

Michael Peña thinks Narcos: Mexico is 'more ambitious' than The Wire

“For my money, the first three seasons of Narcos were crazier,” he tells Metro. “It’s based on true stories, so that added a whole other element to this. I like The Wire, for sure, but this is a more ambitious take on television.”

Before diehard Simon devotees get up in arms about Peña’s comments, however, consider the fact that serialized television since The Wire has progressed and regressed in waves. What’s more, with the benefit of streaming’s ability to cater to binge-watchers, this means that shows like Narcos: Mexico can, in fact, do things that broadcast or cable programs before it were never able to accomplish.

There are several recent book series, like Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games and Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, that serve as great models for what Narcos and Narcos: Mexico are trying to do. Of course, Peña acknowledges that those two examples were turned into movies instead of television, but that doesn’t mean it can’t work here.


“It’s like one story and they’re really writing more like a novel than your standard procedural,” he explains. “And I think they’re so binge-watchable because of this, because they’re so in-depth with the characters and certain parts of the story. I think it would be a good movie, but now with the way television is going, they can really dive in with it. They got their finger on the pulse of the viewers.”

In particular, Peña says he was drawn to Narcos: Mexico because of what this storytelling approach did for his character, Camarena, and his adversary Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, the real-life corrupt cop turned drug kingpin played by Diego Luna.

“He was a guy who didn’t appreciate crime. Crime was basically stealing from, or taking advantage of, good people, so he had a resentment about that that made him more driven,” he says of his character, whom he spent a great deal of time researching before filming. “If you read that part, you can play him a very saintly or righteous kind of way, but I always think you should be more specific with it.”

“You’re not exactly worried about being like with a character like this, or a story like this,” Peña adds. “It’s the exact opposite of Luis in Ant-Man and the Wasp,’who wants to be liked and is always trying to fit in. With this guy, his mantra was, ‘I don’t care if you like me or not, but eventually you’re going to respect me.’ And I think that’s how he lived his life."

Narcos: Mexico streams Friday, Nov. 16, on Netflix.

COMMENTS





Note: If you think this story need more information or correction, feel free to comment below your opinion and reaction.
Name

Bollywood,29,Celebrities,40,Entertainment,1647,Hollywood,1,Movies,105,Music,121,TV,287,
ltr
item
Entertainment News: Michael Peña says Narcos: Mexico is 'more ambitious' than The Wire
Michael Peña says Narcos: Mexico is 'more ambitious' than The Wire
Michael Peña says Netflix's Narcos: Mexico is 'more ambitious' than HBO's The Wire. He also talks about his character, based on a real DEA agent.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7MWr4wvBAR1mjyNaqzbjNWOp-X-IWZNx4BdHJVPF9fBiAztYr2Dn77PrWKiFXfduaL0Dv4Amhq3BEQVf7lceJ6z1E-iCAGpaCPhMrXuMBZfTHwpoJt2aemuxVMQPhUwKtyRaVc9BArss/s1600/DailyNewsView.com.jpg
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7MWr4wvBAR1mjyNaqzbjNWOp-X-IWZNx4BdHJVPF9fBiAztYr2Dn77PrWKiFXfduaL0Dv4Amhq3BEQVf7lceJ6z1E-iCAGpaCPhMrXuMBZfTHwpoJt2aemuxVMQPhUwKtyRaVc9BArss/s72-c/DailyNewsView.com.jpg
Entertainment News
https://entertainment.dailynewsview.com/2018/11/michael-pena-says-narcos-mexico-is-more.html
https://entertainment.dailynewsview.com/
https://entertainment.dailynewsview.com/
https://entertainment.dailynewsview.com/2018/11/michael-pena-says-narcos-mexico-is-more.html
true
3653021557036022503
UTF-8
Loaded All Posts Not found any posts VIEW ALL Read More Reply Cancel reply Delete By Home PAGES POSTS View All RECOMMENDED FOR YOU LABEL ARCHIVE SEARCH ALL POSTS Not found any post match with your request Back Home Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat January February March April May June July August September October November December Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec just now 1 minute ago $$1$$ minutes ago 1 hour ago $$1$$ hours ago Yesterday $$1$$ days ago $$1$$ weeks ago more than 5 weeks ago Followers Follow THIS PREMIUM CONTENT IS LOCKED STEP 1: Share. STEP 2: Click the link you shared to unlock Copy All Code Select All Code All codes were copied to your clipboard Can not copy the codes / texts, please press [CTRL]+[C] (or CMD+C with Mac) to copy