Narcos: Mexico

Michael Peña (main) takes on the role of real-life DEA Agent Kiki Camarena (inset).

Season 2 SABC3 (*193) 21:00 Drama

Michael Peña was born in Chicago but says that his Mexican heritage has given him a career he couldn’t have dreamt of, even if it’s being typecast. He’s currently playing DEA agent Kiki Camarena in the drug biographical drama series Narcos: Mexico and says, “I’m Mexican-American and my parents came to this country to find a better life. That better life means that I have a career and it’s one that I’m very proud of. I have these physical attributes that get me roles. As an actor, you can’t complain about that!”

While some actors get offended by being typecast, it’s given Michael the chance to play various types of characters during his 28-year career. “When you look at it on paper, I’ve played a lot of drug dealers and a lot of loser roles, but they’ve helped me. That’s why the Narcos producers came to me and asked me to play Kiki – because they’ve seen my range of work,” says the 46-year-old Michael. “The way I look at it, every one of my roles has added to my skills. They have all made it possible to play someone who’s real, like Kiki. It’s actually an honour to be typecast because that means people are watching your work and know what you can do.”

That doesn’t mean that Michael has enjoyed every single role though. “There have been one or two where the people making the movie or show has been a little too wild. They’ve wanted me to portray a stereotype that isn’t true and that’s where I have an issue. There’s a lot of illegal immigrants in the US, for example, but not all of them are Mexican. My parents are Mexican and they came here the legal and legitimate way,” says Michael, adding, “I’d hate for my parents to feel like I was making a fool of their lives. I draw the line with certain roles and that’s something that I won’t be changing any time soon.”