Exclusive: MundoNow chatted with Juan Manuel Bernal and Alejandro Speitzer about the new series ‘La Cabeza de Joaquín Murrieta’ (VIDEO)
Posted on 02/17/23 at 23:39
- Juan Manuel Bernal and Alex Speitzer talk to MundoNow.
- The Mexican actors reveal details about La Cabeza de Joaquín Murrieta.
- The Prime Video series premiers on February 17.
Juan Manuel Bernal and Alejandro Speitzer: The stars of a new series that will be premiering on Prime Video this Friday, February 17 talked with us about working on this incredible story.
La Cabeza de Joaquín Murrieta is an exceptional made-in-Mexico story, produced by Dynamo and Amazon Studios. It’s set on the new border between Mexico and the United States that was established in 1851. This was a period fueled by greed, anger and xenophobia, in the midst of an all-out war thanks to the California Gold Rush.
Juan Manuel Bernal and Alejandro Speitzer reveal details of their new series
Juan Manuel Bernal revealed to us that it is a 100% Mexican project. The series will cross all borders and the history of Mexico will be made known worldwide: «We are very proud, it is a 100% Mexican project, it will shake your guts, we are sure,” revealed the actor who has won three Ariel Awards.
Alejandro Speitzer, who also the stars in Oscuro Deseo, expressed his happiness about the premiere of the series: «Very proud that this series is out, that they see the production quality that we have, which is very high,» he said. The eight-episode series follows the adventures of two men — Joaquín Murrieta, a legendary figure also known as the Mexican Robin Hood, and Joaquín Carrillo, whose paths cross in a violent misunderstanding.
How the actors developed their characters
“The process is like that of any actor, it is a story that only Mexicans know, that in the 19th century half of our territory was taken from us and that the culprit was Santa Ana. But we do not know what really happened, that is where the series goes. We do not know what happened so that the United States was left with half of our territory,” Juan Manuel Bernal revealed to us.
We also asked the actors about the rivalry between Joaquín Murrieta (Juan Manuel) and Joaquín Carrillo (Alejandro) that we can see in the trailer for the series: “Joaquín Carillo is a Californio, a peasant who takes everything from him, everything that is important to him in life and it seems to me that it reflects very well something we went through, how our identity, our roots, our dreams were stolen (…) He tells what happened with everything that happened when California turned from the United States,” indicated Alejandro Speitzer.
Juan Manuel Bernal reveals that he suffered from discrimination as a child
Both actors revealed that this new series, which premieres on Friday, February 17, has a spectacular cast and is an audiovisual delight. “A wonderful cast, visually it is spectacular. Mexico is portrayed and I am happy to say, ‘Of course this is Mexico!’ and sadly few of us know it. We are used to tourist places. This is something that we don’t often get to see,» revealed Alex Speitzer.
Juan Manuel Bernal revealed to us that he faced discrimination as a child: “I found pride in being Mexican in my character. I too was an immigrant to this country as a child. I came here when I was 9 years old with my whole family because my father was born here. I was a blond boy with green eyes who didn’t speak English, I was discriminated against for that. They told me, ‘You are not Mexican because Mexicans are not like you.'»
The Mexican actor reflects his character
Alejandro Speitzer spoke about the role he plays in La Cabeza de Joquín Murrieta. “It seems to me that Joaquín Carillo is a resilient and empathetic man and it seems to me that it is something that I was able to reflect on and recognize myself. The characters are a mirror, it was very interesting.”
“He is willing to do whatever it takes to regain his dignity. That defines both Mexicans and Latin Americans very well,» revealed the 28-year-old actor. La Cabeza de Joaquín Murrieta will premiere exclusively on Prime Video on February 17, 2023.