Weeds new guest star Kate del Castillo dishes on what makes the series so great
June 24, 2009 by Jillian Cohan
Mexican actress Kate del Castillo, who’ll play tough crime boss Pilar this season on Weeds, recently shared her thoughts on joining the cast with Latina.com.
The former telenovela star dished about why she thinks the Weeds creators do a great job with the plot lines in Mexico, why Pilar is a perfect foil for Mary-Louise Parker’s Nancy Botwin, and what it was like working with ex-boyfriend Demian Bechir (he plays Esteban Reyes, Nancy’s love interest).
Del Castillo appears for the first time in episode 6. Here’s the skinny on her Weeds experience:
• On reuniting with Bechir: “I’ve known Demian for a long, long time. We worked together on this movie called American Visa, which is actually a very good movie we shot in Bolivia four or five years ago. He’s a well-known actor in Mexico, so it was great to work with him again and see him again.”
• On her character, a violent and intense woman who gets to boss Esteban around: “I love these kinds of roles because lately everything is changing about Latina roles in the United States. Before, it was either we were kind of slutty or we played maids … (Pilar) knows exactly what she wants, and she will do whatever it takes to get someone out of her way!”
• On why the series needed another ball-busting woman: “It’s also great for me as a fan ofWeeds, to see another strong woman like Pilar be at the same level as Nancy. Because Nancy’s never been threatened by a woman! It’s always about men around her.”
• On the darkness of the plotlines after the show moved from suburbia to the U.S./Mexico border: “What I love about Weeds is that they do the real thing! They don’t just say “oh let’s do something about Mexico,” and then suddenly, it’s all Ecuadorians and Salvadorians and Puerto Ricans. They like to be real … I love that Demián is actually doing a Mexican role. For me, that’s incredible. And they’re talking about great themes and issues. They keep it real and funny.”
Want more? Bounce on over to Latina.com for the full interview.
Image: Zuma Press
