Kate del Castillo Says She's Similar to Teresa 'I Don't Know if That's Good or Bad' [Exclusive]

Actor Kate del Castillo said she has a lot of similarities to her character Teresa Mendoza on the Telemundo series La Reina del Sur, which also streams on Netflix.

Teresa is defiant and strong but often turns to her strength simply to survive in the series about a woman who falls in love with a pilot employed by the Mexican drug cartel. Her boyfriend is executed, which sparks a series of events where Teresa is a target, and her character transformation is inevitable.

“There’s a lot [of similarities to Teresa Mendoza],” del Castillo told Showbiz Cheat Sheet. “I don’t know if that’s good or bad [laughs]. Well, we’re both Mexicans. And we’re both very proud of being Mexicans. We love our country.”

“We love tequila, both of us,” she laughed. “And we love men. We both don’t feel really good in that area of love. Hopefully, that’s changing for both. And I think we are both raw and outspoken. And in a way, I can say that we both have been through a lot. So and here we are.”

‘La Reina del Sur’ Season 1 was extremely transformative

But del Castillo is not completely like Teresa. In fact, del Castillo struggled a bit during La Reina del Sur Season 1 to transform the character. “The first season was really hard for me because from being a very naive young lady, she becomes this cold woman, you know?” she said reflecting on the early episodes.

“And she kills,” she said. Yes, to survive. And yes they deserved it. She’s so damaged now. She’s just had so much abuse in so many ways. So for me, that part of her of being really cold and having to kill or make decisions about who lives and who dies. As well as any other character that I played.”

Kate del Castillo said you can’t judge your character

La Reina del Sur isn’t the first time del Castillo played a character who was on the edge and on the run.

“I played a human trafficker once and I was like, oh, my God, how am I going to portray this? And one of the things that they teach you in acting classes is you can’t judge your character,” she recalled. “So you have to live in their shoes or live as them to understand and not judge it. So that’s what I did. But it took a while for me because it’s the anti-heroine.”

“And I understand that she’s flawed and she has a lot of defects, but killing comes to a different level. But you know what? She was living in a world that she didn’t ask for and a destiny, that she didn’t choose. And she became the best,” she shared. “And seeing that world that is ruled by men. You have to make decisions and big decisions to survive. So that’s what she did.”

Angela in ‘Til Jail Do Us Part, ‘ is the opposite of Teresa in ‘La Reina del Sur’

Del Castillo has proven to be a multi-dimensional actor, most recently in ‘Til Jail Do Us Part, playing Angela, a woman who is basically the antithesis of Teresa. Del Castillo loved being in an ensemble cast and working with the other women in the series.

Angela is very different from Teresa and del Castillo. “This is a very feminine woman that depends [on others],” she said. “She doesn’t know how to get a gun or how to hold it. She’s space minded, she’s addicted to pills. So all those things add a lot for me as an actress. So it’s a really fun show.”

La Reina del Sur Season 3 premieres Tuesday, October 18 at 9 pm ET/PT on Telemundo.

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