Manuel García-Rulfo plays a violent man searching for love in Netflix’s ‘Pedro Páramo’
The actor known for his role in "The Lincoln Lawyer" explains why he jumped at the chance to play a lead from the classic Mexican novel considered a precursor to the genre of magical realism.
Manuel García-Rulfo endeared himself to global audiences as high-powered defense attorney Mickey Haller in Netflix’s hit series adaptation of “The Lincoln Lawyer.” Now, the Mexican actor is focused on a new lead role that will introduce those same audiences to the 1955 novel “Pedro Páramo,” widely considered a classic of Latin American — and specifically Mexican — literature.
Written by Juan Rulfo, who was considered a precursor of magical realism, the novel tells the story of Juan Preciado, who, in the wake of his mother’s death, returns to the remote village where he was born in search of his father, Pedro Páramo. But when he arrives, Preciado encounters a literal ghost town, where he meets a series of mysterious characters — some living, others long dead — and learns about his late father’s ruthless quest for wealth and power.
In the new film directed by four-time Oscar-nominated Mexican cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto (“Killers of the Flower Moon,” “The Wolf of Wall Street”), García-Rulfo plays Páramo, a violent man searching for the love he once knew as a child. It was an emotional undertaking for the actor, who in an interview ahead of Wednesday’s premiere on Netflix revealed he actively sought out and auditioned to play the titular role based on Rulfo's novel.
“There’s a line in the book that says, ‘We are all sons of Pedro Páramo.’ That’s so, so beautiful and so representative, because for me, that means we are all sons of Mexico. I guess every country or every community is built with blood, corruption and wars,” García-Rulfo, 43, told NBC News. “The other day, one of the actors said it so beautifully: In Mexico, we don’t know if we are celebrating a party or a funeral — and that’s what the book is. We’re all sons of this Mexico that is so complex and violent, but at the same time beautiful.”
Manuel García-Rulfo as Mickey Haller in "The Lincoln Lawyer."Lara Solanki / NetflixAnd for those who were curious about the fact that the actor and the author share a last name, yes — the late writer is a distant relative. García-Rulfo told the Spanish magazine Hola he used to be asked in school if he was related whenever the classic novel came up.
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