On the set of Narcos with Michael Peña

MEXICO City ­— “What role am I playing? Sorry but I can’t tell you what…yet!”

We were on the set of Narcos: Mexico at the heart of this city and, between takes, Michael Peña was talking to about a dozen journalists from around the world covering the shoot of Netflix’s gripping thriller on its fourth season tracing the rise of the drug cartel in Mexico in the early ’80s.

It was in January early this year and the embargo lasted until mid-November when the series resumed streaming. Thus, Michael was not allowed to reveal any spoiler and so were the other actors including Diego Luna whose on-set interview was featured in this section last month.

By this time, Netflix followers should know that Michael is playing Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, the Mexican-born American undercover agent for the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) who was abducted in Feb. 1985 and then…oops!...stay tuned and find out for yourselves. Diego plays Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, the enterprising drug lord who consolidated the powerful cartels in Mexico. Camarena and his team were hot on the trail of Gallardo’s group when he was, well, silenced.

“Two years ago,” recalled Michael, “I did learn about the fate of Camarena and when my manager told me that somebody wanted me to be on the series, I became curious. I wanted to know what I would be talking about and what my character’s motivations were. I found the role interesting.”

Being Mexican is about the only thing Michael perhaps has in common with Camarena. He was born on Jan. 13, 1976, to a social-worker father and a factory-worker mother. Originally farmers, his parents migrated from Mexico to California where Michael had early education (Marist High School and Hubbard High School).

He began his career in independent productions in 1994 and he started to get noticed for his performances in the Oscar-winning films Million Dollar Baby and Crash both in 2004. His other film credits: Gangster Squad (2013), American Hustle (2013), Fury (2014), Ant-Man (2015), The Martian (2015) and Cesar Chavez in the titular role as the American labor leader.

On Diego Luna, his co-star who plays the enterprising drug lord in the series’ chronicling the early years of the drug trade in Mexico: He’s really cool, a great actor. I’m a big fan of his.

A Scientologist, Michael is married to screenwriter Brie Shaffer with whom he has a nine-year-old son, Roman.

“We were poor. As a kid, I didn’t watch TV at home,” confessed Michael. “The truth is that we didn’t have TV at home. If my brother and I wanted to watch TV, our mom would tell us, ‘Go to the nearest store but be careful, you might get killed on the street.’ We do have TV now and with a kid around, I get to watch Coco and other kiddie shows. Otherwise, in our living room we were engrossed in books while our kid is focused on drawing cutout pictures from magazines.

“But I was able to watch the first season of Narcos in one week. Son of a bitch, the series really got me! So I became really curious and interested when my manager informed me that somebody from Narcos wanted to get me for the series. But I didn’t have any idea what would happen to my character. I simply read the script and saw that it’s kind of cool. Up until then, I didn’t know what or, more specifically, how things were gonna happen.”

During the January interview, Michael was mum what kind of character he was playing…a bad guy or a good guy? But he gave a hint.

“During the first 12 years of my career,” he smiled, “I was playing bad guys. But there’s really not much difference between playing a bad guy and playing a good guy. In both, you need to study enough. That’s why I love rehearsals because that’s when you start to submerge yourself in the character.”

Besides Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett and Christian Bale, Michael named Diego Luna as one of the actors he looked up to.

“I love that guy,” Michael said of Diego. “He’s really cool, a great actor! I remember seeing him in Et Tu Mama Tambien with Gael Gabriel Bernal and they were so good. He has been doing really amazing work. I’ve worked with him as a director and I found him to be very passionate. It’s understandable because his parents worked in theater. I just wished I had more scenes with him. I’m a big fan of his.” (Diego Luna’s father worked as a designer in theater and his mom as a costume designer. “My mom died when I was two years old,” Diego said in the interview with The STAR, “so I stuck with my dad.”)

The Netflix series being controversial (the journalists’ set visit was highly confidential), was Michael perhaps taking any precautions throughout the shoot?

Michael broke into a smile.

“None,” he said. “But when my brother learned that I would be playing a cop, he cautioned me, ‘Be careful, be careful, be careful.’ I am taking his advice to heart. I am very careful.”

What’s up?

• Tonight at 8, GMA News TV Channel 11’s I Juander will feature the history and recipe of the Filipino-style ensaymada popular this Christmas season, as this baking tradition is continued by Quezon City’s pioneer, artisanal Kamuning Bakery Café since 1939. Its owner, Wilson Lee Flores, also acted as assistant to bakers. He shares old stories. Despite suffering a fire in February, the 79-year-old, iconic bakery is still baking, steadily recovering and its staff are still optimistic.

I Juander is hosted by Susan Enriquez and Cesar Apolinario. Kamuning Bakery Café hosts the non-partisan “Pandesal Forum” for newsmakers to dialogue with media.  

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The Bohol beach named after Alona Alegre, 70

Did you know that the popular Alona Beach in Tagbilaran City, Bohol, was named after Alona Alegre who died Sunday morning at 70? She suffered a stroke due to an asthma attack.

More than four decades ago, FPJ shot a film called Esteban on that beach which had no name (yet), with Alona as the leading lady. When (especially male) fans trooped to the set, they would say that they were going to the beach where Alona was. That stuck. From then on, the place, which is now very popular among locals and tourists, became known as Alona Beach. Shouldn’t the owner put up a statue in honor of Alona?

Maria Lourdes Dabao Salvador was one of the legendary Lou Salvador Sr.’s (believed to be) more than 50 children, among them Phillip Salvador who is attending to Alona’s wake at the Marian Memorial Chapels & Crematory, Inc. (017 Marcos Highway, Barangay Mayamot, Antipolo City) until her remains are cremated on Friday, Dec. 14.

Alona starred in around 100 films, some of them she herself produced. She was a favorite cover girl of the Martial Law magazine Expressweek (pictured).

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)