Posted in: Peacock, TV | Tagged: M.I.A.

M.I.A.: Alberto Guerra on Crime Drama, Creatives, Olmos, Gisela & More

Alberto Guerra discussed Peacock crime drama M.I.A., the creative team, working with Edward James Olmos and Shannon Gisela, and more.

Cuban-born actor Alberto Guerra is a veteran of the screen for nearly 25 years, since his debut in the telenovela Vale todo (Anything Goes) in 2002, and he hit it big in his next telenovela, Ladrón de corazones (Heart Thief) for Telemundo, appearing in over 100 episodes. He would enjoy crossover success in the Netflix crime drama series Narcos: Mexico in 2021 and the streamer's 2024 docudrama Griselda. His latest is the Peacock crime drama series M.I.A, which follows a young woman, Etta Tiger Jonze (Shannon Gisela, who dreams of a life in Miami's glittering sub-tropical kingdom, but when her family's drug-running business shatters in tragedy, however, Etta embarks on a dangerous journey through Miami's neon-lit underbelly that will define who she is and what she's ultimately capable of. The Accident star spoke to Bleeding Cool about embracing the opportunity to playing Elias Perez, working with creator Bill Dubuque (Ozark) and showrunner Karen Campbell (Dexter), how Elias's motivations differ from his other roles in his other signature crime dramas, how sharing time with co-star Edward James Olmos went beyond the screen, the untapped potential of Gisela, and the joy working in Miami.

M.I.A. Star Alberto Guerra on Exploring Elias' Journey, Edward James Olmos, Shannon Gisela, and More

BC: What intrigued you about M.I.A. and how'd you get involved?

Guerra: Well, I got a call from Karen Campbell and [director] Alethea Jones talking to me about this character, Elias, and they sent me some stuff to read. After I read, I just took an airplane to L.A. from Mexico City, where I live, to meet with them, and I knew from the get-go what they told me and from what I read that I wanted to be a part of this. I thought it was going to be super fun, and it turned out to be a whole lot more fun than I thought it was going to be.

What's it like working with Bill and Karen as creatives?

Well, that's the dream, right? When you get to work on TV with people who are on that level of creative minds. They come up with these really amazing ideas, not only from the beginning, but throughout the show, they're constantly there to watch you doing what you're doing with your character, and they get ideas from that. It's a very close job working with them.

You've done quite a bit as far as the crime drama genre with like Narcos: Mexico and Griselda, and I was wondering, what did you enjoy about playing Elias on M.I.A. and his motivations?

What did I enjoy about playing Elias? Well, it's so different that I don't think any of the…Elias has nothing to do with any of the other two characters that you just spoke about, which are Dario in Griselda and Mario in Narcos. I think with Elias, if you take away his line of work and the fact that he kills for a living, He's a very complex guy. He's someone that you almost kind of care for him, which I don't think happens – the same thing – with the other two. The main reason of why he does what he does is not out of ambition, which is the main reason why anyone gets involved into that world: Mostly out of ambition to become richer, to become more powerful, and [Elias] is not looking for that. He doesn't want to get richer, he doesn't care about power, he cares about other stuff in life which are like loyalty, honor, codes, and a very specific moral compass, let's say.

You got such a talented ensemble to work with, veterans like Edward James Olmos mixed with newer talent like Shannon [Gisela]. Can you speak about the wide range of talent that you have to work with on this ensemble?

I got to work with the man himself, Edward James Olmos, and we got to have a lot of fun, but not only that, sometimes people assume that the best things that we get out of projects are what you see on screen, and it's not. I got to have lunch with Edward James and talk about life, kids, his history, and my history. He is such an icon for us. He helped pave the way for us Latino actors in Hollywood. He still arrives on set with a big smile, and he greets everyone. He's the nicest guy in the room. He's a more interesting guy. You learn from that kind of stuff. At the same time, you have someone like Shannon, who [this] was her first gig ever in TV, and she felt so confident and such a natural [a talent]. She was born to do this and did an amazing job. You would assume that this would be a girl who would spend most of her time feeling nervous, and she didn't. Yeah, she was very solid.

What did you like about working in South Florida's culture and bringing life to M.I.A.?

Well, I mean, I'm Cuban, so that was a step closer to home. I've been living in Mexico City for 31 years now. Although I've been to Miami many times before, this was the first time that I got to work and live in Miami. I wake up and have my days off just riding a bicycle or whatever, going to the ocean, stuff like that. I loved it. It was quite the experience, man. You know, waking up in the morning in that weather, the ability to go to the beach, to the ocean, to watch the sunset after work, and there was just a whole different vibe about shooting in places like Miami.

M.I.A., which also stars Cary Elwes, Brittany Adebumola, Dylan Jackson, Danay Garcia, Maurice Compte, Gerardo Celasco, and Marta Milans, is available to stream on Peacock.

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