Nearly 8 years after the season one finale, La Reina del Sur is back. Kate del Castillo is reprising her role as drug lord Teresa Mendoza in the highly-anticipated second season. HollywoodLife sat down EXCLUSIVELY with Kate during the Television Critics Association winter press tour to talk about bringing Teresa back to the TV screen and whether or not there was hesitation to do a season 2. “No, we’ve been thinking about it for 8 years. I didn’t want to do a second part in the beginning,” Kate said. “It was such a success, and it was so big everywhere that I was like, ‘Why do a second part? There’s no reason why.’ It’s based on the novel and there’s not a second novel. But then, we kept going around the idea with the executives. After 8 years, they say, ‘I think it’s time. Let’s do it.’ Arturo Pérez-Reverte, the author, was going to be doing the whole structure because I wasn’t going to do it if Arturo wasn’t going to be there to do at least the whole structure of the thing. They took me to Spain to talk to him, and Arturo pitched me the whole story. His passion, his generosity, and everything was there. So I couldn’t be happier. Also, for me, it means a lot. It’s an amazing role. It’s an amazing character that I love, and that I keep in my heart, and one that changed me in many ways. Not only my career, but even in my personal life. It’s been huge for me. I was like, ‘Okay, let’s do this.'”
She also discussed what it was like to step back into Teresa’s shoes after almost a decade. “I was so scared,” Kate continued. “I still am. It’s a lot of pressure, to be honest, especially for me. But the first day, I didn’t know if Teresa was going to be there in me. I know there are huge expectations but, on the other hand, I know what I shot. Everything that the fans expect, we give to them in this second season.
In season 2, Teresa now has a 9-year-old daughter named Sofia. Kate teased the mother-daughter dynamic between Teresa and Sofia. “I love it because she [Teresa] never talks to her [Sofia] like she’s a kid,” Kate said. “She’s very personal with her, but she never treats her like she’s a 9-year old. She’s as mature as Teresa.”
HollywoodLife also asked Kate about a potential love interest for Teresa in the new season. “Well, you know, the leading ladies, they always have time to have sex,” Kate noted. “I don’t know how they do it. Even if they’re running, they always have time. Teresa gets to know this amazing, beautiful guy, and it happens.” She also raved over Kate’s honest approach to life. “She drinks, she sleeps with whoever she wants, and she doesn’t care,” Kate continued. “She doesn’t lie about that, and she doesn’t hide it, which I love about her. That’s why people love her because she’s just straightforward.” La Reina del Sur will air Mondays at 10 p.m. on Telemundo.