There are many takeaways from Netflix’s new Mexican comic melodrama House of Flowers (La casa de las flores). It marks the return of Verónica Castro to the small screen. It has birthed more memes than we can count. It’s even given us another type of vocal cadence to try out (cier-to Pau-li-na?). But more importantly, it’s finally allowed Dario Yazbek Bernal to move out of his older half-brother’s shadow. Who’s his half-brother, you ask? None other than Golden Globe winner and all around dreamboat Gael García Bernal.
In the show he plays Julián, the carefree son of the de La Mora clan, whose double life starts to catch up with him once his family’s day-to-day life at the flower shop they own gets derailed by a suicide. Sporting luscious curls and a perma-smirk, Yazbek Bernal makes his Julián a charming cad with no job the kind of eligible bachelor you’d want for yourself. Add in his penchant for melodrama and his fluid sexual exploits (he’s not above giving a blow job in an office, or a quickie at the squash courts), and you’ve got a fan-favorite character that hopefully means we’ll be getting more from the young Bernal soon.
So if you’re as enamored of Dario as we are, here are five things you should know to better stan him in the future.
House of Flowers is now available on Netflix.
1
His Family Is Full of Actors and Artists
Yes, Dario is Gael’s younger half-brother but that’s not where the Mexican cinema connections of his family ends. Their mother, Patricia Bernal, made her name in Televisa (and later TV Azteca) telenovelas in the ’80s and ’90s, and has continued to find success there. She was most recently seen as Francesca De Hoyos y Díaz Barriga in 2015’s Así en el barrio como en el cielo. Moreover, Dario’s aunt, Mariana Yazbek, is a photographer whom fans of the Luis Miguel series will recognize as having been linked to the famed singer for years (she was played in the series by Paulina Dávila). Add to that the fact that Mariana and Sergio (Dario’s father) are related to Mexican photographer from Mexico’s Golden Age, Tufic Yazbek, as well as leading man Mauricio Garcés (born Mauricio Feres Yazbek) and you’ve got a truly star-filled celebrity family.
2
His First Feature Film Was Highly Controversial
At just 19 years old, Dario starred in Michel Franco’s Daniel y Ana, a film whose subject matter raised more than a few eyebrows. When two siblings (played by Dario and Marimar Vega) are kidnapped together, their strong bond is tested when those holding them hostage ask them to do the unspeakable: star in a homemade incestuous porn film together. The controversial film then follows the aftermath of such an encounter, showing how Daniel and Ana grapple with what they did and how they’ll survive long after it happened.
3
The Actor Enjoys Working Behind the Scenes too
In addition to his work in front of the camera, Yazbek Bernal has been also slowly taking on roles behind the scenes. He was an associate producer on the Europe-set film Los paisajes (where he plays yet another rich Mexico City kid), while he served as a second assistant director on Michel Franco’s Cannes-winning drama Las hijas de Abril.
4
His Social Media Game Is on Point
Whether you were looking to find behind-the-scenes pics of House of Flowers, thirsty pics by the beach, moody black-and-white headshots, or just all around silly pics of Dario in various states of undress, his Instagram is where it’s at. It explains why the curly-haired actor has already amassed over 170k followers.
5
#LordDámeloTodo Will Be the Hashtag That Defines Him
And he’s perfectly okay with that. We won’t spoil the specific storyline that gives Julián the nickname of “Lord Dámelo Todo” but it’s been hilarious to see the actor embrace his moniker, showing he’s clearly comfortable with the more scintillating aspects of Manolo Caro’s sexually progressive show.