It seems Peru’s current president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski is a huge fan of Netflix’s cocaine-fueled crime opera Narcos; so huge, in fact, that he went ahead and named one of the actors as his minister of culture. That’s right, as of this week the show’s padre Sobrino is now officially padre Sobrino, Minister of Culture.
Okay, technically it’s actor Salvador del Solar who has taken on the duties, but fans of the show might have some trouble separating the real life government official from his on screen alter-ego: a priest of conscience who lends his support to a Colombian rebel group.
For most Peruvians, del Solar will undoubtedly be remembered for his starring role in Francisco Lombardi’s beloved 1999 film Pantaleon y las visitadoras, or the dozen-or-so telenovelas he’s appeared in over the last two decades. For art-house film fanatics, he’ll likely be more closely associated with his debut feature, 2015’s Magallanes, which earned the first-time writer-director some important international awards.
Of course, an illustrious film career isn’t necessarily a recipe for effective civil service, and some outlets have even made connections between Trump’s ascendancy in the US and Kaczynski’s selection of an international celebrity for his cabinet. In truth, del Solar is actually the second artist to take charge of Peru’s ministry of culture (Afro-Peruvian singer Susana Baca was the first back in 2011,) and with a law degree and Master’s in International Relations, his credentials go much deeper than a pair of penetrating hazel eyes.
