Alfonso Herrera has had a long career, one that has allowed him to play many different roles. And Netflix’s La Captura seems like more of the same type of storytelling we’re used to seeing for our communities. But it’s not really what it seems.
Herrera, who not so long ago was playing the iconic Esteban Trueba in La casa de los espíritus, talked to Remezcla about what type of role he wants to tackle next, what makes La Captura different from so-called “narco stories,” and how much preparation went into the role.
“This is not a narco story. This is not a story where the angle is from the criminal; it is a story that is from the point of view of two policemen who do their job correctly, who decide to do the right thing and turn these criminals over to the authorities,” Herrera said. “It is a story of action, of two Mexican policemen who do the right thing.”
For Herrera, every role comes with preparation, but this was one that he innately understood. “When we talk about the capture of El Chapo, I think all Mexicans have a bit of a clear idea of what we were doing at the beginning of 2016. Just as it was the capture of El Chapo, we also talk about what happened with Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo in the early 90s, what happened in Lomas Taurinas in Tijuana, and we all have more or less an idea of what we were doing when those things happened, because it was something that revolutionized the country at that time.”
Herrera added, “Héctor de Mauleón makes a chronicle where he collects material from these policemen, all these interviews. I did not have access to those interviews, but I did have the opportunity to talk to him, and he talks about how everything starts with an operation called Black Swan, which was a Navy operation, because they were going after Cholo Iván, who was one of El Chapo’s gunmen.”
The story goes like this: Cholo Iván wasn’t alone; he was with El Chapo. They stole a car to try to escape, but when the car was reported stolen, two cops happened to stop the car that was carrying both Cholo Iván and El Chapo. And this is where the story gets interesting. Because first come bribes. Then come threats. But in the end, we know what happened. El Chapo was officially captured that day.
And that’s the story La Captura tells.
What’s next for this actor?
For Herrera, who is coming off two very different projects, and who’s done everything in the past, even singing, the question is simple. “Look, my work has taken me to places where I have felt very fortunate. I have had the opportunity to work with very talented people. I feel very fortunate to be where I am, to have the projects I have at the moment, and at the same time, to see in this profession something that gives me a livelihood, and that gives my family a livelihood too, and a little more.”
He also added, “Fortunately, there have been projects, and there are still projects, and the industry is changing so fast, the audiences are changing, and despite all of that, I am still here. And that makes me feel very grateful.”
Watch Herrera in La Captura, now on Netflix.