If there was a Mount Rushmore dedicated to telenovela villains, Itati Cantoral’s Soraya Montegro (Maria la del Barrio) would be a lock. That’s why last year, Netflix called on Cantoral to reprise her role as one of the biggest novela baddies to show the women of Litchfied State Penitentiary what a real villain looks like. Last year’s promo – while funny – used green screen technology to make it seem as though Cantoral was acting alongside the stars of Orange Is the New Black. Netflix brought her back this year to play an exaggerated version of herself. Thankfully, this time she shares the screen with Jackie Cruz, Diane Guerrero, and Lea DeLaria. The result is everything we could have asked for and more.
With the rise of meme culture, Itati’s face has become recognizable to new audiences because of the ubiquitous “cries in Spanish” meme. In this clip, Flaca (Cruz) confronts a woman going through one of the bunks. When said woman turns around, Flaca’s demeanor immediately changes when she realizes it’s the one and only Itati. “Oh my god! Are you my new bunkmate?” she says. “I used to watch all your telenovelas.”
Flaca proceeds to geek out as Itati berates her. Instead of feeling intimated, Flaca grabs her BFF Maritza (Guerrero), also a mega Cantoral fan. The besties then recreate the infamous “maldita Lisiada” scene – the one where Soraya Montenegro mercilessly slaps a wheelchair-bound girl. And Cantoral isn’t impressed, but she does cry in Spanish – fully embracing her meme status. Check out the hilarious clip above.
Orange is The New Black season five debuts Friday, June 9 on Netflix.
