Kate del Castillo Spills ‘La Reina del Sur’ Season 3 Tea – and Her Biggest Challenge This Season [Exclusive]
Actor Kate del Castillo teases extreme drama and even bigger twists and turns on Telemundo’s La Reina del Sur Season 3.
Teresa Mendoza will go full Linda Hamilton in the Terminator this season as del Castillo spilled that La Reina del Sur Season 3 opens with Teresa languishing in solitary confinement with the laser-focused goal of reuniting with her daughter. Del Castillo teased the upcoming season with Showbiz Cheat Sheet and revealed her biggest challenge in preparing to return as Teresa.
Kate del Castillo dishes challenge in ‘La Reina del Sur’ Season 3
Castillo said a big spoiler is that La Reina del Sur viewers will find Teresa Mendoza in prison. In order to truly embody someone in prison, del Castillo physically transformed herself into someone living in brutal prison conditions.
“First of all, it was really stupid because neither the showrunner or the director or nobody told me to lose so much weight and to be ripped. It was something I wanted to do,” she said. “And then I was like, ‘Oh, my God, why did I do this?’ It’s so hard for me to stay in that level of the muscles and everything. But to me in my head, I know Teresa Mendoza from the inside out. And a woman like her being in confinement for four years, she’s not going to come out with a belly. So I wanted her to look amazing. And because she’s out for justice, she has to look good and she has to be in great shape.”
Kate del Castillo stayed true to Teresa’s essence on ‘La Reina del Sur’ Season 3
While del Castillo stayed true to the character, the physical transformation was one of her biggest challenges this season. “So for me, that was the most challenging thing because I know Teresa very well,” del Castillo said. “So I knew Teresa will be there when I started shooting. And also, I didn’t want to betray her in many other ways.”
“So those were the challenging things for me because I want the audience and the fans to keep looking out for Teresa,” she continued. “And so we cannot betray her essence. She can change and have an arc like she is having during these three seasons. But at the end of the day, she’s still her and her essence is the same.”
Del Castillo also had to blend Teresa’s strength and passion with being physically beaten down in prison. “Revenge,” del Castillo said is one motivator. “I think in this moment she’s not even thinking about revenge. But her daughter, that’s all she thinks about. And seeing her again, even though she knows she’s doing fine and that she knows how to take care of herself, she’s a young lady now. But I think that’s what she wants. She wants to come out and see her daughter and she wants her to see her in a good shape that she’s not been through so much.
She also goes undercover, exploring Latin America
Del Castillo remained pretty tight-lipped about the upcoming season but urged viewers to re-watch La Reina del Sur Seasons 1 and 2. The last season of the show dropped in 2019. “You can binge-watch them on Netflix,” she said.
She also hinted about Teresa doing some undercover work. “Well I already told you that she was in confinement for four months!” she exclaimed. “That’s a lot already. I can tell you that she’s going to be undercover. She has to dress up in a whole costume and go to different countries in Latin America, which is amazing. We went to amazing places in Latin America. Beautiful, beautiful, outstanding places. So no more!”
Binge La Reina del Sur Seasons 1 and 2 on Netflix. La Reina del Sur Season 3 premieres on Telemundo on Oct. 18.
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