“Ozark” star Alfonso Herrera may be new to the cast, but he’s already mastered portraying the power-hungry nephew of cartel leader Omar. Herrera’s character Javi is an unpredictable and ruthless addition to an already complicated dynamic. As of right now, he fills the role of right-hand man to his uncle Omar Navarro. However, his real goal is to one day take over his uncle’s position, and lead the cartel himself.
Herrera opened up in a recent interview with Variety about his approach to the character, and how he made Javi’s unpredictability work in his favor. “When I read the script, I realized that I needed to find and enhance those little moments where Javier is unpredictable,” Herrera explained. “And there are other qualities to Javier. He likes simple things. He likes to enjoy things. But most important, he never lies.”
‘Ozark’ Star Dishes That There’s One Thing Javi Cannot Stand
“He is very straightforward even though everyone around him is lying and covering their tracks and hiding what they’re really trying to say or what they think. If he doesn’t like you, he will tell you. If he doesn’t like his uncle’s approach, he’s going to let him know.”
It sounds like if there’s one way to get under Javi’s skin, it’s beating around the bush. Despite his own erratic behavior, he clearly doesn’t like surprises when it comes to business. Speaking of business, Javi’s not necessarily running an operation that he can talk about in a corporate setting. There’s certainly challenges that come with acting on a show that deals with controversial issues like drug dealing. However, Herrera shared in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that it’s actually a big part of what drew him to the show in the first place.
“What I really like about the show is that, yes, it talks about money laundering, drug trafficking, et cetera, but it positions the responsibility not just in the south,” the actor shared. “It creates a more global responsibility. That is something that I really, really admire about this show.”
Alfonso Herrera Says the Ozark Crew Truly Is a Family
While Herrera embraces the challenges that come with playing a character as complex as Javi, the challenges don’t stop there. Herrera is joining the “Ozark” cast in it’s fourth season, and the stress of COVID continues to weigh heavy on Hollywood sets.
“It was challenging for everybody to do this fourth season; when we were starting, it was the peak of the second wave of COVID,” Herrera shared with Entertainment Weekly. According to the actor, the cast followed strict guidelines that involved quarantining whenever they weren’t on set to ensure that filming wouldn’t face interruptions.
“You feel like you’re the new kid in the classroom, so, in a certain way, you try to break the ice, to have some type of conversation, but that was a little bit complicated because of COVID,” the actor recalled. Despite the challenge, Herrera says the “Ozark” cast and crew made him feel welcome anyways.
“Every single member from the cast and crew, they were amazing. Now I know why they call themselves a family.” he added. “There are people that have been there since season 1, because each and every single person at that show, they take care of each other. And when I entered the show, they made me feel at home, and that was amazing.”
