Tonight is the season 2 premiere of USA’s hit series, Queen of the South, and a lot of drama is in store for Teresa Mendoza and Camila Vargas.
This season, the series will be venturing away from the content of the book and delving into it’s own plots that revolve around the powerful female duo of Teresa and Camila. In tonight’s premiere, Teresa will make a deal with an eccentric drug smuggler and Camila will work on securing her empire.
Read on to find out who will round out the season 2 cast.
Alice Braga as Teresa Mendoza
Actress Alice Braga attends the NALIP 2016 Latino Media Awards at Dolby Theatre on June 25, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Getty)
Teresa Mendoza is a young woman from Jalisco, Mexico, who found a way to make fortune out of a desperate situation by creating her own drug empire.
Queen of the South marks Alice Braga’s television debut. The actress was born in Brazil and gained fame for her work in City of God, which earned a number of Golden Globe and Oscar nominations. For her work in the movie “Lower City”, Braga earned the best actress award at the Miami International Film Festival, International Film Festival in Rio de Janeiro, and Verona Love Screens Film Festival. She will soon be playing opposite Liam Hemsworth and Woody Harrelson in Kieran-Darcy Smith’s “By Way of Helena”.
Hemky Madera as Pote
Actor Hemky Madera attends the world premiere of “McFarland, USA” at The El Capitan Theatre on February 9, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Getty)
Actor Hemky Madera started off his career in the Dominican Republic series, Grandes Series Dominicanas. He went on to star in the mini-series En La Olla, followed by Trio en Alta Mar.
After moving to the US, the actor appeared in the film Dreaming of Julia with Harvey Keitel, The Lost City with Andy Garcia, Dustin Hoffman, and Bill Murray, and The Wrath of Cain with Robert Patrick. His television credits include “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “The Shield,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “My Name Is Earl,” “The Good Guys,” “The New Normal,” “New Girl,” “From Dust till Dawn,” “Agent X,” “Ash vs The Evil Dead,” “The League,” “Bosch,” “Blue Bloods” and a 17 episode arc in “Weeds.”
Veronica Falcon as Camila Vargas
(Twitter/VeronicaFalcon)
Veronica Falcon was born in Mexico City and has spent the past three decades working in film and television. She has appeared in more than twenty films and thirty theater productions.
When she isn’t busy acting, Falcon is a choreographer and has choreographed several productions for Mexico’s National Opera Company. In 2014, Falcon was nominated for a “Silver Goddess Award” for Best Supporting Actress for her work in Carlos Cuaron’s Besos de Azucar. She has also written three plays and a short film, and has worked as an author in the Mexican magazine, Toma 5.
Peter Gadiot as James
Actor Peter Gadiot attends BODY at ESPYs at Milk Studios on July 14, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Getty)
Peter Gadiot plays James, a drug-runner for Camila’s Texan cartel.
Actor Peter Gadiot studied classical theater at the Drama Centre in London and has appeared in many stage productions. He recently played opposite Ben Kingsley in the TV series Tut. Prior to that, he appeared on the series “Matador”.
Gadiot has made appearances in British series like “Fresh Meat”, and “My Spy Family”, and in 2013, he acted in “The Forbidden Girl”. He recently wrote and directed the short film “12-17”.
Gerardo Taracena as Cesar “Batman” Guemes
(Facebook/GerardoTaracena)
Actor Gerardo Taracena won a number of awards for his work in “El Violin”, including the Mexican Academy of Film Arts and Science’s Ariel Award for Best Supporting Actor. For his work as Middle Eye in “Apocalypto”, Taracena won the Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actor.
He made his film debut in 1994 in La Hija del Puma, and has since appeared in prominent works like “A Trickle of Blood,” “To and Fro,” “Leaving No Trace,” “The Mexican,” “El misterio del Trinidad,” “Man on Fire,” “El Violin,” “Club Eutanasia,” “The Zone,” “Sin Nombre,” “Chilango Chronicles,”, “Saving Private Perez”, “Richness of Internal Space,” “Get The Gringo,” “HOUBA! On the Trail of the Marsupilami,” “Come Out and Play,” “Las Paredes Hablan,” “Potosi,” “Deseo,” “Jiron de Niebla” and “Volando Bajo.”
Joaquim de Almeida as Epifanio
Joaquim de Almeida attends the Marrakech Meets California event at the Curator LA on March 24, 2016 in West Hollywood, California. (Getty)
Joaquim de Almeida is a two-time Portuguese Golden Globe winner and was nominated for a SAG award for his performance in “24” as cartel leader Ramon Salazar. He was born in Lisbon and trained at the Lisbon Conservatory, as well as the Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute in NYC.
De Almeida starred in the Brazilian comedy “O Xangô de Baker Street” in 2001, which earned him his third Portuguese Golden Globe Award. The actor has appeared in “El corazón de la tierra,” “La Cucina,” “Yo Puta” “Behind Enemy Lines,” “La Cucaracha,” “Elles (Women),” “Desperado”, and “Only You”, alongside Robert Downey Jr. and Marisa Tomei.
Justina Machado as Brenda
Justina Machado attends the Premiere Of Netflix’s “Ingobernable” – Arrivals at Colony Theater on March 15, 2017 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Getty)
Actress Justina Machado plays Teresa’s closest friend on Queen of the South. The actress is perhaps best known for playing Vanessa Diaz in Six Feet Under, which earned her a SAG Award.
She’s also appeared on Broadway, and made her debut in the Tony-winning musical, “In the Heights”. Machado has held recurring roles on TV series like “Private Practice,” “Desperate Housewives”, “Devious Maids,” “Switched at Birth” and “The Fosters.”