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Queen of the South follows Teresa Mendoza (played by Alice Braga), a money changer in Mexico who gets involved with a powerful drug cartel in the US. As the USA Network series continues, fans can see how her future starts to take shape as she is destined to become one of the biggest drug lords in the western hemisphere. So what made actress Braga realise this was the role for her?
Queen of the South first came onto our screens in 2016 with Braga portraying the lead Teresa Mendoza.
While inspiration was taken from the real drug world, the plot is not a true story and neither is Queen of the South.
Despite the plot being entirely fictional, it was actually the book which enticed Braga to get involved with the show in the first place.
Queen of the South: Teresa Mendoza is the main character in the crime drama. (Image: USA Network)
What convinced Alice Braga to take on role of Teresa Mendoza?
During an interview with journalist Bonnie Laufer Krebs, Braga was asked about what research she did before starting the show.
This was when the actress revealed her love for the book La Reina Del Sur.
Braga explained: “I actually signed up to the series because of the book.
“I’m a big, big fan of the book, I read the book 10 years ago and that’s where I got the passion for the character.”
Queen of the South: Teresa Mendoza is portrayed by Alice Braga. (Image: Getty)
Queen of the South: Season five is expected to air sometime in early 2021. (Image: USA Network)
Braga continued: “It’s a funny story because after I got invited, when they called me I was like ‘wait a minute, is the series that you’re talking about, is it based on the book? Like is it that character from the book?’
“So I joined the series because of that, because of my passion for the character and for her journey.”
But La Reina Del Sur wasn’t just essential in Braga becoming apart of the show.
The original best seller has also acted as her “Bible” in nailing her performance as Teressa.
Braga added: “For me the biggest research that I do is who she [Teresa] is in the book, even though it doesn’t follow the book exactly as they had to create a new journey for her, the spine of the character, the core of the character is [the same].
“The book is my Bible and I do [also] like to base myself and do research on the real world they’re creating and the situations that surround the characters as they are truthful to it.”
Queen of the South season four may have ended earlier this year but it will be back.
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