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Telenovela star gives us the scoop on new role

Cape Town – South African TV audiences were first introduced to Cuban actor Mario Cimarro in the telenovela as Juan in Del Monte Dynasty on Telemundo (DStv 118). 

The actor makes his comeback on the new show, The Son I Never Knew, on Monday, 23 January at 17:10. 

In the new telenovela Mario plays detective Antonio Avelica who is tasked to solve the crime which is at the centre of the story.


"Antonia is the protagonist, he is not the typical good hero, he is irreverent, sarcastic, straight-forward and a workaholic. He is also the conscience of the story," says Mario during a recent telephone interview. 

For Mario this character was a challenge and far removed from Juan. 

In preparation to play the character he spent three weeks with an ex LAPD officer who is now a private detective. 

"I learnt so much during the time I spent with him. I learned how to shoot a gun, how to deal in close contact situations and I went for a ride along with his friends from the LAPD. This experience gave me a lot of insight into how a police officer thinks, behaves and talks."

The show was filmed on location in Mexico with the cast and crew going into some very dodgy places.

"We filmed everywhere in the city in every possible beautiful and ugly place you can find. We went to places that normal people don’t go and we shot in conditions that were sometimes very scary," says Mario.

Mario has an impressive body of work. He made his big screen debut in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet and also had a recurring role on the US television series Necessary Roughness.

He keeps coming back to telenovelas as the format is going through exciting changes.

"Telenovelas is the foundation of my culture as an actor it's a work source that you cannot turn your back on. The Son I Never Knew is an example of the changes to the genre, as it is not a typical telenovela, and not a TV series - something in between that's very cool.

"The script is fantastic, its entertainment but it's also sending so many social messages. It explores themes of union and family and also calls parents to action. It's something that has never been done before successfully in Mexico," says Mario.

Tune in to The Son I Never Knew from Monday, 23 January at 17:10 on Telemundo (DStv 118).

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