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Narcos: Mexico actor Diego Calva says series spreads 'a lot of lies' about 'the story of my country'

"The way they put the story of my country, I don't agree at all."

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Published on November 29, 2022 01:14PM EST

Narcos: Mexico actor Diego Calva has criticized the Netflix spin-off's portrayal of his native country.

Calva, who portrayed drug trafficker Arturo Beltrán Leyva in the show's third and final season (and will soon Damien Chazelle's buzzy Babylon), opened up to GQ magazine about the kinds of roles he wants to be tackling now. Narcos: Mexico, in contrast, featured a story he still doesn't agree with "at all."

"There's a moment in your career as an actor that you really can't choose your roles. You are just grateful that you're having a job, and Narcos is a great show," he said. "But in my case, it's a little hard because the way they put the story of my country, I don't agree at all. There's a lot of truth and that's amazing, but there's a lot of lies, too."

Calva went on to say, "I think my country doesn't need more narco culture and making these guys heroes." He shared that when the show aired, he thought to himself of the material, "This is too raw. I don't know if I really want to keep shooting people."

EW reached out to Netflix for comment.

Narcos Mexico. Diego Calva as Arturo Beltran-Leyva — Diego Calva appears in 'Narcos: Mexico' season 3. Juan Rosas/Netflix

Narcos: Mexico, a companion series to Narcos, hones in on the illegal drug trade in Mexico as opposed to the mothership drama that focuses on the illegal drug trade in Colombia. The final season, which did not bring back its central star Diego Luna, premiered on Netflix Nov. 5, 2021.

"We tried to design something that captured the sprawling, ongoing nature of the phenomenon and tragedy of the drug business, but also told a satisfying and complete story," showrunner Carlo Bernard, who created the series with Chris Brancato and Doug Miro, previously told EW of the show's end.

Calva is now in contention for an Oscar nomination for his role in Babylon, which also features Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt. The film is in theaters Dec. 23.

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Narcos: Mexico actor Diego Calva says series spreads 'a lot of lies' about 'the story of my country'

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