Queen of the South cast and characters revisited: Here's who brought the 2016 crime drama to life

In Queen of the South, Teresa Mendoza is the main character of the story, and the show makes sure that her narrative reaches the viewers in the right light. She starts her journey as a young woman from the poverty-stricken slums of Mexico, but her story is not one of the most inspirational ones, as she turns to the drug business. It all starts when her boyfriend, Güero, is killed by a rival drug cartel.

Scared for her life, she is forced to escape, but her story takes an unexpected turn. She finds herself amidst her rivals, and instead of seeking revenge, she gels with the gang, slowly trying to make her place in the community. Her skills let her start her own cartel and become quite successful. But she wins both allies and rivals in the risky game.

Needless to say, such stories often feature several characters who drive the plot. Alice Braga (whom we know from City of God and I Am Legend) plays Teresa Mendoza and brings the character to life with quiet control.

Queen of the South cast and characters

Alice Braga as Teresa Mendoza

Teresa Mendoza enters Queen of the South's story with a lot of fear, but soon, we can see the change in her character over time. Her sharp instincts and a will to survive were only two strategies as she was not striving to achieve success or power. Born into poverty in Mexico, she knew the importance of safety and that power was the only way to achieve it. As Teresa rises, Braga slowly shifts her posture, tone, and presence in terms of performance.

Verónica Falcón as Doña Camila Vargas

Camila Vargas is everything Teresa aspired to be and she is confident about her position and status in the cartel. In a male-dominated field, she manages to run her own operation in Dallas after breaking away from her husband’s cartel. Her relationship with Teresa is quite complex as she is a mentor, but also an example of how dangerous power can be. After Queen of the South, she even acted in Ozark and Perry Mason.

Justina Machado as Brenda Parra

Justina Machado, whom we have seen in Six Feet Under and ER, plays Brenda in the show. She is Teresa’s friend in the early seasons, but is quite the opposite of the protagonist. She has a similar backstory and has lost her husband to cartel violence, just like Teresa. But it instilled fear, instead of hunger for power, in her case. She flees with her son to Dallas and strives to have a normal life, away from all of this.

Joaquim de Almeida as Don Epifanio Vargas

Epifanio Vargas, played by Joaquim de Almeida, is the classic cartel boss and the primary antagonist of Queen of the South. He is layered with fear-instilling tactics, great pride in legacy, and shrewd political ambition. He wants to become the governor and establish political control beyond the cartel.

Peter Gadiot as James Valdez

James stars, Peter Gadiot (who later acted in Yellowjackets) as Camila’s right-hand man and her love interest. He is one of the very few people who could identify Teresa’s potential long before she rose to power. But as the show progresses, his loyalty shifts, but his instincts stay the same.

Hemky Madera as Pote Galvez

Pote Galvez is a unique character in Queen of the South, as his strength is that he thinks before he follows orders, something which is unusual in the cartel business. He is more human and, in turn, emerges way more dangerous in the later part of the show. Hemky Madera's performance as Pote is typified by humor, loyalty, and depth. He manages to defeat Boaz Jimenez, even after Teresa's alleged death.

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Other characters in the show include Kelly Ann Van Awken (played by Molly Burnett), Guero Davila (played by Jon-Michael Ecker), Cesar “Batman” Guemes (played by Gerardo Taracena), and Boaz Jimenez (played by JT Campos).

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