This summer, your favorite Netflix series will be Ozark, a crime drama set in the Midwest that follows Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) and his family as they navigate the murky waters of money laundering on behalf of the drug cartel. One of the central figures in season one is Camino Del Del Rio, played by Esai Morales. We spoke with Morales about why he took on this role and what we can expect from him in Ozark season two! Ozark’s Esai Morales: Drug Cartel Lieutenant Camino Del Del Rio
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Meet Camino Del Del Rio
We don’t know much about Ozark’s new drug cartel lieutenant, other than his name is Camino Del Rio and he likes to use fire (and other violent means) to solve problems. But in a new interview with Collider, actor Esai Morales shed some light on what we can expect from his character. He’s part of a drug cartel, said Morales. He is not only just involved in drugs but also human trafficking and arms dealing. In addition to working for Navarro, Del Rio will have his own agenda as well. You never really know if he’s going to be on your side or against you, said Morales. I think it adds an interesting dynamic because my character has different agendas that are separate from what they want. What those agendas are remains unclear at this point, but hopefully we’ll find out soon enough.
Season overview
Ozark follows a financial planner (Barton) who relocates his family from Chicago to a summer resort community in Missouri to pay off a debt. He must launder $500 million in five years and avoid being killed by gangs as he tries to survive, all while keeping his dark business secret from his wife and children. Season one focuses on delving into how del pulls it off, but season two will see him attempt to replicate success on a larger scale. We’re going much bigger with season two, Bateman told TheWrap, adding that del is in essence following that model of risking more for even bigger rewards.
Meet the family, unpack their dynamic
Morales says that he relates to his character because his father, uncle and grandfather were all in politics and involved in various degrees of corruption. At one point, Morales himself was named as a person of interest in a political scandal. People ask me if I draw on my past, but they don’t realize it is part of my present, he says. For Ozark Season 2, viewers will see more corruption between local politicians and Navarro operatives like Camino Del Rio. It makes him more dangerous, notes Morris. Because now he’s not just an outsider trying to make deals; he has friends in high places. In real life, too, there are greater risks for people working with criminals than those who never involve themselves with nefarious activity.
A money laundering opportunity
The offer was a welcome one. He had been talking to Navarro’s U.S. distributor, who had come to Chicago on business and wanted to talk to him about working directly for her instead of dealing with Navarro’s middleman suppliers in Mexico City and Guadalajara. It would mean more money, a better lifestyle, and freedom from needing to trust people that he didn’t know or care about — but it would also be riskier than what he was doing now. He knew it was time for a change because he kept getting sent on unplanned trips; some days there were multiple deliveries just as his family got home from school or work, which put them at unnecessary risk of exposure by police stops if they were out driving together.
An offer from higher up in the chain of command
The offer is simple. By removing his boss from power, Del will be given a promotion to lieutenant in charge of all of Navarro’s operations, including heroin and methamphetamine. The caveat is that there will also be a new sheriff in town – not exactly one you can trust. Jean Baptiste Pauch – aka JB (Sebastian Roche) – is an undercover FBI agent posing as Navarro’s newest right-hand man. He wants only to bring down Navarro and his cartel once and for all, but he knows he has to win over everyone in order to do it…
The family works out an arrangement with the authorities, expanding business
In season 1, Del convinces local politician Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner) to help him get his family off of house arrest. In exchange for $50,000 and two years working for her in Washington, D.C., she’ll speak up on their behalf with a judge. Eventually, Ruth and Del take things a step further by finding other drug dealers who will give them money in exchange for hiding guns in their product. When Ruth tells one dealer that she doesn’t want to know where he’s getting these guns from, he asks if she’s going to lose sleep over it.
What ethnicity is Esai Morales?
It’s a question he’s heard more than once during his almost 30-year career as an actor. People used to be asking me, ‘Why are you so Latino in your looks?’ says Morales. He began his showbiz career at 14 as a professional break dancer, later taking roles as…
How old is Esai Morales?
This will be my 50th birthday. So, I’m doing that kind of old guy. [Laughs] I was born in New York City and grew up in Puerto Rico. In Puerto Rico, there are a lot of people from all over Latin America, so it was a melting pot of different cultures. That helped me to understand different points of view and how to deal with different kinds of people from all over the world. It gave me an advantage as an actor because you have to deal with every kind of human being on Earth when you’re acting for a living.
How tall is Esai Morales?
He’s six feet, one inch tall (1.85 m) . [7] How much does Esai Morales weigh? : He weighs 185 pounds (84 kg). [8]
Who played Chief Lugo on Chicago PD?
one who is sent, a messenger. The name can also be used as a boy’s name and is of Spanish origin. The meaning of Esai is Jehovah has helped; God will hear; a god will hear me.
Is Jimmy Smits his real name?
Jimmy Smits. He was born Jim Smits, in Brooklyn, NY in 1955. In 1980 he changed his name to Jimmy Smits because, he said in an interview with Larry King, Smits is a very common last name and it sounds funny to call someone Jim Smits. The real reason for changing his name is probably related to Puerto Rican naming customs and his desire to be identified as Hispanic.
What does Esai mean?
Esai is a Basque name meaning God is my foundation. It comes from Saint Basilio, a bishop who spent his life fighting Christian heresy. He eventually died as a martyr after an angry mob stoned him to death. His bones were dug up in 824, but they disappeared again in 928 when French raiders hit their monastery on Spain’s Bay of Biscay coast. The reliquary was found by fishers over 200 years later and taken to Rome, where it was enshrined at San Esidore church in Trastevere.
