Fernanda Castillo has been through a lot lately, from the death of close relatives in an earthquake, to the birth of her son Liam and a great health crisis that almost took her life. These experiences have transformed her and changed the way she approaches characters. In her most recent project ‘Isla Brava’, a Vix series, she plays Lucía Estrada de Suárez, an unfaithful widow who lives a privileged life until her husband’s brother returns to the island, uncovering a series of events that even leave the protagonists speechless.

Castillo approached the character of Lucía in a new way, believing that “the characters speak to you and tell you that you go around and you have to be attentive to listen.” This tool came after the dust had settled from everything that had happened, changing not just her approach to characters, but to life as well.

The series also features Flavio Medina, who plays the toxic villain Alfredo, and Erick Hayser, who plays Bruno Suárez, Lucía’s love interest on and off camera. The three actors are part of a club of Mexican actors who would be legends if they had grown up in Hollywood.

Castillo’s first iconic role was as the drug trafficker Mónica Robles in the saga of ‘El Señor de los Cielos’. The audience almost revolted when her character died, and for years she left when asked about the end of her experience with the project. But now she is ready to talk about it, acknowledging that she asked to be killed because she felt the character was being punished. However, Castillo remains proud of her portrayal of the character and what she learned from her, saying “she taught me not to apologize for who I am.”

Castillo is also a mother to Liam, who will be three years old in December. Her goal is to keep her son’s face off social media until he can decide for himself. She admits that she thought she would be a detached mother, but finds it difficult to separate from him when she has to leave him for work. Fortunately, ‘Isla Brava’ was a family project and the three of them were together during filming.

In the end, Castillo’s experiences have led to a new way of approaching characters and life, leaving room for one of her thousand new lives.