Carmelo Alvarado is a man of humble origins and unwavering values who reaches the presidency of Mexico on the right path with the purpose of ending corruption and making his country a better place. However, the dark threads of power lay a trap for him and lock him up in jail being innocent.
This is the plot of ‘Preso N° 1’, the political thriller that premiered on Telemundo Internacional (7 pm), with Mexican actor Erik Hayser in the leading role. “It’s one of the most beautiful roles I’ve ever done, because it’s like those characters I saw as a child, those true heroes. Carmelo is a bit like a great utopia, he is a president who does things well, a straight man who wants to change things in his country”, says the actor about his role, which he also highlights has given him the opportunity to say things from his condition as a citizen.
“When the character comes into my hands, I accept it immediately, because I also had a lot to say as a citizen of Mexico, a country that needs so many positive changes, that is eager for peace to be restored and for journalists to be able to speak with Liberty. He invited me to communicate this, not only as an artist, but as a citizen, he wanted my voice to be heard”, he says.
Given the history of corruption that has marked most governments in Latin America, Hayser considers that precisely the hook of ‘Prisoner No. 1’ is what Carmelo Alvarado represents. “He is a character who embarks on a wonderful journey, from his youth as the peasant who decides to study and prepare, then as the television star that he becomes and that leads him to be a candidate and, finally, president. But he is also a man who is always wrong, at least in his personal life, he doesn’t know how to communicate with his family and he doesn’t know how to say ‘no’ if he sees a beautiful woman. He is a kind of conqueror, he makes mistakes and life puts him in his place”, he says.
For Hayser, all of these elements make the series work well (it premiered in 2019 on Telemundo USA). “The project is still alive, people keep asking me if there will be a second part. Telemundo bet to make a political thriller that makes us see on screen what we would like to see in reality. Just as soap operas invite us to dream, ‘Prisoner No. 1’ invites us to believe that in Latin America we can have a different reality,” says the actor, who was inspired to build this utopian president by figures such as Che Guevara and the Commander Mark.
“I did a whole investigation process. I read many books, such as The Presidents by Julio Scherer García, then the biography of Che Guevara and my great reference Eduardo Galeano and his book The Open Veins of Latin America. But my biggest inspiration was my desire for things to change. I am excited that this project is still alive, because the messages we give make us fight for a better world.”
Right now, Erik Hayser is working on the Netflix series ‘Dark Desire’ and has two TV series and a movie pending.
As a life project, he hopes to return to Peru as a tourist: “I love your country, where I had one of the most beautiful trips of my life. I was in Lima, Cusco, Iquitos, Amazonas and Puno. I ran out of time. I hope to come back soon. I would always come back.”❖