Miami is one of those United States cities with its own personality. People associate it with sandy beaches, tropical weather, and, if you’ve paid attention to Hollywood, the drug trade.
Because of its proximity to Latin America, Miami has been prime real estate for Latin American immigrants, who have escaped poverty, dictatorships, and uncertainty. While it is a delicious melting pot of Latinos and Latines, no group’s influence can be felt more than that of the Cuban people.
While Miami has been a backdrop for many shows and films, “Hotel Cocaine” stands out for its authentic portrayal of the city’s “cubanness.” This deliberate decision, which made cubanitos Yul Vazquez and Danny Pino particularly happy, showcases their dedication to representing their culture in the best possible way.
Vazquez and Pino were able to infuse the script with Miami’s signature sazón
The “Law & Order: SVU” actor notes that showrunner and writer Chris Brancato welcomed their input when incorporating authentic bits and pieces of the Cuban culture.
“Well, we took it very seriously. You know, the script is — the initial scripts were written and funneled [and] show run through Chris Brancato, who’s a fantastic writer, co-creator of ‘Narcos,’ creator of ‘Godfather of Harlem,’ you know, incredibly respected. But he’s not Cuban, and he’s not from Miami,” Pino tells Latinidad Collective.
Despite Brancato’s not being from Miami, he allowed the Cuban cast to add their own cultural elements to their characters.
The “Mayans M.C.” actor continues, “He’s incredibly collaborative. And he wanted for us to infuse the script with that Cubanness, that authenticity of Miami in the ’70s. And in that sense of — [the] spirit of collaboration.”
“Chris sort of gave us the artistic license to put the Spanglish in, to put the Cubanisms in, to put the mannerisms into the characters and make them our own,” he explained.
Credit: MGM+
Pino posits that this level of creative freedom will allow Cubans and Miami natives to feel seen by what is represented on screen.
“So, that when you would watch it as a Cuban or as somebody from Miami, you’d recognize yourself at least a part of yourself that maybe oftentimes you don’t get to see in film and television,” he emphasizes.
“Hotel Cocaine” shows the story of two brothers who chose opposing life journeys after escaping a dictatorship
Having your freedom taken away from you can change you in unfathomable ways. The generational trauma caused by the Castro regime is something that the Cuban community, both on the island and aboard, continues to deal with.
Another layer the show explores is the tense bond between the brothers Vazquez and Pino portray. While Pino’s Roman Compte chooses to live a low-key, morally bound life, Vazquez’s Nester Cabal seeks to amass the power and wealth he was denied. Now, the brothers must relearn how to be brothers after years of no contact.
“I think everybody has somebody in their — in their lives that have come in and out of their lives, you know what I mean for whatever, for whatever reason,” Vazquez begins.
He continues, “The good fortune for, for me was that I already knew Danny. I respected Danny’s work tremendously. I respected him, you know, as a family man. And so I already had great love for him.”
“So I knew we were going to start apart, and we were going to come together. And then once we come together, you know, that was we, then we were on — on the ride now. So, […] I had a built-in relationship and a visceral feeling for him. So that made the job easier,” he added.
Pino echoes Vazquez’s sentiments about the respect he feels for working alongside his fellow cubano. Ultimately, the actor pulled from his experience of having four brothers to imbue Roman with his pain.
“I have four brothers of my own, and to feel that estrangement, that distance, would be incredibly painful. [It] would, would be heartbreaking, and in a big way,” he explains.
The actor continues, “Even though Ramon knows that Nestor is synonymous with danger, especially the threat to Roman’s own family, to his daughter, and to his girlfriend, there’s an attraction to his to having that relationship back with his brother, to wanting to — to rebuild that, that brotherhood.”
“You know, that even though it is, it could be, you know, incredibly fraught, it’s something that I think he really wants,” Pino concludes.
