Why Teresa Mendoza Can’t Be Replaced

Teresa Mendoza’s role in La Reina del Sur is played by the actress Kate del Castillo, a Mexican sweetheart and one of the most prominent actresses in Latin entertainment. The show drew 4.2 million viewers for its finale, including viewers from Miami, Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. After such a successful series, La Reina del Sur 2 was released and shockingly did even better than the first according to many dedicated viewers. Regardless of language, Kate del Castillo is generally known as the best, and only true Teresa Mendoza. The United States Network released an English version of the series, Queen of the South, and it’s ratings were nowhere near as successful as the original. After reading tons of viewers thoughts, it became clear that people were unsatisfied with Alice Braga’s performance as Teresa Mendoza. She was considered “un-animated” and “blank”, surprising words to describe an actress playing in such a dramatic telenovela. I have not personally seen an episode of Queen of the South, just a clip from YouTube, but I do think people aren’t giving Braga enough credit. I think it’s safe to assume that every lover of La Reina del Sur became so attached to Kate de Castillo that they can’t allow themselves to believe Alice Braga’s performance. I’m sure Alicia Braga is an excellent actress in her own right, but also think Kate del Castillo is simply too hard to follow.

Comments

  1. zainab oloyedeOctober 7, 2019 at 4:02 PM

    I agree with the fact that Latin Americans did not take to Queen of the South people expected for the same reason you expressed. Even in America, the show didn't really do as well as people thought that it would. It is true many people see Kate del Castillo as the one true La Reina del Sur, and I have to agree with them.When we watched the trailer in class today, I could see that Alice Braga was definitely not the Teresa Mendoza that I have been watching for these past weeks. All i could think was how much better the original was. Kate played Teresa so well that I sometimes find myself thinking of them as the same person.

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  2. scozineOctober 7, 2019 at 7:41 PM

    I think its fascinating how two versions of a telenovela that follow the same plot line could turn out to get opposite reviews and reactions from one another. I think that Kate de Castillo fit the tough mold of "La Mexicana" and was portrayed in a more sexually appealing way, which ran more with the characteristics of a telenovela. Kate del Castillo also already had a platform in Latin America and in the U.S. which may have made it hard for Alice Braga to out-perform.

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