Stars of Showtime’s WEEDS

An Inside View with Demian Bichir and Alexander Gould

By Marla E. Schwartz

Demián Bichir is a gentleman in every sense of the word but he certainly doesn’t play one on TV. Demián portrays the dastardly Major of Tijuana, Esteban Reyes, who is the love interest of the lead character Nancy Botwin, played by the effervescent Mary-Louise Parker on the Showtime hit WEEDS. Basically, it’s the story of a woman who gets into financial trouble after the sudden death of her husband and becomes the neighborhood pot dealer in her idyllic community. This highly successful series begins its sixth season at 10 PM EST on Monday, August 16^th in which audience members will finally be able to find out the fate of the shows antagonist, Pilar plated by the great Kate del Castillo. In fact, one of the final scenes last season between Nancy, Pilar and Esteban was pure acting gold, and Demián’s take on his character is something that makes the audiences come back for more and more!

The extraordinarily-gifted actor laughs a few times as he recalls one particular scene he had with Mary-Louise. This scene involves Nancy telling Esteban that she wants a cut of his next WEEDS shipment and he refuses. He feels she’s breaking the chain of command, the conversation ensues and Nancy gets punished. A spanking takes place. Well, a majorly sexy spanking, that is. It’s obvious that these two actors have chemistry – and in spades.

This scene is even a favorite among celebrities. “It’s Benicio Del Toro’s {they appeared together in Steven Soderberg’s two-part film Ché} favorite scene. He was really thrilled by it and a lot of people talk about that scene,” Demián said. “It was really hard to do because we did that scene the first week of work. Every scene I’ve had with her is really great because she takes you to a higher level and invites you to be on the top of your game.” As the spanking scene comes to an end, you can see a sly smile on Esteban’s face – it’s very well done and extremely fun to watch. If you haven’t seen it, you can catch the clip on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igw9Q5-tJ08&feature=related.

“I can only say that I’m really lucky because I never really thought about doing TV and when I got the call to read for this role my former girlfriend told me that this isn’t TV, it’s something else,” Demián said. This very wise woman insisted that Demián look into auditioning for the series by saying to him, “It’s really a show that’s well written and the cast is great and you have to watch it.”  He thought about her advice but had his own take on the situation. “I didn’t really want to watch anything because then I thought if I really like it then I’ll be dying to get it.” He went in and auditioned for the part. “After the audition they called me back two days after my first reading to meet with Mary-Louise and to read with her and then I thought I’ve got to do it,” he explained. “As an actor you’re always looking for not only great projects but the possibility to work opposite great, beautiful actors such as Mary-Louise and that was my chance and I’m really lucky that I got it.”

Demián is Latin America’s most beloved actor and has made significant inroads into making a mark for himself as an up and coming legendary actor who will no doubt make a significant impact on the American cinema landscape. There’s no doubt that his smoldering good looks combined with his wonderful sense of humor will keep him working for years to come. He’s a renowned stage actor who has appeared in a myriad of modern and classical productions in his home country of Mexico by performing in such plays as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Richard the III, The Ghost Sonata, Equus, Ah! Wilderness, Broadway Bound and The Odd Couple. In America he has appeared in numerous films such as In the Time of the Butterflies with another breathtaking colleague originating from Mexico, Salma Hayek. Additionally, Demián has received a multitude of awards for his exemplary work.  His talent have brought him a Silver Ariel Award (Mexico’s version of the Oscars), as Best Actor winner for his role in the movie Hasta Morir given by the Mexican Academy of Cinematography and has garnered other prestigious honors and achievements throughout his career, including a Medal of Honor from Mexico City. Some of his other awards and nominations are as follows:

The Bichir side of the family, originally hailing from Lebanon, has made a major impact in the entertainment business in Mexico. His father, Alejandro Bichir is a distinguished theatrical director and his mother Maricuz Nájera and brothers Odiseo and Bruno are all famously notable actors in their own right. In fact, the Mexican “MTV Movie Awards” created a category called El Mejor Bichir en Una Película or Best Bichir in a Film. Demián received the honor.

Most recently, Demián wrapped up three films, “The Gardner”, “The Runway” and “Hidalgo”. “The Gardner, with Chris Weitz directing, is my first lead role in a studio movie and I couldn’t have been luckier because the script was fantastic and Chris is absolutely a fantastic director,” Demián said. It has also been reported that Demián is attached to a film about a young Colombian woman named Leona who becomes a powerful gang leader in South Florida. “I heard of this project almost a year ago, but I haven’t heard anything back,” Demián said. “I don’t know if the project is still on.”

It would be great to have Demián attached to a film that’s shot in South Florida. “I’ve been to Miami plenty of times,” he said. “I love the architecture along the beach, the great Cuban restaurants, the feel of the city and the people are really great,” he said.

There’s no doubt that Demián Bichir will again make an appearance in Miami and while his star continues to rise, you most certainly shouldn’t miss his ride!

There’s another prominent actor in WEEDS who also excels at portraying his character. This marvelously talented young man is Alexander Gould, and he portrays Nancy Botwin’s son, Shane Botwin, who happened to be with his father at the time he passed away. His character began as a social misfit who spoke to his dead father similarly to the way a child speaks to an imaginary friend. His mother’s ascension into the drug business slowly affected him in a way that changed his character into a bold human being who not only gets shot but appears to have committed murder in last year’s season finale. Alexander does such a splendid job in this role that he’s sure to have a long career after his role on WEEDS has come to an end.

Alexander was nice enough to answer a few questions for AroundWellington.com:

QUESTIONS FOR ALEXANDER GOULD

AW: Please explain what your character Shane Botwin is like for people who haven’t yet seen the show?

ALEX: Shane is a very disturbed character. His dad died when he was young and ever since he has been kind of the moral center of the family but is also slightly immoral himself. His big issue is that he can never quite fit in with anybody else.

AW: How old were you when you began working on WEEDS?

ALEX: I was ten and never imaged it would turn into what it is today.

AW: How old are you today?

ALEX: Sixteen.

AW: Are you driving yet?

ALEX: Yah. I get my license at the end of the month.

AW: Congratulations.

ALEX: Thank you.

AW: You probably made enough money to buy your own car, but are you allowed to buy your own car?

ALEX: I’m going to buy one, yah.

AW: Do you have a favorite scene from last season?

ALEX: A few of the scenes I was in with a couple of girl characters who I had some activity with and they were my favorite scenes to act out obviously because they were very risqué. But I really loved doing scenes with the girl characters because they were so great to work with and the actresses were really fun and it was fun to have someone my age on the set for a change.

AW: Have you finished shooting the current season or what is your schedule like?

ALEX: We’re in the last four episodes of the season. I’ve been working consistently almost every day and it has been a great season and I’m really looking forward to it. I think it’s going to be one of the best one’s yet!

AW: What does Shane think of Esteban?

ALEX: At the beginning, when they first met, it was kind of a bitter standoff and he was at odds against Esteban because he was a new kind of father figure. And near the end of last season I think that they talked and because Shane was living with him for so long they became kind of friendly with each other and they were at a good place when we left them.

AW: The news is always reporting about how difficult it is for child stars to make the transition into adulthood and continue their careers, is this something you think about in terms of your own life?

ALEX: Definitely. I’ve been struggling because I really want to go to college and that’s coming up in a couple years and it’s hard to continue acting while I’m in college. One good thing is that I’m not coming from a young child’s place. I’m coming from WEEDS which is a very adult show and that can transfer over to acting as an adult a lot easier than say coming from something that portrays me more as a child.

AW: Do you want to continue in the entertainment business when you graduate from college?

ALEX: I definitely do. I love doing it and I don’t see myself doing anything else.

AW: Can you recall your most memorable scene so far in WEEDS or would you say it’s the same as your favorite scene?

ALEX: There are two. The scene that I think was in the second season where Uncle Andy is teaching Shane about masturbation. It’s memorable because the context was so weird and that’s the most watched WEEDS clip on YouTube. And the other one would be the scene last season when where I whack Pilar in the head with the mallet. That is probably one of my most favorite scenes to watch. It was such a fun kind of scene (to do) because I’m not a violent person by nature.

AW: Was it a hard scene to shoot? Did you have to rehearse it a lot?

ALEX: I did have to rehearse it a lot because at first I was very uncomfortable swinging the mallet. It was padded in rubber so it wasn’t actually going to hurt her.

AW: Do you have any advice for children who want to act?

ALEX: Keep doing what you’re doing and don’t be afraid to give it your all because I mean with WEEDS I’ve given it my all and there’s a lot of stuff I haven’t been comfortable doing, but you can’t be afraid to get going and do it and give it your all – as opposed to holding back.

AW: Is there anything you’d like to add that I haven’t asked you?

ALEX: I don’t think so. We’ve pretty much covered it all.

Thank you very much, Alex Gould!

Bravo to both Demián and Alex! May their stars shine brightly for many years to come.

A native of Toledo, OH and a graduate of Kent State, Marla E. Schwartz is a Senior Writer for Miami Living Magazine and is also a freelance writer for Lighthouse Point Magazine. Her photographs have appeared in numerous Ohio publications, as well as in Miami Living, The Miami Herald, The Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel and The Palm Beach Post. She has had numerous plays published and produced around the country. Her short play, America’s Working? was produced in Los Angeles at both the First Stage and the Lone Star Ensemble Theater companies, in Florida at Lynn University and then at an off-Broadway playhouse in NYC. Her piece, The Lunch Time Café, was a finalist for the Heideman Award, Actors Theatre of Louisville. Feel free to contact her at: meschwartz1@hotmail.com.

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