U.S. HISPANIC
Sebastián Osorio, starring Caracol’s Paraíso Blanco for ViX: It was an ambitious and intense series
Maribel Ramos-Weiner| 9 de agosto de 2023
Sebastián Osorio Paraíso Blanco Caracol Vix
Since its premiere on July 20, Paraíso Blanco, the Caracol Televisión series for ViX, has been among the most watched on the platform. Standing out is the performance of the actor Sebastián Osorio, who plays the role of the drug trafficker Carlos Lehder, known in the 70s for his successful drug trade between Colombia and the US.
Playing a historical character with a legacy of controversies and violence represented a great acting challenge for the artist, who gave himself totally to the role by thoroughly investigating his life and personality while facing the moral dilemmas involved in giving life to such a controversial figure.
“The process begins with the rehearsals, with the research we did on the characters and the conversation we had with the directors (Juan Carlos Vásquez and Carlos Andrés Villamizar) to define what was wanted. What stood out was we sat down and studied the essence of the characters. Is not simply talking about what they did, but trying to understand why they did it,” said Osorio.
Carlos Lehder is a German-Colombian nicknamed Crazy Charlie for his reckless actions, such as piloting small planes loaded with drugs bound for the US. He was the first Colombian drug trafficker extradited to the US in 1987 and received a considerable reduction of his sentence in exchange for information about his dark business. In 2020, he was released and escorted to Germany, where he lives.
“It was a great opportunity to explore a character in depth, including different nuances in myself,” said Osorio. He explained that he spoke with his colleague Alejandro Martínez, who played Ledher’s father in a previous Caracol Television series, Escobar, El Patron del Mal, to enrich his character.
Osorio, who worked in productions such as Historia de un Crimen: Colmenares, Pasión de Gavilanes 2, and La Nieta Elegida, explained he delved into the psychology, motivations, and internal struggles of the character, but also sought to understand the context of the times lived by Lehder . “There were few limits imposed by society or self-imposed, so they venture into many things like drug trafficking. Many new things were happening, similar to what is happening now with technology.”
HARD WORK BETWEEN THE US AND COLOMBIA
Most of the series scenes are outdoors. “In the US, we had a smaller crew and recorded in cities like New York and Miami. In Colombia, we did the bulk of the story in locations in Cartagena, Barú, Armenia, Ibagué, and Girardot, among other places. It was quite an ambitious series, and the intensity level was strong. We also had a lot of action scenes, which was fun and a bit new for me,” Osorio explained.
The young actor confessed he was nervous about taking on the lead role due to the size and importance of the project; it is also the first production by Caracol Televisión directly for ViX. “Doing things that you are passionate about entails a lot of fear because you want everything to work out well. Being nervous is a good thing to experience, but you must forget about it so you enjoy it, and eventually beautiful, entertaining things with dramatic weight will come out.”
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