Renowned Young Mexican Actor Polo Morín

Netflix’s Who Killed Sara?, a.k.a. ¿Quién Mató a Sara? is a Spanish-language mystery thriller that has been hanging out in their Top 10 for the past couple weeks.

Created by Chilean screenwriter José Ignacio Valenzuela, the show attempts to combine the “dead girl with secrets” mysteries of Twin Peaks with the “rich people being awful” fun of Succession. Light, frothy, and deeply committed to on-screen nudity—viewers will not be disappointed.

Playing the character of a young José María Lazcano is popular Mexican actor Polo Morín. Born in the town of Celaya, Morín began his career as an actor in the 2010 anthology drama series La rosa de Guadalupe. Moving forward to play roles in several Mexican television projects, his big opportunity came with the role of Nico on the MTV series Último año. His charming personality has made him one of the most renowned stars in Latin America.

Morín took some time to chat about Who Killed Sara? and its recently released second season with OFM, as well as his passion for acting and the impact he hopes to make on young audiences.

Hi, Polo! Thank you for taking some time to chat with me about Who Killed Sara? What can we expect from Season Two?
Season One was already exciting, and it is a thriller, but a lot of questions are not answered in Season One. In Season Two, we have all those answers. That is kind of the main point, but also, new questions are brought up as well.

For those who are not familiar, can you tell us more about the show and your character, José María Lazcano?
Sure. Who Killed Sara? is about a woman named Sara who was murdered 18 years ago, and there are a bunch of suspects. We are trying to solve the mystery, and I am one of the characters that was with her back then, 18 years ago. Because I was with her, I am one of the suspects.

Why did you want to be involved with a series like Who Killed Sara?
First of all, Netflix is a huge thing right now. Everybody wants to be a part of it. Then again, even though they are huge and have a lot of power, they are really careful about the message they send out to society and how much they support the community. I think they are really responsible with what they are teaching children, teenagers, and adults who are watching their shows. They are always careful about the content, and they try to be inclusive. I am pleased to be a part of it.

What would you say is the number one reason why someone should check out the show?
It is entertaining, which is the main point, but I also think it is a new thing. I think Latin America and Mexico specifically has not done this kind of material with such quality and great scripts, directors, editors, everything. Usually, people outside of Mexico, people from all over the world, think Mexican shows are just soap operas, which are OK, and I love them, but Who Killed Sara? is different. People are not used to seeing this kind of show in Mexico. Hopefully, it will continue to do great.

Have you always had a passion for acting?
Yes. Right now, because of quarantine and everything, I have been staying with my parents at their house, and they pulled out all these tapes from when I was really little and a baby, and there are many, many, many tapes of me acting. Every kid does that, but I had disguises. I always liked to dress up and play characters. I was always in theatre and just a theatre geek.

Looking at your work, you have been involved with a lot of dramas and thrillers. Are those the kind of genres you would like to stick with, or do you want to branch out?
Honestly, I like doing different things, so if I got a different kind of project, I would love to do it. The main reason for me to do a show or characters is always the message that it sends to society. If it goes according to what I want to tell my followers and public, then I would do it.

In America, LGBTQ actors are sometimes discriminated against and lose out on job opportunities. Does the same thing happen in Mexico? Have you encountered homophobia or faced backlash because of your sexuality?
Yes, it does. To be honest, I have been asked this question many times. I was not out of the closet before, but my career started speeding up really fast. I started to get a lot of work in soap operas and many shows, and as people started to know who I was, I had a lot of girl followers. So, when I came out, everybody thought that I was never going to work again. It was a pretty harsh time for me, but I was pretty sure of who I am and what I was doing.

I did lose a couple projects and scripts, but I think it is better to stay focused and be thankful for what I do have. I do not consider myself an example, but I do think that I am one of the first openly gay actors in Mexico or Latin America who can still succeed and still do different projects and characters. Hopefully, that will help little kids or people from the community who feel scared and think they cannot be a success. I used to be like that. When I was a kid, I am from a smaller town, and I used to watch TV all the time. I knew that was what I wanted to do, but I was always scared because I thought that if I ever came out of the closet, I would not be able to achieve it. Now, I hope that if a little kid or someone from the community sees me, I hope they know they can do this as well.

You are obviously making an impact because you have conquered the heart of the young Mexican audience. What more do you hope to accomplish with your platform?
Hopefully, to make it a little more worldwide. That would be great. I love my country, and I would love to do projects and shows in Mexico or Latin America that go worldwide. Most actors want to go to L.A. and Hollywood. They do the American dream thing. We can also do great stuff here.

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you would like to mention or plug?
Just that the second season of Who Killed Sara? is now on Netflix. There are some upcoming things I cannot talk about yet, but I am really happy and excited for them. Stay tuned!

Follow Morin on Facebook and Instagram to stay up-to-date.

Photos Courtesy of Luis de la luz and Netflix