Mexican actress in El Chapo-Sean Penn meeting is one tough cookie

Kate del Castillo in “Ingobernable”

NEW YORK—Kate del Castillo doesn’t suffer fools gladly. But the controversial lead actress  of Netflix’s dramatic thriller, “Ingobernable”—which begins streaming its 15-episode first season today—says that her heart belongs to women who are incapable of protecting themselves.

Last month, we met the lovely 44-year-old Mexican actress for this one-on-one interview with Inquirer Entertainment to talk about the political thriller she stars in—as fictional Mexican first lady Emilia Urquiza, who’s on the run from relentless goons in government after a violent altercation with her husband, President Diego Nava (Erik Hayser), ends in violence.

Was Emilia responsible for Diego’s violent death? Even the beleaguered first lady and the people who come to her  rescue (Maxi Iglesias, Alberto Guerra Ramos) are at a loss for answers.

Maxi Iglesias (left) and Alberto Guerra Ramos in “Ingobernable” —Leon Galan Marquez/Netflix

Ironically, Kate’s life is more fascinating than the fictional characters she breathes life into—especially in light of the recent arrest of Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman of the Sinaloa cartel. United States authorities call El Chapo “the most powerful drug trafficker in the world.”

A little background: On Feb. 22, 2014, the Sinaloa cartel’s top honcho was arrested by Mexican authorities, but escaped prison in July the following year—by exiting through a 1.5-kilometer tunnel! Can you get any more cinematic than that?

On Jan. 19, three months after Kate arranged the drug lord’s seven-hour interview with Sean Penn on Oct. 2 (for Rolling Stone magazine), El Chapo was recaptured by Mexican marines and the Federal Police.

As it turned out, El Chapo hardly knew who the Oscar-winning Penn was. El Chapo was reportedly infatuated with the Mexican actress, who was acclaimed by critics for portraying a female crime lord—“the most powerful drug trafficker in Southern Spain”—in 2011’s “La Reina del Sur.”

For mainstream viewers, Kate is best-known for her roles in the Jennifer Lopez-Antonio Banderas thriller “Bordertown” (her first Hollywood feature film, in 2006) and the animated film, “The Book of Life” (as the voice of La Muerte).

Just how popular is the actress in Mexico and the Spanish-speaking world? Very.

In fact, our lovely journalist-friend from Mexico told us how cold and clammy her hands were after her own quick chat with Kate. And when she asked the actress if she was willing to see El Chapo again, Kate said “yes” without batting an eyelash.

Kate, who “officially” became an American citizen in September last year, has been vocal about her dissatisfaction with the Mexican government’s inability to effectively address her home country’s urgent social issues.

In a controversial post on her social networking site in 2012, she said:“I believe more in Chapo Guzman [than in] the government that hides painful truths from me…” She then urged El Chapo to start “trafficking love,” instead.

In 2014, Kate was contacted by El Chapo’s lawyer to talk about producing the crime lord’s biopic.

“As an actress, it’s not my job to judge the guy. What I think of him is irrelevant. And I don’t regret [doing what I did],” she told the Inquirer.

Following Kate’s refusal to heed a request to voluntarily appear before prosecutors, the Mexican Attorney General issued a detain-and-interrogate order on the actress—which would only become effective if she sets foot on Mexican soil.

But, just before our interview with the actress early last month, it was reported that Kate’s petition for an injunction was granted against any arrest related to the federal investigation into her ties with El Chapo. The plot thickens.

Excerpts from our interview with Kate:

You said earlier that your character Emilia is not patterned after the real first lady of Mexico. In what way do you relate to your complex character? Most women have a warrior inside them. Emilia comes from a wealthy family—she’s used to all the pampering and love.

When she marries the president, she thinks she can change her country for the better, and make the world a better place.

But, along the way, Diego gets “distracted,” and Emilia starts to lose respect for and faith in him—until something terrible happens to her that transforms her.

How she reacts to this realization … that’s when everything goes wrong. Sometimes, doing the right thing is very challenging.

To answer your question, I relate to her because, as women, we both struggle so much to achieve things. The difficulties can get overwhelming sometimes, but it makes us stronger.

Emilia is even willing to sacrifice her relationship with her kids (Alessio Valentini, Alicia Jaziz) to make things right for her country—which is crazy.

Your advocacy is a boost and boon for female empowerment. Where is your passion coming from? I’ve gone through a lot ever since I was a kid. But I started looking into the plight of other women when I divorced my first husband (football player Luis Garcia), with whom my marriage was “violent.” (Kate’s marriage to Garcia was dissolved in 2004. In 2011, her marriage to actor-singer-model Aaron Diaz ended after merely two years.)

Thereafter, I realized that people looked up to me because I was in a position to help—and, I wrote about this in a book.

After that, I knew that I could do something good for other women. I support a lot of advocacies, but it’s important to focus on a cause that’s close to your heart.

Emilia goes through the emotional wringer in the series. Are her experiences in “Ingobernable” a metaphor for something? It could be a metaphor for a lot of Mexicans, who are “ingobernables”—meaning, ungovernable … especially those who are incapable of following rules.

You became even more “newsworthy” last year when the “secret” meeting between Sean Penn and El Chapo, which you helped arrange, made headlines. Are there common misconceptions about you that you’d like to clarify? One of the biggest misconceptions about me is that just because I was once cast as a female drug lord (in the TV series, “La Reina del Sur”) doesn’t make me a criminal in real life. That’s stupid.

Look, I am an actress, and it’s my job to be as believable as possible in any role that I play. When I’m acting, I am who my character is. But I go back to who I truly am when the cameras stop rolling.

I did nothing wrong. In that situation (meeting El Chapo), I dared to do something that came with a risk—but it was for a project that involved a fascinating character.

…Or it could mean that your characterization (in “Reina”) was believable and effective? Exactly. It probably means I’m a good actress (laughs)!