Narcos: Mexico's Teresa Ruiz on why it feels so easy to root for Isabella

Like Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, and other anti-hero dramas before it, Narcos: Mexico invites audiences to watch along as some very bad people do some very bad things, all for their own personal gain of money and power. But, of all the crime bosses and drug traffickers Narcos introduces us to, there’s one that feels especially easy to empathize with—if not outright root for—and that’s Teresa Ruiz’s Isabella Bautista. In many ways, Isabella is no better than Félix Gallardo (Diego Luna) or Pablo Escobar (Wagner Moura), but her struggle as a woman trying to get ahead in a patriarchal industry is one that many can relate to, even if said industry is illegal drug trafficking. At a recent press day for Narcos: Mexico’s second season (which just debuted on February 13), Ruiz spoke about the unique dichotomy between what Isabella represents and what Isabella actually does on the show. She also enlightened us on her character’s real-world inspiration, Sandra Ávila Beltrán, and explained what goes into nailing the perfect “Isabella walk.”