After more than a decade playing the drug trafficker Aurelio Casillas, actor Rafael Amaya reaches the end of “El Señor de los Cielos” feeling as if he “has run a marathon” and determined to apply the experience he has gained to the development of new original productions.
“It’s as if I’d run a ten-year marathon, with its ups and downs. (…) These ten years have been like a Ph.D.,” Amaya said in an interview with EFE when describing the series finale, whose tenth season will premiere on July 7, marking the end of the character he has played since 2013.
“El Señor de los Cielos” helped cement the rise of narco-series on Hispanic television, and with ten seasons and nearly 800 episodes, it became one of the most successful, longest-running, and influential franchises in the genre.
Looking back on his career, the 49-year-old actor acknowledges his professional growth both as a performer and as a producer—a dual role he takes on in this latest installment.
The series, loosely based on the Mexican drug trafficker Amado Carrillo Fuentes—known for operating a fleet of planes to smuggle drugs—was one of the first to address the violence associated with drug trafficking in Mexico.
“I remember having high expectations, and the more I learned about the situation in the country, the more afraid I became… but my excitement outweighed my fear,” Amaya recalls.
In his view, part of the series’ success—in addition to its action scenes and large production budget—lies in its ability to connect with audiences through stories that explore the human condition.
“How would someone really behave in a situation like that? That’s what I really emphasized as an executive producer,” he says.
Amaya explains that the series filled a gap that existed in Spanish-language television.
“It took courage, a desire to do things differently, and a drive to make history in Hispanic television—and that’s exactly what we achieved,” the actor sums up after reflecting on his experience.
The Ending of ‘El Señor de los Cielos’
Amaya explained that even though this season marks the end of the character, his essence remains intact: “Family, and Aurelio being who he is—that doesn’t change.”
What does vary, he noted, are the circumstances surrounding him, which are now becoming more extreme and putting Aurelio to the test as he refuses to “hand over the reins” despite pressure from those around him who believe they can take his place at the head of the organization.
“It has everything that defines ‘El Señor de los Cielos’: logic, unexpected twists, betrayal, ambition—with more mature characters,” he asserts.
With the conclusion of this phase, Amaya is staying true to the theme of drug trafficking and is already working on new projects related to that world.
The actor, who claims to have found “the formula” for what a production needs to connect with audiences, has spent the last three years developing a project about the life of Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán from the perspective of his wife, former beauty queen Emma Coronel.
“These are stories that interest the public,” he says. “‘El Señor de los Cielos’ is known for taking events happening in the country and turning them into fiction. And this is the same thing, except that this time the characters are real people,” he explains.
Amaya will star in the series and serve as executive producer alongside Coronel through his production company, Amaya Productions, and Zero Gravity Management.
“We’re taking care to ensure that the story is told as it should be and that it appeals to the audience. But we already have that formula,” says the actor, referring to what he has learned over the years working on Telemundo productions, according to Agencia EFE.