Wagner Moura enrolled in university course to learn Spanish for Narcos

Brazilian actor Wagner Moura went back to school after landing the role of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar in TV series Narcos, because he couldn’t speak a word of Spanish.
The 39-year-old, whose native language is Portuguese, reveals he was surprised when casting directors chose him to portray the notorious cartel boss, not only because he bore little resemblance to Escobar at the time, but also because of his limited linguistic skills.
“That was the craziest thing,” he recalls to U.S. talk show host Jimmy Fallon, “because the first idea was to do it in English and I thought I could speak English with an accent… (I thought), ‘This is a big case of miscasting!’
“I was super skinny, I was 40 pounds lighter, and I didn’t speak a word of Spanish.”
Wagner decided to enrol in a language course at a university in Escobar’s adopted city of Medellin to ensure his performance in Narcos would be authentic, and he packed on pounds at the same time.
“So what I did was… I flew myself to Medellin (in) Colombia in order to learn Spanish and I put myself in a university, on a Spanish course for foreigners, so I was in a course with Japanese teenagers!
“It’s just like being at school, learning things and eating delicious food!”
Wagner’s efforts have paid off – the first season of Narcos, which premiered last year (15), received critical acclaim and earned him a Golden Globes Award nomination for Best Actor – Television Series Drama, and Best Television Series – Drama for the show.