Actor Miguel Ángel García shines as the troubled teen Moco in Netflix’s latest drama Blue Miracle. The movie took the streaming platform by storm on March 27, telling the real-life story of the Mexican orphanage Casa Hogar.
In Blue Miracle, the financially struggling orphanage partners up with a grumpy fisherman to participate in the world’s biggest fishing tournament in order to win the $250,000 cash prize and save their home. It’s a stunning movie, both visually and metaphorically as the team of young boys finds home and companionship throughout their journey.
Blue Miracle is García’s biggest project to date and his Netflix debut. He’s a standout actor as his character goes through a series of emotions, learning how to overcome the barriers he builds as a defense mechanism.
Speaking towards the complexity of his character, García shared, “I think Moco is an incredibly dynamic character. Obviously very complicated, too, because I think he struggles a lot with rejection and denial.”
Continuing on, the Los Angeles-based actor added, “Denial is a super interesting thing because it just comes from a place of hurt and it comes from a place of pain. And obviously, rejection does, too. So I think Moco, not having grown up around his father and kind of not knowing where his mother is, he builds a lot of character to stand up for himself and to live life on his own”
But Moco refuses to let himself be limited by the obstacles life throws his way and eventually he finds growth in his complexity.
García commented on this, adding, “I think that he is able to find love through the character and through the hardship that he’s been through.”
García couldn’t hide his excitement for his Netflix debut during our interview, sharing that he “loves” the streaming platform. We had a great chat with the actor, speaking about his character’s multiple layers, his audition process and his next project.
How did García prepare for the role of Moco?
Monsters & Critics: Blue Miracle is based on a true story, right? How did you prepare for this role?
Miguel Ángel García: When I read the script, one of the first things that it said was that it was based on a true story. So I read through the script and it was like, ‘There’s no way I’ve never heard of this story!’ Like how do we not know about this? At least me personally. That’s how I felt. I immediately researched it. I watched a bunch of YouTube clips and looked at the orphanage and what they had been through and the timeline of everything.
I was just amazed with the storyline. The more research I did on the orphanage and the kids in the orphanage, the more it spoke to the character and spoke to the whole story in general. And that was kind of my preparation for getting to know more; doing my research of these people in the orphanage and just watching a lot of YouTube.
M&C: You mentioned your experience of getting the script for the first time and seeing that it was based on a true story. What was your audition process like?
García: Long story short, I saw the breakdown and at the time I didn’t have representation but I saw the role and I read the script and I was like, ‘I can do this role. I know that I can really fight for it.’ So, I sent out many personal emails. I had been to a film festival and I found out that the guy at the film festival knew Julio [Quintana], the director, and got in touch with them.
Through a long series of emails, they actually let me send him a tape. And after the tape, I got called into the whole casting office. And they’re amazing people there.
I got a callback and then I met the producers and that was pretty much it. But it was a long, long process in the beginning of me being really active about it — ‘Hey, I’m going to push for this. I see this role. I see that I want to tell this story.’ You know? I sent many, many emails, so I eventually got the audition through that.
M&C: What is the strongest message that you would like fans of the movie to take away?
García: I really hope they learn that through perseverance, hard work and, you know, a little bit of faith, you can get through anything and you can really achieve your goals. I really feel like that’s the message of this beautiful story, for kids and even for adults. I think that if you work hard towards something and you really fight for it, then you can achieve your dreams and get to where you need to be.
What’s his next project about?
M&C: What’s next for you? You have another project coming up with ABC, right?
García: Yes, that’s right. I’m currently in Atlanta, that’s why you see my hotel room here. I’m filming an ABC pilot called Promised Land, which is an all-Latin drama about a family vying for wealth in Sonoma County. A bunch of power dynamics go on within the very, very wealthy family that is up there in the North of California. And I play Junior, who is the youngest of the siblings. I’m quite the character.
This kid is definitely one of a kind. It’s very interesting, this character because he has so much wealth. I think that with a lot of wealth comes a lot of power and sometimes we don’t necessarily use that in the right way. So it’s kind of a deep dive into affluence and that kind of struggle within a kid.
Watch our full interview here:
Check out our other interviews: The Upshaws and Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!
Blue Miracle is currently streaming on Netflix.