Mayans M.C. star Ada Maris answers our burning questions about Dita and Felipe's love affair
Mayans M.C. co-showrunner/co-creator Elgin James has said, vaguely, that season 1 of the FX drama was all about secrets. There are plenty of new ones about to spill as revelations from Dita Galindo and Felipe Reyes’ past come to light, when he was known as Ignacio Cortina.
The Galindo matriarch (Ada Maris) carries herself with confidence and is unafraid of nearly everyone, but is respectful of her son Miguel (Danny Pino) and mostly respectful of her daughter-in-law Emily (Sarah Bolger) — at least to their faces. But when they’re not keeping a close eye on her, she bolts to do her own thing—which we now know is meeting with her former lover (Edward James Olmos).
“Dita is very mysterious and misleading,” Maris, who is married to former Mayans M.C. costar Tony Plana, tells EW about her character. “She’s also a little imperious so she feels like she doesn’t have to explain herself. She says what she wants to say then leaves the room, leaving everyone behind with their mouths open. Felipe used to work for her — so even though they had this history together, there’s this boss lady sense about her even with him. She was probably open with him and vulnerable in a way that she wasn’t with too many people.”
This dynamic will test Felipe’s loyalties to Dita after getting an unwelcome and unaanounced visit from Miguel’s consiglieri Marcus Alvarez (Emilio Rivera) who issues a stern warning to the butcher to stay away from her. This leads the former lawman to reminisce on the past, reading love letters she penned so many years ago.
“I kind of had a feeling that there was some kind of connection between Dita and Felipe for a while, and I don’t know why,” she explains. “It had this quality of inevitability when it happened, you know? I know that we’re the two older people on the show, but I knew that we had to have some kind of connection. When I found out the story line, I loved it.
“I think fans will learn a lot more about their history together as we move ahead, maybe even too much information,” she continues. “It’s really been so wonderful working with Eddie. My scenes with him are my favorites that I’ve ever had on the show. Partly, it’s because we’ve known each other for about 40 years. So that first time I step into the butcher shop and I call him Ignacio, when he turns around…that look on his face — tears just came into both of our eyes. It was all there, we didn’t have to do much. I hope all this comes across in the scenes.”
Dita needs to tread lightly if she plans to keep meeting with Felipe. She escaped once and returned home in his beat-up truck, and the family is growing suspicious. When Emily disappeared from her husband in season 1, she was meeting with Felipe’s son EZ (J.D. Pardo). What is it about the Reyes men?
Nevertheless, Maris agrees that her character needs to be mindful of her extracurricular activities.
“I would not sell Emily short, in any way. But know that Dita is about as conniving and manipulative as it gets.”
And as EZ and his brother Angel (Clayton Cardenas) continue their search for those involved in their mom’s murder, Dita and Felipe’s secret affair makes both Dita and her husband Jose suspects.
“There’s a lot of road to be traveled between [where we are now] and [the point where we find out who was behind it], but what can I say? Dita is so mysterious, but she definitely could be a suspect and with everything that’s happening she is hinting herself in that sort of direction,” the actress says.
“We will have to wait and see about that.”
Mayans M.C. airs Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. on FX.
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