A Disney+ and Hulu series “Dear Killer Nannies,” inspired by the story of Pablo Escobar’s son Sebastián Marroquín, is not another “Narcos,” assures Sebastián Ortega (“El Marginal”) who co-created the show with Marroquín and Pablo Farina.
“There have been so many stories about narcos. Too many. But when I met Sebastian, I thought: ‘This is totally different.’ You won’t see a brick of cocaine in the entire show.”
“Our focus wasn’t on drug trafficking; it was on this kid. It’s not about Pablo Escobar – it’s about his son. He’s slowly realizing that what he thinks is normal really isn’t, and that his dad is one of the worst criminals in the world. Imagine realizing your dad is Pablo Escobar. It’s so bizarre!”
According to Ortega, Marroquín has been trying to make amends his entire life.
“He was the last person to speak to [Escobar], minutes before he was shot and killed. Figuring out what was right and what was wrong was a very difficult process for him. He had to bear all that weight and think about all the victims that were left behind. He tried to meet with their families, saying how sorry he was.”
Marroquín also wrote about his experience in a book “Sins of My Father.”
“This project gave me the opportunity to meet a great human being who was able to turn his life around. He’s come a long way. In many shows or movies about his father, he wasn’t portrayed correctly. It was only fair for him to tell his side of the story,” Ortega tells Variety at Series Mania.
Written by Alejandro Quesada, Ana María Parra, Martín Méndez and Ortega, “Dear Killer Nannies” was directed by Pablo Fendrik (“The Bronze Garden,” “Among Men”) and Felipe Cano Ibañez. It was produced by The Walt Disney Company Latin America, Telemundo Studios and TIS Productions, and is sold by The Walt Disney Company.
Janer Villarreal, Miguel Tamayo, Miguel Ángel “Orión” García, Laura Rodríguez, Juanita Molina, Julián Zuluaga, Rafael Zea, Danharry Colorado and Julián Bustamante star, with John Leguizamo cast as Pablo Escobar.
Living in his shadow wasn’t easy, and his son has been “unfairly judged.”
“Sebastián was barely 16 years old when his dad died and had to take care of his mom and sister. He was a prisoner of his father’s crimes. I grew up in Miami in the ’80s and ’90s, and I went to school with lots of kids whose fathers were involved in drug trafficking. They probably all worked for Escobar! Many of them had a cocky attitude, even after their fathers were killed. Not Sebastián. He’s very ashamed of what his father did, but at the same time he still loves him.”
This contradiction is also present in the show, which goes from “love to pure horror” within minutes.
“I’m a fan of ‘The Sopranos’ and I like this mix between brutality and tragicomedy. There’s a scene where they’re having fun in a car and they get ambushed. There were constant warnings of danger,” says Ortega.
“The thing is, you aren’t looking at it from the outside – you are right there, witnessing horrible crimes and then getting a big hug. It’s all in the title: you’re surrounded by people who took care of you, but who also took people’s lives. It’s so hard to grow up in that environment and turn out all right.”
Making the show allowed him to demonstrate that “nothing good comes out of violence.”
“I remember stories about Escobar, because the whole world was talking about this guy. I was horrified back then, so I can’t imagine how his son felt. This is such a great opportunity to see Escobar through the eyes of a child.”
He adds: “It took Sebastián many years of therapy, and giving away material things, but he eventually realized what he really wanted: to move away from the violence and live a peaceful life, because he has never really known peace.”
“I remember him telling me this story of his dad sleeping in a different place every night, or of being surrounded by all this money yet still being hungry, because they couldn’t go out and buy food. That’s when you start to wonder: Is it worth it? Certainly not.”
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