Pedro Páramo on Netflix: Full list of cast

Pedro Páramo is a 2024 Mexican magical realism drama film written by Mateo Gil, based on Juan Rulfo's novel from 1955. The film follows a young man, Juan Preciado, who goes into a remote town in order to find his estranged father, Pedro Páramo. He finds there an unreal, ghostly world that blends the past and present.

The film features cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto and Nico Aguilar, with a score composed by Gustavo Santaolalla. Pedro Páramo had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2024, and was released in Mexico on September 12, 2024. It was made available globally on Netflix on November 6, 2024.

The cast of Pedro Páramo

1) Manuel García-Rulfo as Pedro Páramo

Manuel García-Rulfo stars as Pedro Páramo, the powerful and tyrannical landowner of Comala, Mexico. He is a multi-dimensional character driven by his desires and ambitions. Charming and charismatic at the beginning, he gradually develops into corruption and oppression.

His love and power quests leave suffering in the town as he exercises control over people and land, often through violence and manipulation. His presence pervades the whole text, signifying the haunting nature of memory and the impact of one's actions.

Manuel García-Rulfo is best known for The Lincoln Lawyer and Sicario: Day of the Soldado.

2) Tenoch Huerta as Juan Preciado

Tenoch Huerta stars as Juan Preciado, the protagonist of the film. He embarks on a journey to Comala in search of his father, Pedro Páramo. His mother, on her deathbed, urges him to find his father and collect his legacy.

Young and full of idealism, Juan gradually changes with despair as he discovers the somber truths about his lineage and the haunting nature of Comala. His journey represents a quest for identity and belonging, intertwining personal and collective histories.

Tenoch Huerta's credits include Narcos: Mexico and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

3) Ilse Salas as Susana San Juan

Ilse Salas plays Susana San Juan, the love of Pedro Páramo's life. She is beautiful, mysterious, yet deeply troubled. The film explores Susana's mental condition as she declines into an abyss of memory and fantasy, particularly about her childhood.

Her complex relationship with Pedro is filled with obsessive love and the yearning for a bygone idealized era on her part. She portrays themes of desire, loss, and the vulnerability of the human psyche.

Ilse Salas is known for her work in films like The Good Girls and Cantinflas.

4) Héctor Kotsifakis as Fulgor Sedano

Héctor Kotsifakis plays Fulgor Sedano, one of Pedro Páramo's loyal servants and his right-hand man. In the film, he is depicted as pragmatic and cunning, willing to carry out Pedro's orders no matter how questionable their morality could be.

His character reflects the themes of power play and complicity in Pedro's oppressive regime. In a corrupt society, his character is the darker representation of loyalty and servitude, reflecting the moral degeneration of Comala.

Kotsifakis is known for his roles in Good Day, Ramon, Honeymoon, and La gran promesa.

5) Mayra Batalla as Damiana

Mayra Batalla plays Damiana, a servant and caretaker in Comala who serves as a mother figure. She is one of the few characters who display compassion and understanding amid the town's chaos. Damiana's character is a reflection of the strength of ordinary people in the face of suffering and loss.

Her connections with other characters, especially Juan and Susana, give insight into the community's struggles and the pervasive sense of despair.

Batalla is well known for her appearances in Huesera: The Bone Woman and Prayers for the Stolen.

6) Roberto Sosa as Reverend Rentería

Roberto Sosa portrays Reverend Rentería, the town priest who embodies the moral and spiritual decay of Comala. He is shown to be a hypocrite: unable to give any real spiritual support to his congregation and merely in pursuit of his ambitions.

His figure epitomizes the failures of religion and authority in a suffering community and, above all, the disappointment of faith in a world in which there is evil and sin.

Roberto Sosa is known for his work in films such as Lolo and Man on Fire.

7) Dolores Heredia as Eduviges

Dolores Heredia plays Eduviges, a ghostly figure symbolizing the memories of the past in Comala. She guides Juan Preciado through the spectral world in town. Eduviges represents the theme of death and memory because she relates stories about the people living in the town and their ultimate fates.

Her existence drives home the point that the past continues to haunt the living, influencing the identity and experiences of the people.

Dolores Heredia has appeared in several films, such as Chi-cuarotes, Daughters of Witches, Luto, and Rain.

8) Giovanna Zacarías as Dorotea

Giovanna Zacarías plays Dorotea, another ghostly character in Comala. She carries a deep sense of loneliness and despair. She symbolizes the collective pain of women in the town and the emotional wounds inflicted by Pedro Páramo.

Her character depicts neglect and abandonment and brings forth how personal tragedies are interwoven with the larger narrative of the fall of Comala.

Giovanna Zacarías is known for The Legend of Zorro and Belzebuth.

9) Noé Hernández as Abundio Martínez

Noé Hernández plays the role of Abundio Martínez, a working-class man in Comala. Abundio gets entangled in Pedro Páramo's machinery of oppression. Abundio personifies the struggle of the common man at the hands of tyranny and exploitation.

The journey of Abundio reveals the sour reality present in Comala with a power play in life and the way it has hampered simple men. His end reminds everybody of the price paid by the ambition of Pedro Páramo and the hopelessness of the town.

Noé Hernández is known for his prominent roles in Son of Monarchs, Bel Canto, and Kokoloko.

Pedro Páramo releases on Netflix on November 6, 2024.

Edited by Shubham Soni