Slain Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar is difficult to judge as “to some he’s still a Robin Hood, but to the rest of the world he is a monster,” said actor Benicio del Toro about his character in the new film “Escobar: Paradise Lost.”
PROFILE: Pablo Escobar
Del Toro told press at the San Sebastian film festival in Spain that while studying his character, the actor discovered the contradictory feelings the infamous drug lord stirs up.
“I did feel the pain that went through Colombia at that time,” del Toro said, adding that “anyone who reads about Escobar sometimes finds it difficult to understand. There were good and very bad sides to his life, and it’s true a lot of people got hurt by this man.”
However, said the actor, “the truth of Escobar’s life was that he helped many people, so to some he’s still a Robin Hood, but to the rest of the world he is a monster.”
Escobar: Paradise Lost premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September and will be in American cinemas on November 26.
The movie is centered around Nick, a young Canadian surfer who falls in love with the niece of Escobar and slowly discovers the extent of the drug lord’s power in the South American country.
In spite of having been dead for more than 20 years, Escobar continues to provide material for movies and series. A Colombian television series called “Escobar, the Boss of Evil” broke records when it premiered in the drug lord’s home country in 2012.
Colombian-born actor John Leguizamo is set to star in “The Ballad of Pablo Escobar,” a movie that chronicles the life of Colombia’s most infamous son in history.