There is one thing you probably didn't know about Joaquín Cosío: his roles in series like Narcos: Mexico not only made him famous among the public but also put him in quite uncomfortable situations with real people who recognize his characters.

In a talk with Adela Micha, the actor revealed how his humanized portrayals of drug traffickers have created a strange connection with organized crime members. "I haven't been the villain villain. They are humanized characters that usually show a very human side," he explained. And that, for better or worse, has made him recognizable in unexpected places.

The anecdotes he shared with Adela Micha are those that give you goosebumps. One of them happened at a restaurant in Monterrey. He was with director Luis Estrada when suddenly bottles arrived at their table. "You turn around and yes, they do look like, they are," he recalled with a tone that mixes humor and discomfort. The guy looked strange and only greeted him from his table.

Another time in Zacatecas, he went out for drinks with a friend and some young people approached him. The situation became tense when they said, "We are the real deal." Cosío was polite, asked what they were drinking, but as soon as he could, he left the place.

But the most terrifying experience happened at a bar in Ciudad Juárez. A blond man, very elegant, approached him and squeezed his hand with an uncomfortable force. Then he returned to his table. He came back again. And again. "By the third, fourth time, I was about to die," he told Adela Micha in his interview. He was with a friend and his girlfriend, but they didn't notice anything. "I was trembling and the guy turned to look at me," he remembered.

Before leaving the bar, the man said something that chilled him: "Be careful when you cross the door." Cosío felt genuine fear. "It's the only time I’ve truly felt my knees shake. That moment is one of the most terrible," he confessed. Fortunately, nothing happened, but the experience left a mark on him.

Regarding his role as Ernesto 'Don Neto' Fonseca Carrillo in Narcos: Mexico, Cosío did thorough research. He discovered that the real Don Neto was a man devoted to pleasures, fun, and gambling, despite being a real criminal. "I really like working with this duality between the villain with a heart; the tough guy who suddenly shows flashes of humanity," he explained his approach.

What’s interesting is that his performance was so well received that, according to him, someone from the production team mentioned that the original Don Neto was happy with his portrayal. "A comment I didn't even want to question. 'Don Neto' is very happy," he joked. It makes sense: the character he built was fun and charismatic, very different from the torturous reality of the original criminal.

Cosío's stories show something fascinating about how art can cross lines that normally shouldn't be crossed. His humanized characters created a real connection with people who lived that life. And although some of those connections were terrifying, the actor achieved something few do: making the audience, even people from the criminal world, feel identified with his roles.