The first season of Jenni Rivera: Mariposa de Barrio, the biographical series based on the late singer’s autobiography Unbreakable: My Story, My Way, is available for streaming on Netflix as of January 2021. The 91-episode season originally premiered on Telemundo in June 2017. The actors who were cast in the series had the difficult task of transforming themselves to believably portray real people. Playing a real person is a lot harder than creating a character from scratch because the portrayal can so easily turn into bad impersonation or a caricature. Daunting, but the stars of the show did it and did it well enough that soon after it became available on Netflix, it quickly hit Netflix’s Top 10 in the US list.
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This got us to thinking about where the actors who starred in the show are now and what they’re up to. Yes, it’s true, we are totally guilty of doing that thing where you’re watching a show and at the same time looking up the actors on the show. Hey, what can we say? We’re just curious that way. But we also like to share what we learned because we're sure we’re not the only ones who want to know. So, we present you with a few of our favorite Mariposa de Barrio actors updates so you can check out what they’re up to now.
Regina Orquín was one of three actresses who portrayed Jenni Rivera.
Regina was cast to play Jenni from ages 9 to 12 years old. She does a great job of showing what it was like to grow up in a houseful of brothers. Of course, because Regina was portraying Jenni as a child, Regina herself was a little girl at the time of filming.
Regina is a few years older now and still acting.
Regina went on to play the young version of Alondra Martínez in the television series Al Otro Lado del Muro. Guess who else was on that show? Gabriel Porras, who played Jenni's dad Pedro Rivera in Mariposa de Barrio.
Samadhi Zendejas also portrayed Jenni.
Samadhi Zendejas played Jenni ages 13 to 25 years old. And not that we're bragging about knowing her or anything, but she did tell us that playing Jenni taught her so much and opened so many doors for her. And, yes, we have receipts.
What is Samadhi Zendejas up to nowadays?
Oh, you know, just living her best life. Samadhi has a long acting resume as she's been acting professionally since she was a child. Her career shows no signs of slowing down either. One of her more recent roles includes Cirse Gaona on the series Falsa Identidad.
Angélica Celaya portrayed the oldest version of Jenni.
It's sad to think that Angélica Celaya played the oldest version of La Diva de la Banda because Jenni was only 43 years old when she died. "I have received so much emotional feedback from the fans," the actress said in an interview. "I think the fans knew Jenni had a troubled adolescence and early adulthood, but I don't believe they were ready to see it on screen. We've kept the good, the bad, and the ugly of Jenni's life because we need to understand the entire story to appreciate the legend she later became. Her fans have cried with the episodes, and a lot do find themselves relating to her past."
What is Angélica Celaya up to nowadays?
In her own words, she's got "Big Hair, Big Dreams." She hasn't stopped building her acting resume. Since playing Jenni, she's had roles in the movies Danger One and Skin in the Game as well as parts in the shows Preso No. 1 and Pandora.
Tony Garza portrayed José "Trino" Trinidad Marín.
Tony Garza said that one of the most difficult parts of playing José Trinidad Marín, Jenni Rivera's first husband, was going to really dark places that included sexual abuse and physical violence.
What is Tony Garza up to nowadays?
Well, clearly, he's still working out. Aside from keeping all those muscles from atrophying, he's also continued to act. He's appeared in the mini-series Milagros de Navidad, the series FIFA Forever, and is set to play Mr. Osuna in DFW the Series: Traffickers.
Gabriel Porras portrayed Pedro Rivera, Jenni's dad.
Gabriel Porras said that in order to play Don Pedro Rivera, Jenni's father, he had to focus on the man's essence and intentions. He said this was especially true because he doesn't physically resemble Pedro Rivera.
What is Gabriel Porras up to nowadays?
He is a busy man. He's been acting nonstop since Mariposa de Barrio and he's also producing movies. On January 13, 2021, he posted a pic of himself hard at work and wrote: "I'm lost because one of my projects is to produce a movie in the Dominican Republic , that requires a lot of effort and I'm locked in working on the script."
Julio Ocampo played the younger version of Pedro Rivera.
Julio Ocampo portrayed Pedro Rivera between the ages of 17 and 34, a time when Jenni's father was working hard to realize his dream of building the Rivera empire. He captured that visionary with a strong drive and attitude very well.
What is Julio Ocampo up to nowadays?
We're not sure what Julio Ocampo is up to workwise, but his IMDB filmography shows Mariposa de Barrio as his last acting credit. We can tell you that he's loving being a dad to his daughter Zoe.
Rosalinda Rodríguez portrayed Rosa Saavedra de Rivera, Jenni’s mom.
Rosalinda Rodríguez portrayed Rosa Saavedra de Rivera from the ages of 34 to 63. “I met her Doña Rosa Rivera she is gorgeous, she’s such a sweetheart," said Rosalinda about playing Jenni’s mom. "So that helped me a lot during this very hard period of working with her life. It was tough.”
What is Rosalinda Rodríguez up to nowadays?
Aside from keeping busy acting in Delirio, the Movie and shorts Housegirl and Interview With Marilyn, Rosalinda is a poet. Here’s how she describes it: “I share poetry so that the confinement of the body does not take wings away from the Soul.”
Don't forget to check out 'Jenni Rivera: Mariposa de Barrio' on Netflix.
If you want Netflix to keep bringing you content starring Latinos telling Latino stories, the best way you can let the streaming service know is by watching. If shows like Mariposa de Barrio do well on their platform, then it stands to reason that it will take notice and bring us more. You can stream Mariposa de Barrio on Netflix now.
