‘Ozark’ co-star Alfonso Herrera on Javi’s ‘dark presence’
nypost.comWarning: Spoilers ahead for Season 4 of “Ozark.”“Ozark” fans saw Javier “Javi” Elizondro blow away newlyweds Darlene Snell (Lisa Emery) and Wyatt Langmore (Charlie Tahan) with two shotgun blasts in Episode 7 of the drama’s final season on Netflix.That wasn’t quite the wedding gift anyone expected, but Alfonso Herrera, who plays Javi, says there are other layers to the ambitious, calculating nephew of Mexican cartel kingpin Omar Navarro (Felix Solis) — who knows his nephew has him in his deadly sights.“When I first got the script, and even when I got my lines for the audition, I saw something very interesting about Javi,” Herrera, 38, told The Post. “He likes to enjoy life, to be in the present with the birds or when he’s having dinner or talking to someone.”Viewers met Javi this season as Marty and Wendy Byrde (Jason Bateman, Laura Linney) inextricably aligned themselves with Novarro, who tasks them with a scheme to “launder” him through the FBI so he can travel freely between Mexico and the US without fear of being arrested.
It’s a tall order — and, thus far, the plan has not worked out.Javi, meanwhile, is running Omar’s business interests in Missouri, including the Byrdes’ riverboat casino … and is lying in wait to seize control of his uncle’s empire — by whatever means necessary.“We know [Javi] is ambitious and wants to transform his empire and his uncle’s business, not only as a family business but as a corporation,” Herrera said. “He’s charismatic and very unpredictable and obviously has a dark presence.“At the same time, it’s very interesting to ground the character and avoid the cliches.”Herrera likens the dynamic between Javi and Omar as “very Shakespearean” and for reasons that might not be readily apparent.
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