Alice Braga 'Queen of the South' Interview

Brazilian born actress Alice Braga stars in USA Network’s (Bravo in Canada) Queen of the South as Teresa Mendoza. This adaptation of Arturo Pérez-Reverte’s best-selling novel, La Reina Del Sur, follows Teresa’s journey as she learns the tools of the trade and positions herself as the leader of the very drug cartel that had her on the run.

Before her television debut, Braga received critical and international recognition for her stirring performance in City of God, which helped catapult the film to multiple Golden Globe® and Oscar® nominations. The multiple-award winning actress’ other credits include Lower City, The Milky Way, By Way of Helena, The Shack, and many others.

When Queen of the South debuted last year, it became an instant hit. Viewers were riveted with Teresa's plight and how she was going to manage to stay alive.

In the first season, we meet Teresa Mendoza who falls in love with a member of a successful drug cartel. She knows that being with this man Guero (Jon-Michael Ecker) may not be the smartest move but she hopes the love will help her rise above the hopelessness she feels in her life.

When it doesn't happen, she is forced to flee the country after her boyfriend is murdered. She seeks refuge in America, where she teams up with someone from her past to take down the leader of the drug ring that is after her.

Soon thereafter and without much choice, Teresa begins her own drug empire, becoming one of the world's wealthiest women in the process. With her success, she learns that money isn't the answer to her problems, and that she can trust no one. Teresa can really only depend on herself if she wants to stay one step ahead and stay alive.

Alice Braga loves working on this series, mainly because Teresa is so far removed from her real life. She gets to do things on this show she never in a million years thought she’d be given the chance to do, and one of those things is using a gun.

“I have to say it's very scary," she mentioned during our interview. "I don't like guns personally I think that they are very scary and dangerous, but because I had to hold them so much I got used to it for the role. Once the day is wrapped, I am happy to give it back to the props master."

There were also some major gasp moments in Season 1, specifically during the finale when viewers (and Teresa) were given quite the shock when we discovered that her former drug-dealing boyfriend, Guero, is still alive.

"It was amazing. I remember when we had to shoot the re-encounter with the characters. It was such an emotional moment, especially because throughout the entire Season 1 I built up all the pain for Teresa based on the pain from losing the love of her life and then suddenly he's back. The idea of seeing someone that in your heart is dead was absolutely heartbreaking to play out, for both of us."

What is Braga most excited about for viewers to see in Season 2?

"I can't wait for fans and viewers to see Teresa's journey," Braga said during our interview. "Her strength to stay alive, her pragmatism, and not being treated like a victim. What I love most about Teresa is that she is a very strong woman, and these roles are hard to get these days."

I spoke with Alice Braga via satellite from Los Angeles to talk about what's in store for Season 2 of Queen of The South, and whether or not she gets to keep any of the amazing clothes she gets to wear throughout the series.

Queen of the South airs Thursday nights on USA Network. Season 2 will premiere on July 18 at 9pm on Bravo Network in Canada.