because he did more research than I did – he visited the Mara. He told us about their tattoos and had us watch a documentary about the Mara... To perpetuate the Mara, children are important. Smiley thinks that by entering the Mara he’ll be able to do what he pleases. He is a young boy who wants to seem older. Smiley is a regular kid, and you don’t believe that he will do what he does. But he will, he has to, to survive – like anyone in the Mara... My most difficult scene was when Smiley has to cry; he’s sad because he’s been hit and kicked, but he’s happy because he belongs to the Mara. So he’s feeling pain and happiness at the same time. Cary helped me make the character real and to control my emotions while performing. Playing Smiley, I had to become aggressive; he was another part of me that I thought didn’t exist." References External links 1995 births Ariel Award winners Living people Mexican male child actors Mexican male film actors Mexican male stage actors Male actors from Mexico City 21st-century Mexican male actors