Noé Hernández (actor)

Hernández spent three years attending three or four casting calls every week, until he was signed to do a commercial and then a small role in the film Propiedad Ajena in 2007.[2] The next year, he had his first supporting role in the film Espiral (2008) and then a 40-second role in the film Sin Nombre, directed by Cary Fukunaga.[2] About Resistol, his role in Sin Nombre, the actor said: "he's a drug addict who inhales glue, they actually thought that I was a real vagabond who had been found there".[2] Supporting roles in the films Vaho (2010), Somos Lo Que Hay (2010), and El Infierno (2010), followed.[1]

During the filming of Sin Nombre, Hernández met filmmaker Gerardo Naranjo, who years later offered him the lead role in Miss Bala.[1][2] Written by Naranjo and Mauricio Katz, the film, about a beauty pageant contestant, played by Stephanie Sigman, who witnesses a murder and after that is kidnapped by a gang leader named Lino Valdez (Hernández) who uses her for criminal purposes.[1] From their first meeting, even during the casting process, Sigman and Hernández had great chemistry on camera, as stated by the actor to Gatopardo magazine: "between us there was something... Stephanie was always cast along handsome guys and then I came with this face. I think that immediately we got into the role each of us had to play".[1] Naranjo wanted the actors to react to the situation, instead of learning the screenplay word-by-word.[1] The process was hard for Hernández, since he wanted to analyse the psychology of his character and get away from the narco stereotypes creating Valdez with "no crucifixes, or gold chains, or guns".[3] The film was selected to represent Mexico in the category for Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards and received three nominations for the 54th Ariel Awards, for Best Picture, Best Director (Naranjo), and Best Actor for Hernández.[4][5]

In 2012, Hernández joined the cast of Colosio: El Asesinato, and the TV film Chalán, produced by Canal 22 and directed by Jorge Michel Grau. In Chalán, he played Alan, a driver and assistant to a federal deputy, and this role was his opportunity to play a different role from the villains of previous films, as he told El Informador: "I try to take care of my career, not being involved in any given project, and when I got this role, I really liked it. It is a completely different character to what I was doing before, as in Miss Bala or El Infierno. Those are the challenges that I like, those who do not pigeonhole you, allowing you to put a spin on your work. Characters that are alive and well built".[6]

Hernández signed to play Canelita, the gay best friend of Cheba (Adriana Paz) in La Tirisia, a film written, produced and directed by Jorge Pérez Solano (2014).[7] The plot, inspired by a popular term named tirisia (which means "a perpetual sadness defined as 'the death of the spirit'"), is set in the Mixteca region of Mexico, and centers on two women (Paz and Gabriela Cartol) who were impregnated by Sylvestre (Gustavo Sánchez Parra).[7] When Cheba's estranged husband returns to town, he finds her sunk into a deep depression since she had to give away a newborn (Sylvestre's child).[7] Hernández was hesitant to take the role and the preparation was not easy for the director either, as he further explained to Cine Toma magazine: "I was pleased that an actor like Noé Hernández, who suddenly was falling into the stereotype of the tough, strong, bully, bad Indian man, agreed to play this role. It took some work from both of us at first. For me, to accept him physically and for him to accept the character and built it, but I think it was an experiment that tourned out pretty well".[8] Hernández said to El Universal: "the director told me: you wanted an acting challenge and acting to stop doing the same violent roles, this is it, take it".[9] The film was not exhibited on commercial movie theaters in Mexico since the distribution was expensive; instead, La Tirisia was screened at film festivals such as the Chicago International Film Festival, Thessaloniki International Film Festival and Toulouse Latin American Film Festival, and later had a month-and-a-half exhibition at the Mexican art house Cineteca Nacional.[9] Hernández received critical praise for his performance. Jaime López Blanco of Sputnik magazine found him "exquisite as 'Canelita', as it demonstrates his charm and his comedic talents, showing a totally opposite of his previous work, Miss Bala".[10] At the Ariel Awards of 2015, Hernández received the Best Supporting Actor accolade for the role in the film.[9] After winning the award the actor struggled to find new roles, considered retiring from acting and return to his hometown to work in the country fields, explaining to El Informador: "Of course I'm delighted, who does not like to win awards? The awards are ego boosters, but what I really want is that they can be transformed into stronger work opportunities and complex characters, good roles, and lead roles. This year I only had five-day calls for little characters; the award has not really helped me a lot, let's hope it strengthens my career and leads to more opportunities".[11] At the time, a project with director Nacho Ortíz fell through, and four other films co-starred by Hernández were not distributed in Mexico.[12][13] "Fortunately I'm not married, I have a son who I help moderately and every month I try to survive. Sometimes I say, 'I have income to pay rent for three months I can hold on a little', but then I start to worry and say 'time is running out and what can I do'. This situation has been quite difficult for me," the actor told El Universal.[12]

Two films featuring Hernández premiered in 2015, including Hilda and Mexican Gangster: La Leyenda del Charro Misterioso, and the actor was nominated for a Diosa de Plata for Best Supporting Actor for the latter film.[14] The same year, Hernández joined filmmaker Gabriel Ripstein on his directorial debut with 600 Millas, produced by Ripstein and Mexican director Michel Franco.[15] The screenplay, by Ripstein and Issa López, was inspired by the ATF gunwalking scandal. In the film, weapons smuggler Arnulfo Rubio (Kristyan Ferrer) works for a Mexican cartel led by his uncle Martín (Hernández). ATF agent Hank Harris (Tim Roth), who tries to arrest him, is kidnapped by Rubio to bring to his bosses; during the 600-mile (970 km) drive, they became friends.[16] 600 Millas premiered in the Panorama Section of the 65th Berlin International Film Festival, opened in 150 screens in Mexico on December 4, 2015, and was selected to represent the country at the 88th Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category.[17][18] Coincidentally, La Tirisia, Hernández's previous film, was selected to represent the country for the Goya Award for Best Spanish Language Foreign Film in Spain.[19] In 2016, 600 Miles received 13 nominations for the 58th Ariel Awards, and Hernández won his second consecutive award for Best Supporting Actor.[20][21]

Following his tenure in the first season of the TV series Crónica de Castas, Hernández agreed to be the villain in La Hermandad, a series developed by Claro Video, directed by Carlos Bolado and co-starred by Colombian actor Manolo Cardona and Spanish actress Paz Vega. About his role (Pedro Castro — a police chief), the actor told to the Associated Press: "He is a very particular villain. He does not like to see people suffer, so instead of torturing them, he kills them fast".[22] The actor also filmed in Guadalajara, Inquilinos, playing a janitor in a multifamily complex where a series of supernatural events occur.[11] The film also features Mexican actors Erick Elías and Danny Perea.[11] About his role and the thriller genre, Hernández stated, "It is a genre that is not very common in Mexico and from the little I have seen it falls into clichés, laughter effects, and creating little monsters. What attracted me to this film was the script; is a psychological thriller that takes you down to ground level: circumstances that can happen everyday, but that also have a thriller vibe".[11] In 2018, Hernández joined several actors in the music video for "Banana Papaya", a song performed by Kany García and Residente.[23]