FX's 'The Bridge' Finds Authenticity In Spanish-Language Scenes
It's the best show that you're probably not watching.
As FX's The Bridge ends its ratings-challenged second season Wednesday, it has told a sprawling story about two detectives — one in El Paso, Texas, and one in Juarez, Mexico — pursuing a Mexican drug cartel.
This year, much of the story has centered on reluctant hero and Mexican police detective Marco Ruiz, who's chasing cartel boss Fausto Galvan. Almost all of those moments are filmed in Spanish, helping flesh out characters who tend to remain mere stereotypes in other shows.
I visited The Bridge's set in Santa Clarita, Calif., earlier this year to see how the show films its Spanish-language scenes, watching star Demian Bichir handle a crucial moment while playing Ruiz.
No detail was too small for attention; Bichir even spent several minutes talking about what to do with his shirt.
He was standing inside a detailed re-creation of a Mexican police station, complete with police vehicles positioned outside the windows and smoke pumped into the air to make it look humid and oppressive.
Bichir says maintaining an authentic feel has always been an important part of the show.
"We went through a lot of details about Mexico and how Mexico works and how we could really get away from some stereotypes and cliches," he says about working with the show's producers. "That was pretty much what hooked me. ... We were pretty much talking about the same goals. We wanted the same things."
Just before filming ended for the season, producers were trying to nail a crucial scene for the season finale episode between Bichir's Detective Ruiz, his crooked boss Capt. Robles and cartel boss Galvan.
All of the dialogue was in Spanish, with English subtitles to be added later. And while script supervisor Liliana Molina made sure everything filmed matched the script, she also explained the specific accents to the show's producers. "The third letter, you drop [in words]," Molina says. "Mexicans, they drop one word, the third word of the sentence. It's a trick — how to speak with a Mexican accent."
Mauricio Katz, a director of several Spanish-language independent films, was hired for The Bridge's second season as a consulting producer to oversee the Spanish dialogue. He says getting the Spanish-language scenes right helps maintain the show's realism overall. "TV shows are about creating worlds, right? You can't have a series that's completely subtitled, I understand," he says. "But when you have people speaking in accented English pretending to speak another language, I think it throws you off."
Bichir believes the Spanish language scenes have an impact on Latino viewers, too. "We're giving those 33 million Hispanics in the U.S. ... a point where they can actually identify themselves."
To achieve that, Bichir insists on accuracy. He has family and friends in Juarez, so the star knows how Spanish is spoken there and pushes his fellow actors to adopt the right accent.
No one learned that quicker than Ramon Franco, who plays Fausto Galvan. As a Puerto Rican from New York City, Franco had no idea how Spanish was spoken in Juarez.
Until his first scene with Bichir.
"And he went, 'No, no, no ... it's northern Mexico,' " Franco says. "And I went, 'Well, why didn't somebody tell me three months ago, I would have had time to prepare it?' That day, in the car, he's teaching it to me ... a four-page scene. And the entire crew's looking at me like, 'Oh, my God. What did they just do to this guy?' "
Franco eventually learned the accent, working with a coach and watching certain Spanish-language films on Netflix. But he also found another inspiration for Galvan, based on the anger he felt years ago watching news reports about undocumented immigrants captured in police raids.
"Every day, they were messing with these people ... and I just sat there and I wanted to kill somebody." Franco says he was moved despite the fact that, as a Puerto Rican, he didn't face the same concerns about deportation and U.S. citizenship. "So when [the part of] Fausto Galvan came up, guess what I did? ... All of that anger, all of that power, [went] right to him."
The Bridge won a Peabody award for its first season, but it may not get a third act. The show still struggles for an audience, and FX hasn't said yet whether it will bring the show back.
Still, Franco says The Bridge already has accomplished a lot.
"We are blessed to be able to show characters in Mexico that have never been shown on American TV. How nice is that?"
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Transcript
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Hey, the season finale is tonight for FX's "The Bridge." This show revolves around two police detectives, one in El Paso and one in Juarez, Mexico, pursuing a Mexican drug cartel. Few people are watching this show. NPR TV critic Eric Deggans says that means many people are missing out.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: And cut.
ERIC DEGGANS, BYLINE: No detail is too small for attention on the set of FX's "The Bridge." Standing on a soundstage in Santa Clarita, California, star Demian Bichir is trying to figure out what to do with his shirt during an important scene.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #2: Just lose it, and leave it with her.
DEGGANS: Bichir says this kind of attention creates an authentic feel that's always been an important part of the show.
DEMIAN BICHIR: We went through a lot of details regarding Mexico and how Mexico works and how we could really get away from certain stereotypes. And that was pretty much what hooked me.
DEGGANS: All the dialogue for this scene is in Spanish. Later it'll be subtitled in English. And while script supervisor Liliana Molina makes sure everything that's filmed matches the script, she also explains the specific accents to the show's producers.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
LILIANA MOLINA: (Speaking Spanish). It's like, (speaking Spanish). Like, the third letter...
UNIDENTIFIED PRODUCER: You drop...
MOLINA: Yeah, you drop because we speak different - kind of like singing.
UNIDENTIFIED PRODUCER: Yeah.
MOLINA: And then Mexicans, they drop one word.
MAURICIO KATZ: TV shows are about creating worlds, right?
DEGGANS: That's Mauricio Katz, a consulting producer who oversees the Spanish dialogue on "The Bridge."
KATZ: You can't have a series that's completely subtitled, I understand. But when you have people that are, like, speaking in an accent in English, pretending to be speaking another language, I think it throws you off.
DEGGANS: So the Mexican characters on "The Bridge" often speak in Spanish, including this moment, when Bichir interrogates a man until he makes him cry.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
BICHIR: (As Marco Ruiz, speaking Spanish).
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character, crying).
DEGGANS: Bichir says the Spanish-language scenes reveal new dimensions to his character. And he believes they have an impact on Latino viewers too.
BICHIR: We're giving those 33 million Hispanics in the U.S. un punto de encuentro - a point where they can actually identify themselves.
DEGGANS: To achieve that, Bichir insists on accuracy. He's got family and friends in Juarez. So the star knows how Spanish is spoken there and pushes his fellow actors to adopt the right accent. No one learned that quicker than Ramon Franco, who plays cartel boss Fausto Galvan. As a Puerto Rican from New York City, Franco had no idea how Spanish was spoken in Juarez until his first scene with Bichir.
RAMON FRANCO: And he went, no, no, no. He says, it's northern Mexico; it's different. And I went, but why didn't somebody tell me three months ago? I could've had time to prepare it.
DEGGANS: Franco's relaxing between scenes in his air-conditioned trailer. He eventually learned the accent. But he found another inspiration for Galvan based on the anger he felt watching news reports about undocumented immigrants captured in police raids. When he tackled scenes showing the crime boss's fury and ruthlessness...
FRANCO: Guess what I did? All of that - all of that anger, all of that power, right to him - right to him.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "UNTIL I'M ONE WITH YOU")
RYAN BINGHAM: (Singing) Until I'm one with you.
DEGGANS: "The Bridge" won a Peabody award for its first season, but it may not get a third act. The show still struggles for an audience, and FX hasn't said yet if it will bring the show back. Still, Franco says "The Bridge" already has accomplished a lot.
FRANCO: We are blessed to be able to show characters from Mexico that have never been portrayed on American TV. How nice is that?
DEGGANS: Given how little the rest of American TV depicts Latino characters, that's very nice indeed. I'm Eric Deggans. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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