What’s it like for this Miami native to play the head of a cartel on TV? He’ll tell you

“When the humidity hits and the mosquitoes bite, I feel like I’m back home.”

Those were the first things Danny Pino noticed when returning home to South Florida. Pino is a Miami native now starring as Miguel Galindo in the hit FX show “Mayans M.C.,” a spin-off of “Sons of Anarchy.”

Pino is known for his previous turns playing law-abiding good guys on two hit series, “Cold Case” on CBS (2003-10) and NBC’s “Law and Order: SVU” (2011-15).

In “Mayans M.C.,” Pino’s Galindo is an Ivy League-educated businessman who tries to legitimize the family business after taking over as the head of the Galindo cartel.

Pino spoke about the show’s second season, Pino’s work in preparing for his character and diversity, and intersectionality in the entertainment industry.

The violence on the U.S.-Mexico border is portrayed in the show “is unique because it challenges the actor to find the duality of the characters and try to find the humanity,” Pino said. “That’s not to say to glorify them or to revere them, but to try and understand that.”

He sees his Miguel Galindo as a transitional character, trying to bridge the gap between the violence and business worlds by “taking the reins of the cartel in a very academic way.” He added that “even if you don’t like the character, you still recognize his humanity. …We all have a little Miguel Galindo in us.”

That duality is something he attributes to the good writing of the show which features a majority Latinx cast.

“You can’t have the diversity first,” Pino says. “I think the diversity needs to be there, but it needs to be in use at a very high level. So we need to demand that our stories are complex and complicated and interesting.”

“Mayans M.C.” is in its second season and also features JD Pardo and Edward James Olmos.

According to FX, “Mayans M.C.” is “set in a post-Jax Teller world, Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes (JD Pardo) is a prospect in the Mayans M.C. charter on the Cali/Mexi border. Once the golden boy with the American Dream in his grasp, EZ is trying to reconcile with his brother “Angel” (Clayton Cardenas) while searching for the truth behind their mother’s death. Meanwhile, their father “Felipe” (Edward James Olmos) is struggling to lead his sons down a righteous path.

“The series also stars Sarah Bolger, Michael Irby, Carla Baratta, Antonio Jaramillo, Raoul Max Trujillo, Richard Cabral, Danny Pino and Emilio Rivera.

“Mayans M.C.” was co-created by Kurt Sutter and Elgin James. The series is executive produced by Sutter, James and Kevin Dowling. The 10-episode second season is produced by Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions.

“Mayans M.C.” is on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on FX.

Sarah Moreno contributed to this interview for El Nuevo Herald.