Film and television actor, writer and director Danny Pino joins us on the podcast this week to chat about his experience on the hit FX series Mayans MC, spin-off of the long-running Sons of Anarchy. Danny shares how refreshing it was to play a villainous character like Miguel in Mayans after multiple seasons (and nearly 300 episodes combined) as everyday heroes like Scotty Valens in Cold Case and Nick Amaro in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, with Miguel being the head of a drug cartel.

“Trust me, I’m one of the first ones to be skeptical when reading that description in a character. But digging deeper into who Miguel is and understanding the level of writing that we have on the show, it’s anything but stereotypical,” he said. “That is merely his job description. Really learning the range of what was capable and what the writers offered me was something that I was incredibly excited about.”

Pino also shared that the time he felt most represented growing up was when he saw Desi Arnaz as Ricky Ricardo in I Love Lucy, a TV icon he would get the chance to portray in the 2003 CBS TV movie Lucy opposite Broadway’s Rachel York. “It was an honor, it was a lot of pressure but definitely an honor and something I took very seriously representing and trying to find that authenticity and humanity that he exuded,” he said of playing the role.

Keep an eye out for Danny’s Mayans directorial debut which he teased during our chat, “I was given the opportunity by Elgin James and FX to direct episode 408. I’m incredibly excited about it and equally grateful for the opportunity.”

You can see Danny Pino in Mayans MC, Tuesdays at 10pm on FX.