Right-hand man: Martín Rodríguez delves deep into his character for 'Griselda'

Jan. 24—Martín Rodríguez is enjoying quiet time after the holidays.

Soon, his life will ramp up into high gear as he gets to promoting the Netflix series, "Griselda."

"It's been very quiet because of the strike," he says. "I've been working on auditions and getting some interest."

Rodríguez will be playing Rivi in the new series.

"Griselda" is a fictionalized dramatization inspired by the life of the savvy and ambitious Griselda Blanco, who created one of the most powerful cartels in history.

Set in 1970s-'80s Miami, Blanco's lethal blend of unsuspected savagery and charm helps her expertly navigate between business and family, leading her to become widely known as "The Godmother."

The series is inspired by true events in the Miami cocaine boom. It follows Griselda, played by Sofía Vergara and her right-hand man and enforcer Rivi, who together became an unsuspecting lethal blend of savagery and charm, creating one of the largest drug empires, achieving power, wealth and respect while eliciting unmatched fear.

Unlike the typical cliched narcos hitman stereotype of a cold and brooding thug, Rodríguez's character is charismatic, sexy, and full of intrigue.

His reverence and respect for Griselda, as well as other women he encounters, makes him an instantly likeable character, and provides a stark contrast to the patriarchal tendencies that we typically tend to see displayed by the most powerful men in these types of shows.

While he is someone whose goals exist seemingly completely divorced from the struggle for power and money, he is nonetheless intimidating and deadly.

The character Rivi is based on the real person Rivi Ayala, who is also the only person from within Griselda's intimate circle that is still alive today.

"Rivi is based on a real person and he's in jail now in the United States," he says. "He was very close to Griselda. He's completely fascinated by her and is willing to do anything for her. He supports her in everything that she wants."

Rodríguez says the relationship between Rivi and Griselda grows over the years.

"He sees something different about her," he says. "That touches her deeply. That relation between them becomes very close and remains platonic."

Rodríguez says the very nature of Rivi required eccentricity because it's set in the 1970s and 1980s.

"He needed to have an ambiguous way about him," he says. "I worked on it. We were filming the series for a year and I learned about the time period. There's fashion and art coming together in this film as well."

Rodríguez also found inspiration for Rivi through Jim Morrison.

"I think Jim Morrison captured the aesthetic in his music," he says. "I read his poetry and felt inspired by him. Rivi has empathy, but he's also a killer. I connected with Jim's poetry and that's what helped me move forward with Rivi."

Rodríguez was born in Argentina and raised in Spain.

He started acting in theater at the age of 18 and first broke into the film scene playing the lead role in Enrique Buchichio's award-winning indie darling, "Leo's Room."

For that breakthrough role, he received several awards including the Uruguayan Film Critics Association award for Best Actor and Best Male Revelation, as well as Best Actor at the Festival Del Mar in Ibiza, Spain, and the Festival de la Luna in Madrid.

His career then flourished with roles in films such as "San Martín," "Time and the Wind," "Zanahoria" and "27: The Cursed Club."

In his free time, Rodríguez loves to cook, ride horses, be outside playing sports or at the beach and working out. He is fluent in both English and Spanish.

Rodríguez was intrigued in being part of "Griselda" because of the story.

"I liked the idea of beginning with Rivi and seeing what happened in his past that got him to where he was," he says. "It was definitely a journey and I can't wait until people get to see this amazing story of a strong Colombian woman who makes a name for herself."