SDCC 2019: ‘Mayans M.C.’ Star Edward James Olmos Teases Felipe’s Dark Past in Season 2

The cast of FX’s Sons of Anarchy follow-up Mayans M.C. sat down with PopCulture.com during San Diego Comic-Con over the weekend, revealing a few of the juicy tidbits fans can expect in season 2. While star J.D. Pardo hinted at some of the major conflicts in the series with the upcoming season, veteran actor Edward James Olmos is looking at the past with his character.

Olmos discussed a bit of his character Felipe Reyes‘ “dark past” and where it plays in with the overarching conflicts between his sons EZ Reyes and Angel, and the ongoing gang conflicts. For Olmos, he sees this season carrying a lot of reflection of “self” for him and other characters.

“Well, the main understanding is that we’re into trying to get to the point of understanding ourselves. And it’s tough, because everybody’s going after the truth,” Olmos tells PopCulture.com. “And it’ll set you free, but it will also make you cause a lot of difficulties. And so, we’re facing them and that what the people will be seeing this year.”

Reyes was born Ignacio Cortina and is a former member of the Mexican Federal Police and ally to the Galindo Cartel in his past. His efforts to keep his children from flowing into that same poison is a driving force behind his decisions on the series and before, including his escape from Mexico with his family. His new life made possible thanks to a dead woman’s social security number in El Paso, Texas.

An interesting part of Olmos’ chat with PopCulture.com is how much surprise is involved with reading the scripts, learning the story, and discovering the twists characters will take. It is an experience similar to what an audience goes through on a weekly basis, bringing the emotions out to play.

“It’s amazing what Elgin and the writing team done. Every single time we sit down, we get to read the script like you get to see the film on the episode. We sit down to read the script as a group and I mean all of the players. And then we have, also, all the staff and all the writers and all the producers and all FX is there,” Olmos explained. “Everybody’s there and they’re listening to their table read. And in the table read we experience what you guys experience when you’re watching it.”

“Cause we don’t know. We don’t know what’s going to happen so we’re like, turning the pages and there’s a lot of tears, there’s a lot of emotion,” the actor continued. “There’s a lot of humor. But in essence, we’re discovering it the same way that you do. We don’t get the script and then read it outside and then come back in.”

He does add that it can be “really tough” for those characters that don’t make it out of an episode alive, adding that there are “few calls to make.” But in the end, that just adds to the excitement.

Mayans M.C. returns on Tuesday, Sept. 3 on FX.

Stay tuned to PopCulture.com for more from the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con International