One of the unique aspects of how showrunner Elgin James crafts “Mayans M.C.” is the way he allows his actors to explore other creative ventures within the series. Danny Pino and JD Pardo have both directed episodes of the series. Now, actor Vincent Vargas has transitioned to a writer for an episode. Not just any episode either, but one of the final episodes of the series and the emotional crescendo for his own character, Gilly. And now, Vargas joins Templo Talk: A Mayans M.C. Podcast to discuss his desire to become a screenwriter, as well as his mission to showcase the issues facing military veterans today.
As always, Templo Talk also breaks down the current episode of “Mayans M.C.” Season 5, which is titled, “Her Blacks Crackle and Drag.” This is an episode that deals with the fallout of last week’s incredibly brutal episode, which saw no fewer than six characters die. But since this is ‘Mayans,’ you definitely shouldn’t expect the story to slow down now, as we speed towards the end.
After the breakdown of the episode, you should stick around for the interview with Vincent Vargas, where he talks quite a bit about his character Gilly and how Elgin James was able to use so much of Vargas’ real-life experiences in the creation of the character. For those unaware, Vargas is a decorated military veteran with all sorts of combat experience during his time as an Army Ranger. So, it’s clear that a lot of Vargas has gone into Gilly. And that’s by design, as Vargas and James worked together to plot out the history of Gilly.
LISTEN: Carla Baratta Talks ‘Mayans’ Season 5, Women Doing The “Dirty Work” & More [Templo Talk]
“Elgin [James] asked me to write down some personal stories and the direction of my character, what I’d like to see,” said Vargas. “And in those meetings, I said, ‘Well, I’d love to write just my personal story and see if you want to use any of it.’ And he ended up taking that and using it in a way that I thought was really valuable for veterans… It’s great to play a veteran who is struggling with something on a deeper level and the world gets to see that, as well.”
As for Episode 8 of this final season of ‘Mayans,’ we also get to see Vargas debut as a screenwriter. And just as we saw with folks like Pino and Pardo, James was welcoming to Vargas when the actor approached him to do some behind-the-scenes work on the series.
“I always wanted to be a writer in Hollywood, but I didn’t know how to get there,” he said. “I graduated from the veterans Writers’ Guild program. And when I graduated, I had the confidence to tell Elgin that I was interested…So, I asked for the opportunity, and he gave me the opportunity.”
There are only two more episodes left of “Mayans M.C.” The next episode debuts on Wednesday, hitting Hulu the following day. You can hear our full discussion, about Episode 8 and the interview with Vincent Vargas, below:
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