You remember that theme song. Quién es ese hombre... It’s been decades, but the second those guitars kick in, you're back in 2003, watching the Reyes brothers gallop across a Colombian hacienda. But honestly, when we talk about an actor Pasión de Gavilanes fans still obsess over, the conversation usually starts and ends with Mario Cimarro. Or maybe the drama involving the "missing" cast members in the 2022 revival.
It’s wild how one show redefined the "telenovela" genre globally.
We aren't just talking about a soap opera here; we're talking about a cultural juggernaut that peaked with a 30-point rating in Colombia and became a massive hit in places like Spain and Poland. People didn't just watch it. They lived it. But if you look past the denim jackets and the smoldering stares, the reality of the cast—specifically the main six—is a mix of career highs, literal near-death experiences, and some pretty public feuds.
The Mario Cimarro Factor: Hero or Headache?
Mario Cimarro, who played Juan Reyes, is the face of the franchise. Period.
He’s also famously difficult to work with. If you've followed Spanish-language media for a while, you know the rumors. During the filming of the original series and his subsequent work on Los Herederos del Monte, stories swirled about him being distant or demanding. But here’s the thing: you can't deny the screen presence. Cimarro brought a rugged, silent intensity to Juan that basically set the template for every "tough guy with a heart of gold" in Latin TV for the next twenty years.
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Did you know he was actually blacklisted for a while?
Basically, Cimarro had a major falling out with Telemundo years ago. He claimed he was defending a fellow actor; the network had a different version of events. For nearly a decade, the most famous actor Pasión de Gavilanes produced was nowhere to be seen on major networks. It wasn't until the 2022 reboot that the hatchet was finally buried. He's older now, obviously, but he still carries that same "don't mess with my family" energy that made the Reyes brothers iconic.
Danna García’s Rough Ride
While Cimarro was the brawn, Danna García (Norma Elizondo) was the heart. But her experience wasn't exactly a fairytale. Danna has been quite vocal lately about how isolated she felt during the original 2003 filming.
She wasn't part of the "clique."
She’s mentioned in interviews that because she was already a somewhat established star coming from other projects, there was a weird tension on set. It’s kind of heartbreaking to think that while we were all rooting for Juan and Norma, the actress was eating lunch alone. Then, fast forward to 2020, and she became one of the first high-profile celebrities in the industry to contract a severe case of COVID-19. She was trapped in Spain, away from her son for months. It changed her. When she returned for the sequel, she looked at the role of Norma through a much more mature, perhaps more weary, lens.
The "Missing" Stars and the 2022 Drama
When Telemundo announced a second season nearly twenty years later, the internet lost its collective mind. But then the questions started. Where was Franco?
Michel Brown, the Argentine actor Pasión de Gavilanes fans arguably loved the most, initially said no. He was busy. He had moved on to "prestige" TV like Pálpito on Netflix. The fans felt betrayed. You can’t have the Reyes brothers without Franco. Eventually, the producers begged, the check was likely right, and he agreed to a limited appearance.
But it wasn't just him.
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- Jorge Cao (the iconic Grandpa Martín) didn't return.
- He was replaced by Germán Quintero.
- Fans hated it.
It wasn't that Quintero was a bad actor; it was that Cao’s "¡Las Pelotas!" catchphrase was baked into the DNA of the show. Replacing him felt like replacing a family member. It’s a lesson in TV history: you can’t always bottle lightning twice, especially when the original ingredients are missing.
Why We Still Care About the Elizondo Sisters
The chemistry between the women—Danna García, Paola Rey, and Natasha Klauss—was arguably more complex than the men’s. Paola Rey (Jimena) basically hasn't aged a day, which is sort of suspicious, honestly. She’s become a massive entrepreneur in Colombia. Natasha Klauss (Sarita), on the other hand, has become the "mother" of the group in real life.
If you check their Instagrams, they’re the ones keeping the flame alive.
They do the reunions. They do the TikTok dances. They understand that for a huge portion of the world, they are the Elizondo sisters forever. It's a heavy mantle to carry, but they do it with a lot more grace than most Hollywood stars would.
The Darker Side of Fame
It hasn't all been red carpets.
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Take a look at the supporting cast. There have been tragedies that the "mainstream" English media rarely covers. We lost Sebastián Boscán (the hilarious Leandro Santos) to stomach cancer in 2021. His death hit the cast hard because he was the comic relief. He was the one who made the long, 16-hour workdays in the hot Colombian sun bearable.
Then there’s the physical toll.
Filming in the countryside meant horses. Lots of them. Mario Cimarro actually suffered several injuries from falls over the years. This isn't CGI. These actors were actually out there in the dirt, dealing with unpredictable animals and grueling schedules that would make a modern SAG-AFTRA member faint.
Making Sense of the Legacy
So, why does an actor Pasión de Gavilanes search still trend in 2026?
It’s nostalgia, sure. But it’s also the sheer earnestness of the performances. In an era of cynical, "meta" television, there is something deeply refreshing about a show where people love that hard and hate that hard. It’s operatic.
The 2022 season tried to modernize things—adding a murder mystery and focusing on the kids—but it struggled because people didn't really want "modern." They wanted the raw, dusty, high-stakes romance of the original. They wanted the specific chemistry of those six people.
How to Keep Up With the Cast Today
If you want the real scoop, stop looking at official PR releases.
- Follow the Instagram Lives: Natasha Klauss and Paola Rey often go live together. This is where you get the "real" stories about who still talks to whom.
- Check the "Caracol" Archives: If you can access Colombian streaming services, the behind-the-scenes specials from 2004 provide way more context than the Netflix "making of" bits.
- Monitor the Theater Scene: Many of the supporting actors, like Zharick León (Rosario Montes), have pivoted back to intense stage work in Bogotá.
The story of the actors is one of survival in a notoriously fickle industry. They’ve survived network changes, global pandemics, and the transition from analog TV to streaming. Whether you're a "Juanista" or a "Franconista," the impact of this cast is undeniable. They didn't just play characters; they created a mythos that continues to rake in millions of views on Netflix every single month.
To truly understand the show, you have to look at it as a moment in time when everything aligned: the music, the location, and a cast that, despite their internal bickering, had a chemistry that couldn't be faked.
Next Steps for Fans:
If you're looking to dive deeper into the world of these actors, your best bet is to skip the filtered interviews. Search for the "En Sus Zapatos" segments on Colombian television—they feature deep-dive home visits with the cast that reveal the actual humans behind the icons. Also, if you haven't seen the 2022 revival yet, go in with managed expectations. It’s a different beast entirely, focusing more on the "Gen Z" Reyes-Elizondo kids, but it’s worth it just to see the original six share the screen one last time.