Gabriel Luna stars in Matador on the El Rey network
A hot and sweaty sexy secret agent who plays soccer—talk about a guilty pleasure. That’s what the high energy spy thriller Matador is all about. It’s a new series on the fledgling El Rey network started by filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, who presented the show at this summer’s TCA Press Tour for the Television Critics Association. The international espionage, adrenaline-pumped stories are out to grab a contemporary audience with Gabriel Luna starring as Tony “Matador” Bravo, a professional soccer player for the LA Riot team. He becomes known as much for his action off the field as his moves on it. But what his fans and family don’t realize is that his soccer career is just a cover for his under cover work. Between scoring goals and women, Agent Bravo is a spy for the CIA. Bravo is nicknamed “Matador” after he takes out a tough player known as “The Bull” during open tryouts for the team. It’s a hot CIA babe, Agent Annie Mason (Nicky Whelan) who recruits Bravo and throws him into the clandestine world. She is his guide on his missions, with danger around every corner. Alfred Molina plays the badguy/owner of the LA Riot franchise. The production team behind the show includes Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (Hawaii 5-0, Sleepy Hollow, Star Trek Into Darkness), along with producer-director Robert Rodriguez, founder and chairman of the El Rey Network, who says he thinks spy stories are a cool angle to play with. “This guy, Matador, becomes such a huge professional soccer star, but that’s just his cover, and his family can’t know that he’s a spy. He can be in a death defying situation as an agent, and then suddenly he has to go play a game that night. As the star of the game he gets access to people and can go anywhere. But you have to live an extremely double life. There’s conflict, and it’s sexy, and it’s cool. I think that’s why people love that spy genre so much.” Gabriel Luna shows off his soccer skills in the fast paced game sequences, but admits he never played a lot as a kid. “I’m from Texas, so I played American football primarily, strong safety. I ran track, played basketball. When I went to college, I had to find a way of keeping fit that was a little less strenuous on my body, so it was soccer. Now I play with the guys on Sundays in the park. It’s a good way to keep your heart healthy.” Luna says he’s been to a bunch of the LA Galaxy games, and reveals, “There’s a hooligan squad called the LA Riot Squad that’s been appropriated by the soccer community.” Luna does not speak Spanish in the show and he finds that realistic. “I’m fifth generation Texan, and I remember my mother asking my grandmother about certain words to learn Spanish. And I was never really immersed in the language. Now I think that’s kind of funny. So this show is in English for this diverse generation. It appeals to everyone who likes sports, action, drama, and really cool stories about spies,” says the hunky actor. With all the excitement surrounding this year’s World Cup, it’s great timing for the entertaining and inclusive Matador on El Rey, which has already picked up the show for a second season. #
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