'Orange Is the New Black' Star Pablo Schreiber, aka George 'Pornstache' Mendez, on Working With Strong Latina Cast, New HBO Gig 'The Brink'
Actor Pablo Schreiber, who plays the recurring role of a crooked corrections officer named George "Pornstache" Mendez on the wildly popular Netflix series, "Orange Is the New Black," has learned that acting gigs are way cooler when you can sport a killer mustache and work alongside a strong cast of diverse women that includes many talented Latinas.
Named after Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, Schreiber, who has starred in "Weeds," "The Wire" and "Law & Order: SVU" and is the half-brother of Liev Schreiber, may not be Latino, but he tells Latin Post that there's something special working with a strong Latina cast.
"It was great working with the entire cast, but the Latina females have a certain 'je ne sais quoi' or 'yo no sé,'" he told Latin Post. "I love how that show kind of takes all of the different races and puts them in their own places in the cafeteria, so every day you come and in between shots, you can chose who you sit with, and I don't know if it's my personal pre-election to Latin women, but I always chose the Latin girls."
Netflix's "Orange Is the New Black" is a huge hit and has made its mark on TV, pop culture and social media with its strong cast and a solid representation of races and ethnicities, including a large group of Latina actresses like Dascha Polanco (Dayanara Diaz), Selenis Leyva (Gloria Mendoza), Elizabeth Rodriguez (Aleida Diaz), Diane Guerrero (Maritza Ramos), Jessica Pimentel (Maria Ruiz), Barbara Rosenblat (Miss Rosa,) Laura Gómez (Blanca Flores) and Jackie Cruz (Flaca Gonzales).
Based on the memoir by Piper Kerman, "['Orange Is the New Black'] details the lives of women in prison, shedding light on neglected issues in the jail system in the perspectives of whites, blacks, Latinas, transgenders and other groups."
While Schreiber loves taking on the recurring role of the "slime-ball" character," George "Pornstache" Mendez, it almost didnt' happen. Schreiber was reportedly originally considered for the part of Larry, played by Jason Biggs, but he was thrilled to learn that he would be playing the slimey role of "Pornstache."
"And then I read the script and I saw this guy, Pornstache, and thought, 'This is a way to mess with people's perceptions. And then I read the book, and the guy was this completely sadistic pig, and I knew right away that he was mine," he told Vulture.
"Pornstache" has gained a following and is considered a "scene-stealer" that it was recently dubbed one of "The 10 Greatest TV Characters of All Time" by Global Grind -- a title of which he was really proud, so much so that he retweeted it.
Did Global Grind just call #Pornstache one of the 10 Greatest TV Characters of All Time? I believe they did! https://t.co/9YuPqKMUKH
- Pablo Schreiber (@schreiber_pablo) June 28, 2014
Schreiber told Jimmy Kimmel that he loves the "crazy nickname." "It's like the biggest gift you can get as an actor," he told Kimmel. "We're gonna give you a name that's gonna be iconic, and no one will ever forget."
He also said, "Pornstache's mustache is glued on," which was a relief for him because he doesn't have to be worried that he will be recognized as the rude character that fans love and hate. Schreiber won't be having this concern for too long, however: His character is reportedly fading to black in the third season as he embarks on new projects.
Last week, Schreiber showed his support for fellow comedic actors Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone (who was making his directorial debut) by attending a special New York screening of "Tammy" at Landmark Sunshine Cinema on June 26. He also discussed his latest gig on HBO's "The Brink."
"The dark comedy focuses on a geopolitical crisis and its effect on three disparate and desperate men -- U.S. Secretary of State Walter Hollander (Tim Robbins), lowly Foreign Service officer Alex Coppins (Jack Black), and ace Navy fighter pilot Zeke Callahan (Schreiber). The trio must pull through the chaos around them to save the planet from World War III," according to TV Guide.
From where does Schreiber draw his humor?
"Life," he told Latin Post. "There is humor in everything especially the things that are really not funny on the surface tend to be the funniest things when you allow them to. Finding humor in tragedy, in sadness and embarrassment -- those are the things that usually turn to gold."