'Narcos' Cast News: Cali Cartel Son Claims Netflix Series Ruined Him
The son of one of the heads of the Cali cartel claims "Narcos" ruined his reputation. William Rodriguez Abadia says the Netflix series portrayed him as a psychotic hitman.
Rodriguez Abadia told Miami Herald that he cannot accept the fictionalized version of his character on "Narcos." Arturo Castro played him on the show as David Rodriguez, the son of Miguel Rodriguez, one of Cali's four leaders.
"I was my father's lawyer," Rodriguez Abadia said. "I was not an assassin for my father. I cannot accept their portrayal of me as a criminal, ruthless assassin and psychopath."
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His character died in the end of "Narcos" season 3 but in real life, Rodriguez Abadia served prison time in U.S. federal penitentiary for five years. He stayed in Miami under parole for seven years.
Rodriguez Abadia said his lawyer reached out to Netflix about "Narcos" but he doesn't plan on pursuing a legal battle. He only needed some things clarified and did so by posting 13 inaccuracies he saw from the third season on his own website.
Netflix told the Cali cartel son producers used publicly available documents to create his character. The streaming platform did not make further comments about his complaint.
Rodriguez Abadia isn't the first person to criticize the depiction of real-life individuals on "Narcos." Pablo Escobar's son, Sebastián Marroquín, also called out the show for its inaccuracies. He cited at least 28 instances when "Narcos" twisted the truth in season 1 and 2.
Escobar's brother Roberto De Jesus Escobar Gaviria, on the other hand, filed a $1 billion lawsuit against Netflix for violation of intellectual property. The suit claimed ownership of the Narcos brand and trademark, which implored the show to rebrand or pay up.
Meanwhile, "Narcos" should be have started filming season 4 in Mexico. There's an uncertainty, however, over production following an incident involving the murder of its location scout.
Netflix has also not made any new casting announcements. "Narcos" seasons 1 to 3 remain streaming on the platform.
