Netflix‘s new Mexican original series The Surrogacy, or Madre de Alquiler, is a powerful melodrama about a woman named Yeni who decides to become a surrogate for a wealthy and influential family in order to save her father from jail. Events escalate and years later Yeni finally finds out the whole truth.
The show is intense as it attempts to explore a subject as controversial as surrogacy. It has already made Netflix’s Top 10 in 22 countries since premiering on June 14, and if the success of other Latin American productions on the platform is any indication, it’ll only grow from there.
Who is the cast of Netflix’s Madre de Alquiler and what characters do they play?
The main character Yeni, a woman of humble origins who sees herself forced to become the surrogate mother for a powerful family in order to get her dad out of jail, is played by Shaní Lozano Hernández, who goes by the stage name Shaní. She was born in Xalapa, Veracruz in Mexico and Madre de Alquiler is her first television show.
Famous Mexican actress Leticia Calderón pays Nora Huizar — the matriarch of the family and the villain of the show. She’s the mother of Carlos and mother-in-law of Julia — the couple whose baby Yeni carries. She’s the president and owner of Industrias Farmacéuticas Huizar, the family’s successful farmaceutical company.
Carlos Huizar is played by Luis Ernesto Franco, best known for playing Daniel Phillips in Telemundo’s Señora Acero. Carlos and Yeni eventually develop a romantic relationship. Julia, Carlos’ wife, is played by singer and actress Marcela Guirado. Netflix fans might recognize her from the show El Rey, Vicente Fernández where she played the romantic interest Cuquita.
The cast of Madre de Alquiler also includes Camila Selser as Fernanda “Fer” Huizar, Carlo’s young sister, who, alongside her husband Arturo Lemus (played by Alejandro de la Madrid), wants to make sure their child — the family’s first — becomes the heir to the company.
The cast is completed by Manuel Balbi as Francisco, Fernanda Borches as Dra. Marcela Ortiz, León Michel as David, Cecilia Toussaint as Cuca “Cuquita,” Daniela Bascope as Irene Avilés, Omar Germenos as Roberto, and Minnie West as Sonia.