Ernesto Laguardia returns as a villain in "Amanecer," Televisa's new hit.

On July 7, 2025, Televisa Univision launched its latest star-studded production, "Amanecer," a telenovela starring Fernando Colunga, Livia Brito, and Daniel Elbittar , and produced by the infallible Juan Osorio . This new melodramatic offering marks the return of star actors such as Colunga and Ernesto Laguardia to Mexican broadcast television, and promises to win over audiences and be the new summer hit with a story full of passion, betrayal, and redemption.

The plot of "Amanecer" revolves around "Leonel Carranza" (Fernando Colunga), a landowner who has suffered a terrible loss: the death of his daughter and the abandonment of his wife. Motivated by a thirst for justice and resentment, he decides to force "Alba Palacios" (Livia Brito), an innocent young woman, to marry him. However, unexpected love, family secrets, and the appearance of the doctor "Sebastián Peñalosa" (Daniel Elbittar) further complicate the story.

But one of the big draws of Amanecer is Ernesto Laguardia's return to melodramas, this time playing a complex, emotionally broken character with dark undertones. With a solid career in Mexican television, Laguardia has acted in iconic telenovelas such as "Quinceañera," "Amor Real," and "Corona de Lágrimas," although this time he once again ventures into the realm of antagonists, something he hasn't done in over a decade. In an interview with EL INFORMADOR , the actor shared his enthusiasm for being part of this project and for once again exploring the nuances of a villain with great psychological depth.

"This is a high-quality product presented by Juan Solo as producer, and it performed very well in its presentation; we were number one in ratings," shares the beloved actor. "Furthermore, 'Amanecer' has an incredible cast. It's been a long time since a telenovela had such a complete cast. It's a luxury to work with such eminent television stars, and the audience always appreciates that, seeing their stars. But the story is also very good; Pablo Ferrer's writing is always synonymous with quality, and the audience will be able to see a real story that they will enjoy immensely."

A villain who promises to remain in the memory of Mexicans

The character of "Íñigo," played by Laguardia, is constructed with a strong emotional charge. Raised in a hostile environment, marked by violence and a lack of affection, he represents a man damaged by his past, whose actions—albeit dark—are born from a need for belonging and redemption. His background makes him a villain distinct from the usual archetype of traditional telenovelas.

"Íñigo is an incredible character. He's a lovable character within this very dark world. His character grows up battered from childhood by his father, with his mother's absence, working at a slaughterhouse where he's in contact with animal blood all day long, and then he moves on to the suffering of human beings," says Laguardia. "He seeks to escape life; he feels tremendously alone, and that leads him to do tremendous things, but also justifiable ones. For me as an actor, it's a great challenge to play someone so unlike me, but that makes him more interesting. The further that character is from you, the better. It's always very interesting to play a villain whose way of acting, reasoning, and thinking you can understand."

Unlike other flat antagonists, Laguardia highlights that "Íñigo" has a palpable emotional evolution and a well-defined narrative arc, which enriches his performance and distances him from cliché:

"He's not a simple, flat villain; I don't like archetypes. 'Íñigo' also has his noble sides, his redemption arc. It's always fun to play an antagonist. He's a character I love: dark, timid with the strong and abusive to the weak, searching for his place in the world, and sometimes even pitiful."

Juan Osorio's "Amanecer" promises to be the hit of the summer.

"Amanecer" is made up of a luxury cast, including Catherine Siachoque, Ana Belena, Ernesto Laguardia, Blanca Guerra, María Rojo, Eric del Castillo, Patricia Reyes Spíndola, Julieta Egurrola, Nicola Porcella, Andrea Legarreta, Omar Fierro and Emilio Osorio , under the production of Juan Osorio. Ernesto Laguardia was grateful to work with Osorio, the telenovela's executive producer, who has trusted his acting ability to bring to life such a challenging role.

"Working with Juan Osorio is wonderful. I'm not saying he's the Midas who turns everything he touches into gold, but we saw him on Monday; he was a ratings and audience success," says the actor. "He's also a producer who has great respect for his actors, his crew, and above all, for the profession. I feel very happy to be part of a production like this."

Finally, Laguardia took the opportunity to invite the public to follow this story every night on Las Estrellas:

"I invite EL INFORMADOR readers not to miss 'Amanecer,' because they'll be able to see well-written, incredible characters, each one incredibly well-realized. They'll enjoy this soap opera immensely, from sitting with their families in front of the television to being part of this great story. We look forward to seeing you at Las Estrellas, every day at 9:30 p.m.," he concluded.

MF