In Netflix’s new series The Secret of the River, actress Trinidad González stars as Sicarú, a transgender woman returning to a small Oaxacan town filled with trauma and secrets. González says the setting for the show immediately reminded her of her own hometown: Macultepec, located in the outskirts of Villahermosa, Tabasco. Both are deeply Catholic and conservative, she says, not an easy place for a queer person to thrive. But both the series and González’s story are beautiful examples of finding oneself despite obstacles.
The Secret of the River, out October 9 on Netflix, tells the story of an effeminate, sensitive yet brazen boy named Manuel (played by Frida Sofía Cruz Salinas), who is forced to move in with his grandmother in Oaxaca while his mother is being treated for cancer. There, he’s met with scorn by the macho father of his new best friend, Erik. But soon enough, Manuel encounters a group of muxes, overlooked and misunderstood Indigenous Zapotec peoples recognized locally as a “third gender.” That’s when young Manuel realizes that he isn’t gay, as the townspeople have been whispering behind his back; Manuel is a girl. We later re-meet Manuel as grown-up Sicarù, when she returns to Oaxaca for a funeral twenty years later — and reconnects with Erik. As their paths intertwine once more, they are forced to confront a shared secret from their past that, if it were unearthed, could change their lives forever.
Seeing the young actress Cruz Salinas portray Manuel took González back to her childhood. “I walked like her, I spoke like her, it’s very similar to me,” she says. But she is quick to clarify: “I was always very shy.” Though in childhood she might not have been as unapologetic as Manuel, González is much braver than she lets on. The now 29-year-old moved to Mexico City five years ago to pursue her dream of modeling. She was quickly signed to the modeling agency Supa and moved to London for work. There, she also began her transition. When González came back to CDMX in 2022, she was having trouble finding modeling gigs, but was instead presented with the script for The Secret of the River. She was terrified at the prospect of acting, she says, but the story deeply resonated with her.
Now, starring in a Netflix series alongside Diego Calva, she feels a lifetime away from her small hometown an hour from the Gulf of Mexico. Looking back at the trajectory that led her to this moment, she says, “Fear drives me. It’s the force that gives me strength. I like that.”
Ahead of the series premiere, González spoke with Them about what she learned from muxes on set, her experience with conversion therapy, and the importance of diverse storytelling.
This interview has been translated from Spanish to English and edited for clarity and length.
Do you feel a connection between Sicarú/Manuel and yourself?
I think we have a very similar story. For example, the actress who plays Manuel is a super cute girl. When I first met her, she was very feminine but when I saw her dressed as Manuel, it was like a flashback. I walked like her [at that age], I spoke like her, it’s very similar to me. But I was always very shy … What I love is her bravery in saying: “I am a woman” and treating herself like a woman. She’s a very brave girl. That’s something I applaud and I hope many people, especially [trans] girls, connect with Manuel and have the opportunity to transition at the age they feel is right.
At the center of the series is the friendship between Erik and Manuel/Sicarú. I really liked seeing that, because we don’t often get stories of deep friendships between LGBTQ+ people and straight people onscreen. Did you ever experience this type of relationship?
I didn’t have such a friendship because it was very difficult for me to hang out with boys. People would tell other kids: “Don’t hang out with the gay guy, don’t hang out with the faggot.” Hate is born at home, and people, knowingly or unknowingly, are educating someone to hate something unknown. And yes, it’s like what happens with Manuel and Erik. They are living their friendship, they are super close friends, brothers, and because of the ignorance of [Erik’s] father, out of his hate, they are separated. That’s what happens: You’re living and enjoying your childhood, and suddenly someone comes and plants a sense of insecurity or fear in you.
In the series, the muxes serve as a lifeline and a peek at a life that Manuel had not thought possible. Can you talk about your connection to the muxes and what they represented for you before filming the series?
Honestly, my [knowledge] of the muxes was very limited. I knew they came from Oaxaca. But the information that appears in documentaries is often misleading; it’s all love and parties. When you enter their world, you see that it’s completely the opposite, that they are hurt people, mistreated, judged. Something that really moved me was this need to feel heard, to feel seen, but not seen through this folkloric lens, but through the human side, the true side. They all had the same message: “Trinidad, please tell our story, tell what we really go through.” And that gave me this voice of bravery to bring Sicarú to life and not only tell my story but also tell their stories, the stories of my sisters.
How do you think The Secret of the River portrays Mexico?
I love that this series is very real. First of all, it is a story led and told by real trans women and muxes. I also love that it represents a very authentic Oaxaca, and unfortunately, we live in a country with impunity, where the rates of femicide and transfemicide increase day by day. I applaud the production for saying, “You know what? Let’s do it, and let’s do it as it is.” It shows many faces of machismo, the pain that many women go through, but also the pain that many men suffer from following this system that has corrupted us greatly.
Is there anything you’ve learned about yourself through portraying Sicarú?
Preparing with my acting teacher, Nova Coronel, was like reliving and revisiting aspects of my childhood, touching and showcasing themes that I felt had been a bit settled. I used that to empower the character, but also myself. Thanks to Sicarú, it was a change in how I saw myself, feeling brave, empowered, capable of doing whatever I wanted. I am very grateful for how she embraced me, but I also learned to embrace myself.
One of the key themes of the series is the lack of autonomy and control experienced by children. This resonates strongly with the current anti-trans legislation where larger powers dictate the identities and rights of trans youth. Can you speak on that?
I experienced conversion therapy. And I went through it without knowing. It’s a topic that, obviously, came up when I was in the process of working with my acting teacher. These are things that still hurt, and I don’t know if they will ever stop. But today, I believe that absolutely no one has the right to do that, and I hope that no one ever has to go through it again. Fortunately, in Mexico, it is now illegal; it is banned.
Trans children exist and we must love them. No one has the right to change someone else’s story that doesn’t belong to them. Mexico is a very macho country with a lot of impunity. There are things that are very frustrating, where instead of moving forward, we are going backward. But I think that with projects like this, there is hope and light for people to realize, reflect, and become a little more empathetic about important issues.
The Secret of the River is now available on Netflix.
Talent: Trinidad González @trinidad.glez
Photo and Creative Direction: Xavier Revuelta @xavierevuelta
Creative Producer: Carlos Castellanos @carlinthepark
Hair: Maribel Romo C @maribelromo6909
Makeup: Brenda Dorado @libradelmalmua
Locations por Sebastian Espinosa G.
Produced by @intheparkproductions
Post-production: Paul Sangster @paul_sangster
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