Ozark: Why Omar Navarro Looks So Familiar
Omar Navarro's presence in "Ozark" can be felt a long time before the dangerous character turns up in the flesh. For two seasons, the leader of the Navarro cartel is the shadowy presence that looms over the events of the show, and when he finally enters the fray in Season 3, it's immediately clear why people fear him so. Haughty, impatient, and violent, the crime overlord is a tiger in the world of house cats — but he also has his code of honor, a deep respect for children and family, and a lingering fear that the many atrocities he's committed for the sake of his empire have irrevocably tarnished his soul.
Navarro is a tough man who has his share of classic main antagonist tropes, but behind them, he's very much a human being. His personality makes him a very interesting main villain and a worthy adversary for Marty (Jason Bateman) and Wendy Byrde (Laura Linney). To portray this very special type of villain, "Ozark" chose Felix Solis, a veteran who does a great job as the volatile cartel leader. In an interview with Forbes, Solis said that he was initially hesitant to audition for the role, but once he committed, he gave Omar his all — including giving the villain a very human side. "I thought, 'How do I do this?' and that's when I came up with this idea that he just has to be a regular dude," the actor said. "He has to be a normal, regular guy."
Solis didn't just come up with his process out of nowhere. With over 70 acting credits to his name, he's played all sorts of roles in all kinds of productions over his decades in the business. Here's where you may have seen him before.
Felix Solis is Detective Kevin Rodriguez in The Good Wife
The CBS legal-slash-political drama "The Good Wife" is a show that has no shortage of characters that orbit Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies) and the other central players. Apart from the dozen or so people in the main cast, the show has a huge arsenal of supporting characters, many of whom are played by massive names from Pedro Pascal to America Ferrera. You need to be able to stand apart in a cast this stacked, especially when you're playing a fairly standard detective role. Fortunately, Felix Solis has what it takes.
Solis' character in the show is Detective Kevin Rodriguez, a cop who makes his debut in the pivotal Season 1 episode "Bang" — the same one that marks the debut of the abrasive PR guru Eli Gold (Alan Cumming). The good detective goes on to appear seven times in the show, with his most prominent appearances during Season 2.
He joined The Rookie franchise as Matthew Garza
A few days before "Ozark" Season 4, Part 2 dropped on Netflix, fans who also keep up with ABC's "The Rookie" had a double-take-worthy moment when Felix Solis appeared in the show. The actor's FBI Supervisory Special Agent Matt Garza is a far cry from Omar Navarro. He's an unconventional and bureaucracy-averse guy who went on to become the team leader — and one of the main characters — in the spinoff show "The Rookie: Feds." Garza is unflappable and professional, with an air of quiet amusement and an individual streak that set him apart from your average police procedural chief archetype. Due to his health problems, he's not without his issues, but he proves to be the perfect leader for a ragtag team that consists of people like school counselor-turned-agent Simone Clark (Niecy Nash-Betts) and former "Vampire Cop" actor Brendon Acres (Kevin Zegers).
As Solis told People, the jarring transition from the "Ozark" crime lord to Garza was a deliberate move on his part. "It's the furthest from Omar Navarro that I was able to find," the actor described his "The Rookie" role. "It's just a pendulum swing. FBI Agent Matt Garza came along, he's a tough leader in the FBI and he carries a badge, [a] straight shooter. That's exciting."
Solis has an admirable history as a guest star in big shows
If you feel that Felix Solis is one of those actors who seem to turn up pretty much everywhere, there's a reason for that. Solis has often guest-starred in numerous extremely popular shows, which means that if you binge a great series there's a decent chance that he'll feature in one or two episodes at some point down the line.
Solis' first guest appearance in a truly gigantic show was in 1997 when he appeared as Victor in the "NYPD Blue" Season 5 episode "Lost Israel: Part 1." Between this and his one-episode turn in "Mindhunter" Season 1, Episode 2, he's popped up in shows that range from "Oz" and "Fringe" to a massive array of well-known police procedurals. In some shows, such as "The Sopranos," the actor has played multiple different guest roles, usually several seasons apart. This career curiosity has led to a very peculiar achievement for the versatile performer: Solis has played no less than nine separate characters across four "Law & Order" shows over the years.
He's a veteran of many movies
A dependable performer in all sorts of productions, Felix Solis has amassed an impressive amount of movie roles over the years. Ever the dependable supporting actor, he can be found playing law enforcement figures in films like 2009's action thriller "The Forgotten" (in which he plays Detective Iggy Ornelas) and the 2004 Julianne Moore sci-fi thriller "The Forgotten" (where he plays Brasher opposite Alfre Woodard's Det. Anne Pope). He's also appeared in projects that range from 2012's Sam Worthington thriller "Man on the Ledge" and 2010's slasher horror "My Soul to Take" to Netflix's Elliot Page-starring 2016 comedy-drama "Tallulah."
Along with his work as an actor, Solis has also directed and co-written short films. His 23-minute family drama "Tinto" was nominated for the best narrative short jury award at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2014. He's also directed "iHeart," a nine-minute 2016 comedy short about dating apps. Apart from his work behind the camera, Solis also appears in both shorts. His experience on multiple sides of the movie business was actually instrumental when Solis prepared for his "Ozark" kingpin role.
"I have my own production company. I do know what it's like to have people look up to you and look for answers when there's a problem going on," Solis told Forbes. "I've had to manage people. I've had to manage relationships. I've had to be around people who're insisting and scary and dangerous. I've had to just because of my life and who I am. I have those references. So I don't necessarily need to look for those."