Ben Affleck Cast Luis Gerardo Méndez in Animals Without Meeting Him
Ben Affleck offered Luis Gerardo Méndez a role in Animals after watching him in Narcos: Mexico, then waited until the first rehearsal to meet him in person. Méndez plays Ramon, the undocumented Mexican boyfriend of the couple's housekeeper, in the Netflix crime thriller that Affleck directed and co-wrote, as detailed by Variety.
Affleck stars as Mark Kimball, a businessman running for mayor of Los Angeles, according to Deadline. Kerry Washington plays his wife and Christopher Woodley plays their son Denny, whose reported kidnapping drives the story, Variety reports. Adriana Paz plays the housekeeper. Ramon is also described as a handyman in Deadline's review, which notes Cecilia asking if work could be offered to her boyfriend.
Matt Damon was originally supposed to star, Variety reports. Affleck told Méndez he wanted him after seeing his performance in Narcos: Mexico and then rang Damon to talk about casting "the cop." They had never met. Affleck sent the script with a note promising a rewrite built around Ramon and saying he would call around Christmas for Méndez's thoughts.
Méndez first became known in Mexico for the 2013 comedy The Noble Family, Variety reports. He later starred in season three of Netflix's Narcos: Mexico in 2021 as corrupt officer Victor Tapia. He now splits his time between Los Angeles and Mexico City.
Méndez serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency. He said he hopes Animals prompts conversation around immigration. In discussing immigration enforcement and family separation, he pointed to the recent ICE shooting of 28-year-old Oscar Belgal in New York.
To present the film, Affleck campaigned around Los Angeles in character as Kimball, Deadline reported. That organised street effort fed into a Variety piece headlined "Ben Affleck's 'Animals' Cast Wants Him to Run for Office." Paz and Méndez joined the cast in February 2025, as reported by Deadline.
What makes this stand out for people coming to the story fresh is the distance between offer and handshake. A director rewrote for an actor he knew only from television. The first real meeting happened in the rehearsal room.
