J.D. Pardo’s Smoking Bod on ‘Mayans M.C.’ Is Part of a Much Bigger Story

From their love of motorcycles to their complicated families, there are a lot of similarities between Mayans M.C.‘s EZ Reyes and the club-loving antihero who came before him, Sons of Anarchy‘s Jax Teller. But these two Kurt Sutter-created protagonists are telling two very different stories. You just have to look to their abs to see it.

In an interview with Decider, JD Pardo, the man behind Mayans‘ sweet and morally conflicted EZ, spoke about how every part of his character from his quiet nature to his intentionally ripped body is a reflection of his time in prison. The actor also discussed what it was like joining Kurt Sutter’s world of gritty leading men and whether or not EZ will ever betray the Mayans.

Pardo didn’t watch Sons of Anarchy until he was researching the role of EZ. But once he started watching, he finished the seven-season series in a matter of days. What struck him about FX’s first biker drama is the somewhat fantastical realm it inhabited. He knew he had to be part of it.

“It just felt like a Western,” he said of Sons of Anarchy. “It had this element of danger and these guys making their own rules and survival. You’re living by the sword, you’re dying by the sword.”

Though Pardo is a fan of SOA and what Charlie Hunnam did as Jax Teller, what drew him to Mayans was the show’s more authentic focus. Sons of Anarchy revolved around Jax, the Vice President of SAMCRO and who Padro referred to as the “prince of Charming.” Jax Teller has such a good life, the first time we meet him he’s buying condoms from the store.

Conversely Mayans‘ EZ is far from princely. Pardo’s character is a young man whose promising future is ripped away after he’s sent to prison. He takes a deal from the DEA to spy on a cartel in exchange for a reduced sentence. In the process of spying on the  Galindo cartel EZ becomes the latest prospect for the Mayans Motorcycle Club. Whereas Jax had to mainly deal with the politics of SAMCRO, EZ has to juggle his loyalty to his new club, his relationship with his brother and father, his past love interest, and the stressors of being an ex-con.

“Kurt brought up people being bad and evil or doing bad things, and that’s all we see. We really don’t see what it took to get there — what their heart or what their souls or minds are like before they became that person,” Pardo said. “That’s what really intrigued me about the character.”

It’s EZ’s time in prison that haunts this character — and interests his actor — the most. “He was an extremely smart young man getting educated, and it’s through these tragic events that he goes to prison, and that is where I wanted to focus,” he said. “How did prison shape his psychology? Obviously he transforms physically, and I wanted to create this animal but also really show the struggle of someone who has been knocked down trying to come back up to the light.”

To prepare for the role Pardo watched several prison documentaries as well as the 1978 film Straight Time starring Dustin Hoffman. “One thing I noticed was the eyes, the eyes of these guys. There was a lot of communicating going on without anything being said,” Pardo said. “And I thought of EZ and how could he survive in that kind of atmosphere if that’s not who he was. The only way I feel like I would survive is that I would just mind myself, you know? Not say anything. Not make myself a target.”

This quiet, observation-first mentality EZ learns in prison bleeds into his life on the outside. Pardo noted that it was important to show that after prison EZ becomes a different person to everyone in his life. The EZ who hangs out with the club isn’t the same EZ who has serious conversations with his father (Edward James Olmos), jokes with his brother (Clayton Cardenas), or reminisces with his love interest Emily (Sarah Bolger).

“He’s got to become somebody different to different people,” Pardo said. “It’s really hard for me because I smile a lot in person … EZ, I feel like he needs to find his smile again. You saw it in the flashbacks. He was so full of life before things go wrong, and now he’s trying to get back to that place.”

Even EZ’s body reflects his ex-con past. Pardo noted that the role required him to be fit as a reminder of how prison changed him. But these requirements paired with Charlie Hunnam’s notoriously shirt-optional run as Jax Teller led Pardo to have some interesting conversations  with his friends and family.

“When I could finally tell people that I got [the role], you know family and friends just started reaching out to me. Everyone just started sending me Jax Teller memes of his butt and him coming out of the shower, and they were just like ‘Get ready.’ It was like ‘Oh my god, yeah you’re right,'” he said.

However, Pardo has no problems with stripping down as long as it’s adding rawness and authenticity to the story. “There’s no way they’d have him built up for no reason,” he laughed. “I’ll be showing my chest, I’ll be showing my butt. I’ll be showing everything.”

As for whether or not EZ’s motivations will be revealed as often as his abs, Pardo doesn’t know. The actor noted that he sometimes doesn’t get Mayans scripts until days before shooting. As a result the show’s actors sometimes learn about major twists not long before fans. But Pardo is still fairly confident that the conflicted EZ will never betray the Mayans.

“There’s also a brotherhood within the club and it’s also a family, and it’s something to be honored and respected,” he said. “EZ is searching for himself. He’s searching to find out to get his identity back, he’s searching for peace of mind. And in that search he’s also discovering a club that is about family through his own brother. So I think those bonds are only getting stronger, and I think it will be interesting to see what happens when he’s forced to make that decision.”

New episodes of Mayans M.C. premiere on FX Tuesdays at 10/9c.

Watch Mayans M.C. on FXNOW or FX+