Manuel Garcia Rulfo stepped into the shoes of Mickey Haller, the popular character of Michael Connelly’s novel series for the Netflix show, The Lincoln Lawyer. The pressure was real to get it correct and yet make the character his own. After all, viewers have seen Mickey Haller on screen before. On top of that, Matthew McConaughey had played that role on the silver screen. Rulfo was obviously well aware of the challenge he was taking. So how did he create his own version of the character that differed from the charming Matthew’s Mickey?

Manuel Garcia Rulfo wanted to stay true to the Mickey in the book

Although the 2011 flick was a tremendous success, the creators had taken the creative freedom to change things up. For one, Matthew’s Mickey had a Dallas drawl. Book’s Mickey doesn’t have one. Moreover, he’s Mexican American. When the makers decided to cast Rulfo for the role, the Mexican American actor undid all those minor changes and stick to what’s in the books. The fact that he was Mexican American himself made it easier for him to embody the role and represent Mexican culture authentically. 

“I think…It just makes it richer,” he said. 

Rulfo also had the freedom to give his own creative input in the process. Instead of the character heading to a burger stall when hungry, Rulfo’s Mickey opens the door to a Taco place. You’ll also catch Mickey speaking Spanish in the series. 

The actor did his research

Manuel Garcia Rulfo read Michael’s novels to prepare for the role. And it helped him to understand the character better and get into his head.  “You really feel the atmosphere that the characters are going through.” 

Furthermore, he didn’t skip Matthew’s version of Mickey. He watched the movie, and he loved Matthew’s take on that character. He explained that Matthew’s description of Mickey Haller is a man that dances in the rain without getting wet, which helped him in his research.