Who doesn’t love Michael Peña? The chicano actor has been in plenty of great television and film, making viewers feel every range of emotion from utter despair to terrifying chills, and even providing some gut-busting laughs along the way. For a man with such an incredible talent (and such a long-ranging career, having begun acting in the ’90s), whittling down his performances to 10 of the best isn’t an easy task. But, we’ll take any opportunity to rewatch some of his greatest hits, so we can see this sparkling actor at his very best. In our humble opinion, here are the 10 best Michael Peña movies and TV shows!
10. Eastbound and Down
It says a lot about what a brilliant performer Peña is that our first entry on this list is a series he only had a small part in, but every second that he was on the hit comedy Eastbound and Down, he truly stole the show. The Will Ferrell and Adam McKay-produced series follows a former professional baseball player named Kenny Powers (Danny McBride), who’s forced back to his hometown to become a substitute gym teacher, and ran for four hilarious seasons on HBO.
Peña only appeared in five episodes in the second season of the show (which took place in Mexico), but his turn as Sebastian Cisneros, the filthy rich owner of the Charros (the Mexican baseball team that Powers plays for while south of the border) is excellent. Almost every line from Peña’s mouth in his arc is gold, and his flamboyance is matched by his brilliance.
9. The Shield
All the way back in the 2000s, around the same time as the iconic cop show The Wire came out on HBO, FX was also producing its own dark, morally ambiguous police series: The Shield. The show follows a group of corrupt L.A. police officers as they take on gangs and drug dealers using criminal methods. The series ran for seven incredible seasons, winning plenty of critical praise for its forthright portrayal of bad cops.
Peña took on a starring role in season four, appearing in ten episodes as Detective Armando “Army” Renta, a former marine who briefly worked with the corrupt strike team at the heart of the series. Captivating and gritty, Peña is a magnetic on-screen presence, and his ability further elevates an already excellent show.
8. The Martian
This sci-fi flick stars Matt Damon as an astronaut left behind on Mars, and follows various attempts by NASA to save him. The film itself is smart and thrilling, with pockets of great humor thrown in despite the pretty harsh subject. Plus, any science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott is already likely to be pretty good, and when you add in the brilliant visuals and unique aesthetic of The Martian, you have yourself a classic in the making.
Peña plays Major Rick Martinez, a fellow astronaut who’s on the same mission as Damon’s character, and although his screen time isn’t huge, he is his usual brilliant self, managing to blend comedy and drama perfectly. Damon might be the captivating star, but Peña is one of the reasons this film holds your attention the whole way through.
7. Observe and Report
Although this 2009 black comedy didn’t quite hit the critical heights of some of Peña’s other work, his performance in it makes it worth watching. Seth Rogen stars as an overzealous mall cop who becomes obsessed with catching a flasher who’s terrorizing his place of work. Aside from Peña, there are pretty good performances from Anna Faris and the late, great Ray Liotta, but generally, the film’s comedy falls flat. With that said, every scene with Peña’s character – one of Rogen’s fellow mall cops – is absolute gold, and he plays the part absolutely brilliantly.
6. American Hustle
Vaguely based on a true story, this epic mix of black comedy and crime was critically praised when it was released, and for good reason. The film was inspired by an FBI investigation that led to the conviction of several prominent U.S. politicians for bribery and received 10 Oscar nominations, as well as countless other awards. Peña plays the role of FBI agent Paco Hernandez, who agrees to go undercover as a Sheikh in a vital part of the film. He plays the character excellently, adding depth to a role that could have been something much simpler, and showing a real ability to steal the show from some truly incredible actors.
5. Fury
This dark WW2 drama was Suicide Squad director David Ayer’s passion project, so much so that he made his cast go through four weeks of Navy SEAL training, as well as live with and antagonize each other during filming – and it shows with the brilliant, fraught, emotional performances of all its stars, including Peña.
The film shows the final weeks of the war from the perspective of an American platoon in Europe, fighting off the last of the Nazi war effort. Always gritty and at points hard to watch, Peña is particularly riveting as Trini “Gordo” Garcia, a tank driver who eventually sacrifices himself to save his crew. The film was noted for its attention to detail, and although some of the movie doesn’t quite live up to the more intense parts, it’s definitely a captivating watch – in no small part thanks to Peña.
4. Cesar Chavez
Peña stars as the titular character in this excellent flick about the Mexican-American union leader Cesar Chavez, and boy does he sparkle in the role. It was also the first English language feature film Diego Luna directed, so there’s plenty of star power involved, even though the film itself was quite a small production.
Cesar Chavez is about the labor leader’s attempts to organize tens of thousands of Californian farmworkers so they could fight for better pay and conditions. Many of the workers were what’s known as braceros, temporary laborers from Mexico allowed to live in the States as long as they worked in agriculture, but forced to return south of the border if they stopped. In real life, this obviously led to a lot of labor abuses by ranch owners, which was often combined with violence and racism from locals too. Chavez formed a union known as the United Farm Workers (UFW) to combat this, and the movie shows several of their accomplishments, including the 1975 Modesto march and the Salad Bowl strike. An intriguing look at U.S. labor history, underpinned by a startling performance from Peña.
3. Ant-Man
This 2015 Marvel flick closed out Phase 2 of the MCU and did so in style thanks to the stellar work of Paul Rudd in the role of the titular character, as well as an outstanding supporting cast that included Peña – who quickly became a fan favorite. As Scott Lang, Rudd is his usual charming self, and Peña is an excellent foil, playing the part of Lang’s former cellmate and fellow petty criminal Luis. Their on-screen chemistry was one of the best things about an already great film, and as the movie carries on you only gain more sympathy for the pair, even as they fall into slightly morally dubious territory (before Lang ends up as the good guy, of course). Peña is hilarious and empathetic, the perfect blend for a film like this.
2. End of Watch
Another David Ayer film, this action thriller is shot documentary-style and follows two cops and close friends as they go about their business in the infamous area of South Central L.A. The plot is pretty straightforward, with the police pair chasing dealers and other criminals, before discovering they’ve been “green-lit” by a cartel for assassination, leading to a heartbreaking but emotionally satisfying ending.
Peña stars alongside Jake Gyllenhaal, and the pair’s on-screen chemistry is truly phenomenal. They banter well while also seeming to really care about each other, and, most importantly, they make you root for them, even though both characters have slightly rough exteriors. Peña is exceptional, and his final scene will stay with you.
1. Narcos: Mexico
This semi-historical series follows the start of the Mexican drug trade in the 20th century, blending drama and action, all buoyed by some brilliant performances – especially by Peña. The actor plays the role of Kiki Camerena, a real-life DEA agent who took on the Federation before eventually being kidnapped and tortured to death by the cartels he was warring against.
Peña is truly exceptional in this tense series, and in sections of the show that could feel slow, his electric performance keeps audiences glued to the screen. Unfortunately, he’s only in the first of three seasons of the show, but he makes every second he’s on-screen count, and as a viewer, you won’t regret tuning in to see him. Dark, smart, and sparkling: Peña shows off his entire range here.