On 'Narcos,' Cristina Umaña plays a strong woman in Pablo Escobar's inner circle

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'Narcos' actress Cristina Umaña on Pablo Escobar

Cristina Umaña, a Colombian actress starring in the second season of the Netflix show,

Cristina Umaña isn't a household name in the U.S., at least not yet. But with Netflix’s original series, “Narcos” launching its much-anticipated second season on Friday, Umaña may soon be a well-recognized face.

In her native Colombia, Umaña is a powerhouse, known for such roles as Blanca in the film “El Rey” ("The King") and Lorenza in “Todos Quieren Con Marilyn” ("Everybody Wants Marilyn") which earned her a TV y Novelas award for best villain.

“Narcos” tells the story of notorious Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, who is deftly played by the Brazilian actor Wagner Moura.

The show focuses on Escoba's life and on the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents who made it their mission to take him down.

Umaña plays Judy Moncada, a woman seeking revenge for the death of her husband.

Moncada is a fictional character, but Umaña says she represents a great challenge for Escobar – and in many ways she is a symbol of all Colombian women.

On the show, Moncada plays a role in Escobar’s ultimate demise.

“I worked in a man’s world,” Umaña told Fox News Latino.

“Moncada needs to be the queen … [Women from Medellín, Colombia] make decisions about their families, their business, their children and their husbands. They’re almost always the boss,”

Since “Narcos” is not a documentary nor a straight Escobar biopic, Umaña believes its success stems from the audience’s desire to uncover the heart of the darkness of the drug trade and the fascinating kingpin who embodied it for so many.

“This [new] season is about the complex path in the drug trade world, and the joint effort of law enforcement to confront and control the most powerful commodity in the world,” Umaña said.