Before Mexican actress Stephanie Sigman was sharing a bed with Daniel Craig in the upcoming Bond film Spectre, the woman grew up in one of the most volatile regions of Mexico, and her brother says she’s lucky she got out.
Sigman, 27, appears as the mysterious Bond girl Estrella, opposite of Craig in the opening scene of the film at a Mexico City hotel, but the actress originally hails from the state of Sonora, which has been the battleground of the Sinaloa drug cartel for years.
The Daily Mail reports her younger brother Kenneth feels her background makes her more than qualified for the role. According to Kenneth, Stephanie is the “perfect person to play a bada—“ because her childhood was spent surrounded by violence.
He told the Mail: “Growing up in Ciudad Obregon you have to have your wits about you. It’s a good thing we both got out of there.”
A photo posted by Stephanie Sigman (@sigmanstephanie) on Oct 20, 2014 at 10:22am PDT
Kenneth and Stephanie are the children of American Minor League professional baseball player Lee Sigman. He reportedly met their mother during his tenure with the Ciudad Obregon Yankees in the 1980s.
Kenneth, who now plays professional baseball for the Monterrey Sultans, said he is glad not to be living in the dangerous region anymore and never doubted Stephanie would also escape. She left Sonora at the age of 16 to pursue a modeling career and was accepted into the CEFAT acting school in Mexico City at age 18.
“My sister got out of that town by sheer dedication. Who knows what would have happened if she had stayed. All the best-looking girls I knew when I was growing up are now dating narcos,” he told the Mail. “We’re all really proud of her, she’s had a lot of success… She’s got a lot of drive and that’s got everything to do with her background.”
Saludos desde por acá #felizcomounalombriz A photo posted by Stephanie Sigman (@sigmanstephanie) on Oct 17, 2014 at 12:53pm PDT
Stephanie recently spoke to the Mexican newspaper Excelsior about her role in Spectre: “I never thought I was going to get the role… I did the casting video from my house because I had food poisoning from something I had eaten. Then a few weeks later I got a call asking for a meeting with Sam Mendes.”
The new Bond girl primarily appeared in Mexican television before catching a break in film. She reportedly told Excelsior she has hopes her small role in Spectre will “catapult her into Hollywood.”
Ironically, former Sinaloa drug cartel head Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was previously compared to a “James Bond villain” during a 2014 60 Minutes segment. Mexican marines captured the billionaire drug lord last year. Guzman had been named “public enemy number one” by Mexican media.
The Mail reports 501 “intentional homicides” were recorded in Sonora in 2012. The same report also claimed up to 90 percent of crimes in Mexico are never reported.
Spectre, starring Daniel Craig and Christoph Waltz, will make its U.S. debut Nov. 6. Watch the teaser trailer below: