MEAWW.COM / ENTERTAINMENT / TV

'I didn't want Pedro to be a stereotype': Filipe Valle Costa on his character in FX's 'Snowfall'

In his depiction of the kid who is scared and is stuck amid the crack epidemic of the 80s LA, Costa is careful so as not to portray his character Pedro as just another stereotype

'Snowfall' marks Filipe Valle Costa's biggest project in the USA. In the FX show which deals with the cocaine-crack epidemic in 1983 Los Angeles, Costa's character, Pedro Nava, the heir apparent of one of the Mexican crime families involved heavily in the drug business, finds himself desperately trying to gain his father's attention and approval as he enters the cocaine mania of the 80s.   

Born and raised in Lisbon, Portugal, Costa at the age of 17 told his parents that he wanted to go to the United States and further his chances of becoming an actor, and they encouraged him to apply for a tennis scholarship so he could study acting with a student visa. 

He landed a scholarship with Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Theatre. He went on to attend the University of Florida, where he earned his Master of Fine Arts in Acting.