Miami, Jul 25 (IANS/EFE): Andres Parra, the Colombian actor who plays the lead character in the television series "Pablo Escobar, el Patron del Mal" (Pablo Escobar: The Boss of Evil) revealed that he had to seek help from psychologists to fully understand the drug lord's personality.

Based on the book by Alonso Salazar and narrated from the point of view of some of his victims, the series recounts Escobar's humble beginnings, his first crimes and his rise to the top of the illegal drug trade to the point of becoming one of the most-wanted criminals in history.

"I had trouble understanding such a contradictory personality. I always base my characters on a tonne of research, but in this case I had to seek professional help from psychologists, something I never had to do before to be able to get into a part," the actor told EFE.

The 35-year-old actor discovered in those sessions a key to Escobar's psyche and found that understanding the mental processes that governed his actions cleared up the mystery a little.

"These individuals are something like self-styled gods who create ethics and morals that benefit no one but themselves. They stand apart from society. In a certain way they create their own universe in which murder and terrorism are fine, they're just part of what they have to do," he said.