Interview: ‘M.I.A.’ Star Danay Garcia on Miami, Motherhood & Crafting a Character Built to Survive Anything

Peacock’s M.I.A. doesn’t just use Miami as a backdrop, it leans into it, breathes it, and, according to star Danay Garcia, basically lets it shape everything from performance to personality. During a recent press junket, Garcia broke down her character Leah, the realities of filming in South Florida, and why the show’s emotional core is just as important as its high-stakes storytelling.

For Garcia, Miami wasn’t just a location, it was a full-body experience. Having lived there previously, she described the city as something every person should experience at least once. It’s intense, unpredictable, and deeply cultural, all of which feeds directly into the tone of M.I.A. The heat, the energy, even the weather patterns become part of how scenes feel on screen. And yes, the weather does what it wants. As Garcia put it, locals don’t panic over rain, they’ve “been through hurricanes,” so a little storm barely registers.

That sense of resilience carries directly into her character, Leah.

Leah is introduced as tough, grounded, and deeply maternal but not in a polished or predictable way. Garcia leaned into that contradiction while building the role, intentionally stripping away anything overly styled or controlled. No rigid glamour, no overly structured look. Instead, Leah exists in motion, hair affected by humidity, clothing shaped by practicality, and a mindset constantly tuned to survival and care.

At her core, Leah is a protector. Garcia described her as a “mama bear” who prioritizes family above everything else, even when her world becomes increasingly unstable. And that’s where the character really evolves. Early versions of Leah are more fractured, less grounded, but as the season progresses, she grows into someone more focused, more intentional, and more capable of holding the chaos around her together.

That transformation is part of what makes M.I.A. more than just another crime drama. It’s not just about external danger, it’s about internal recalibration. Leah’s journey is about building stability in a world that rarely offers it.

When asked to sum up the series, Garcia didn’t hesitate: adrenaline, emotional intensity, and entertainment. But underneath that, there’s something more deliberate at play, characters who feel lived-in, layered, and constantly evolving under pressure.

M.I.A. continues to position itself as a series where environment and emotion are inseparable. And through Leah, Garcia delivers a character who doesn’t just survive that world, she adapts to it, reshapes it, and refuses to be defined by its unpredictability.

Check out our full interview below: