How Mayans M.C. worked Carla Baratta's real pregnancy into the FX drama

Carla Baratta has proven that she can keep a secret, which is a helpful trait she shares with her character Adelita on Mayans M.C. In the drama’s season 2 premiere, audiences learned that the rebel leader is very pregnant with her first child. What viewers didn’t know is that the actress was not wearing a prosthetic belly for the scenes, Baratta and her husband Guillermo Garcia were also expecting their first baby at the time.

Baratta revealed exclusively to EW that her son Diego was born “about a month ago” but she and her husband “decided to keep the news a secret until now so that we could enjoy the magic of it all in private,” and shared details about how her pregnancy will be factored into the show this season.

“The belly as you see it on the show is my actual pregnant belly. When I started shooting season 2, I was already six months pregnant and I worked until I was about 8 1/2 months pregnant,” she said.

Baratta spoke to series co-creator Elgin James when she celebrated three months of her pregnancy, knowing that it could affect his plans for Adelita’s storyline, but that she was in for a surprise of her own. “I spoke to Elgin when I was about three months along, and I was so surprised to learn that he was planning for Adelita to be pregnant during season 2,” Baratta revealed. “It was truly this magical coincidence that I will forever be grateful for.”

James and Baratta have developed a special bond while working together on the hit FX series. He told EW he couldn’t contain his excitement when he learned that the Venezuelan-born actress was carrying her first baby during a dinner party at his home, especially since he and co-creator Kurt Sutter had already been planning the same for her character.

“Ever since she first walked in for her audition, Carla has brought so much magic to the show. Both she and her character quickly became the soul of Mayans M.C.,” James said. “So we were excited to plot out her arc for season 2, and Kurt came in with this idea that maybe she’s 7-8 months pregnant. Then a few days later Carla and her husband, Guille, were at my house and she nervously took me aside saying she had big news but was afraid Kurt and I would be mad.”

“She touched her belly and said ‘I’m pregnant.’ And I was like, ‘Are you serious?! So is Adelita!’ Like I said, she’s been magical to all of us ever since she came into our lives, so it was both a beautiful surprise, and also not really a surprise at all that the universe would align like that. She and Adelita are so beautifully linked.”

Baratta can’t gush enough about how attentive and sweet all her costars were with her while she was in such a delicate state. Especially Clayton Cardenas, who plays her love interest Angel Reyes on Mayans M.C. Angel is the assumed father of Adelita’s unborn baby, but things just aren’t that simple. In episode 2, Angel tenderly cradles Adelita’s bump (see our exclusive photo above).

“You know what’s so funny? That was the first time in my whole life that I ever touched a pregnant woman’s belly before,” Cardenas told EW excitedly. “Me, Clayton, had never done that before. I was so scared! I asked Carla if it was ok for me to touch it. She was so sweet and told me, ‘Of course!'”

He is also just as excited as his character that the baby may be Angel’s. “I really hope that the baby is Angel’s. He assumes that it is, but the creators of the show mess with me about this daily,” Cardenas said. “I think Angel wants this so bad because he hopes that he could be the kind of father that his father wasn’t.”

Baratta also remembers Cardenas’ nerves during filming. “Shooting that scene with Clayton was so sweet. He was so nervous, his hands were shaking! I really love that I was able to go on this journey alongside Adelita. There were moments where I was shooting scenes and the baby in my belly would react, he’d be jumping around in excitement.”

Baratta said baby Diego was welcomed into the Mayans M.C. family with open arms. Many of her castmates have already met him and she can’t wait to introduce him to more, now that the cat is out of the bag.

“Everyone on the show was so attentive to me during my pregnancy and I will forever be indebted to them for the kindness they bestowed on me,” she said gleefully. “They looked out for me and spoiled me so much. It was really so magical the way they were all with me. I was blessed with having a healthy pregnancy, free of complications. Thanks to that, I was able to work until 15 days before Diego was born.”

And now she’s excited that fans will get to share the experience. “I can’t wait for fans to watch this season and experience this with me. They’re truly the best fans in the world, we wouldn’t be here without them. I can’t thank them enough for embracing us how they have. I can’t wait to share my pregnancy with them through Adelita this season.”

Mayans M.C. airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on FX.

Related content:

• Mayans M.C. premieres with a bang and a bump, but who’s the father of Adelita’s baby?
• Everything to remember from Mayans M.C. before its season two premiere
• Kurt Sutter to step down as executive producer of Mayans M.C. if show is picked up for third season
• Kurt Sutter, Elgin James on weaving SOA in Mayans