From Child Prodigy to Screen Star: the Rapid Rise Behind Kenneth Lavíll's Hit Roles
In August 2021, Lavíll pivoted away from family drama into high-octane horror with Amazon Prime Video’s S.O.Z: Soldiers or Zombies (created by Nicolas Entel and Miguel Tejada-Flores). The production combined cartel narrative tropes with biological warfare, pitting escaped kingpin Alonso Marroquín (Sergio Peris-Mencheta) against genetically mutated, undead special forces troops along the US, Mexico border.
Lavíll played Lucas, Marroquín’s son, who accompanies his father on the run through the Chihuahuan desert. This role demanded intense physical acting. Instead of interior family dining rooms, Lavíll worked on punishing outdoor locations, navigating action setups involving squibs, prosthetics, complex stunts, and heavy visual effects.
The dynamic between Lavíll and Peris-Mencheta anchored the show’s human stakes. In an eight-episode season crowded with military action and visceral carnage, Lucas provided the audience's window into vulnerability. Working alongside veteran Spanish and Mexican performers, Lavíll showed he could handle genre storytelling just as convincingly as character drama.