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If you were watching TV back in 2015, you probably remember the absolute fever dream that was Ryan Murphy’s Scream Queens. It was campy. It was neon-soaked. It was deeply, deeply weird. And right in the middle of all that feathered-out Chanel madness was Diego Boneta. He played Pete Martinez, the "investigative journalist" barista who spent half the time trying to expose the Greek system and the other half looking suspiciously like he might be a serial killer.
Honestly, looking back at Diego Boneta Scream Queens era is a trip. Most people today know him as the face of Luis Miguel or as the guy from Father of the Bride, but before he was a massive international superstar, he was running around a fictional college campus in a creepy Red Devil mask.
The Mystery of Pete Martinez
When the show first dropped on FOX, Diego Boneta’s Pete was positioned as the "good guy." He was the romantic interest for Grace Gardner (Skyler Samuels). He was the guy who hated the sorority system. He was basically the audience's window into the insanity of Wallace University.
But here’s the thing—Ryan Murphy loves a twist.
Pete wasn't just some innocent guy making lattes. As the season progressed, the red flags started popping up like crazy. Why did he have a Red Devil costume in his closet? Why was he so obsessed with the bathtub baby from 1995?
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Boneta played this role with a specific kind of "dark boy next door" energy. One minute he's being charming and helping Grace find the truth, and the next, he's doing a weirdly accurate Matthew McConaughey impression that felt just a little too intense. Fun fact: that impression was actually something Diego did as a party trick in real life. Ryan Murphy found out and literally wrote it into the script because, well, that's just what Ryan Murphy does.
Why Diego Boneta Was the Perfect Red Devil
The big reveal in the season one finale was a massive moment for fans of the show. We found out that Pete Martinez was actually one of the Red Devil killers.
He wasn't the "main" mastermind—that was Hester (Lea Michele)—but he was definitely getting his hands dirty. Pete's motivation was actually kind of relatable if you ignore the whole "murder" part. He had been bullied by Chanel Oberlin (Emma Roberts) and the Greek system. He wanted revenge. He wanted to burn it all down.
What made his portrayal stand out:
- The duality: He could switch from "adoring boyfriend" to "unhinged accomplice" in a heartbeat.
- The physicality: Boneta had to do a lot of the heavy lifting in those mask scenes before we even knew it was him.
- The chemistry: His scenes with Emma Roberts were electric because they clearly hated each other on screen, which is always fun to watch.
The Death of Pete and the End of an Era
If you're wondering if Pete survived, I've got bad news. He didn't. In the finale, Pete gets stabbed to death by the other Red Devil just as he’s about to spill the beans to Grace. It was a brutal exit for a character we had spent thirteen episodes trying to figure out.
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Because his character was officially, 100% dead, Diego Boneta didn't return for Scream Queens Season 2. While some fans hoped for a classic "I actually survived" twist, Boneta himself confirmed back in 2016 that his time at Wallace University was done.
Looking at it now, leaving after one season was probably the right move for his career. The show's second season shifted to a hospital setting and, while fun, it never quite captured that same lightning-in-a-bottle energy of the first season’s sorority house horror. Boneta used the momentum from the show to leap into major film roles like Before I Fall and Terminator: Dark Fate.
The Legacy of the "Scream King"
Even a decade later, the Diego Boneta Scream Queens performance holds up. It was a transitional period for him. He was moving away from the "teen heartthrob" image he had in Latin America (from shows like Rebelde) and proving he could handle dark comedy and horror in English-speaking roles.
He brought a certain level of groundedness to a show that was otherwise completely over the top. While everyone else was screaming at the top of their lungs or wearing earmuffs made of real fur, Pete felt like a real person—even if that person happened to be a murderer.
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If you’re feeling nostalgic, go back and re-watch season one. Knowing that Pete is the killer makes his early interactions with the Chanels way more interesting. You can see the little flickers of resentment in his eyes that you might have missed the first time around.
How to Watch and What to Do Next
If you want to revisit Diego Boneta's work on the show, here's how you can dive back in:
- Streaming: Scream Queens is currently available on Hulu and Disney+ in most regions.
- The "Killer" Watch: Try watching episode 4 ("Haunted House") specifically to see that McConaughey impression mentioned earlier. It's a classic.
- Career Deep Dive: If you liked his acting here, check out Luis Miguel: The Series on Netflix. It shows a completely different side of his range.
The show remains a cult classic for a reason. It didn't take itself seriously, and neither did Diego. He leaned into the camp, played the villain with a heart of gold (kinda?), and gave us one of the most memorable TV reveals of the mid-2010s.