“I think people are interested in authenticity, and that also becomes a double-edged sword. People have said to me, ‘You have to showcase your Latinx heritage.’ There’s a stigma with “hired diversity” that you’re just there because you’re brunette, and I’ve had people say that to me. I worked hard. I ended up getting a double promotion between seasons 2 and 3…”Mayas” is awesome, I’ll tell you firsthand the beauty of being on this set, seeing these faces together, each of these actors realizes the importance of the position they’re in They understand the weight, the privilege, the desirability of this portrayal. ‘Mayans’ is a spin-off of ‘Sons of Anarchy’, it’s set in this world, so we’re trying to faithfully project this world. But what is our “Downton Abbey”? What is the show we are going to have that speaks about the beauty and prosperity of history and culture?
When I was a kid, people looked at me in the face and called me an immigrant, and my grandfather fought in World War II, he was in this unit that was mostly made up of Latinos from Texas and New Mexico. They are Americans who have been part of America for generations. Less and less people see Latino faces as foreign. They are their neighbours, they are their friends, they are the children their children see at school and play sports with.
