Nicholas Gonzalez sat down with The Creative Coalition CEO Robin Bronk in the latest episode of “At Home With The Creative Coalition,” a podcast featuring unplugged and uncensored conversations with today’s biggest stars. In the newest episode, Gonzalez talks about working closely with legendary Latinx actors on the set of “Resurrection Blvd.,” calling his brother to better understand the surgeries on “The Good Doctor,” the current state of television for Latinx performers, and more. Highlights below.
“At Home With The Creative Coalition” is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, and more.
Listen now at:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-crossroads-of-resurrection-and-melrose/id1521900273?i=1000539749262
For planned coverage, please link to:
http://thecreativecoalition.org/podcast
Highlights from “At Home With The Creative Coalition” featuring Nicholas Gonzalez —
On the amount of input the cast had in shaping “Resurrection Blvd.”:
“‘Resurrection Blvd.’ feels like a dream when I look back. It really was an incredible time in my life. It ran for three seasons on Showtime at a time when there weren’t many series on cable. And we were alongside ‘Queer as Folk’ and ‘Soul Food’ and that was it. And we were the first Latino primetime series. I worked alongside such incredible vets like Elizabeth Pena, Tony Plana, Louis Gossett Jr., Michael DeLorenzo, the multi-talented, and then a whole array of new cast or younger cast, but all these old veterans and people I had grown up seeing, coming through for three years. It was, like, me cutting my teeth, a bit of a drama school. But so idyllic in so many ways when I look back to, like, how much say we had in the scripts, how much back and forth we had with the writers. And we didn’t realize. Dennis Leoni, the creator and showrunner would always say, ‘You’re going to realize one day! One day, you’re going to look back and you’re going to realize how good you had it here!’ And he was right, he was right.”
On calling his surgeon brother to better prepare for surgery scenes in “The Good Doctor”:
“I did look into, you know, and research those things. If I was doing this surgery, what’s plausible? I know what they wanted to see, they just wanted to see us making salad. But I need to be doing something because it means something to me. Where I am in this surgery when I’m talking about what I choose to talk about and why. And I’d call up my brother, and I’d say, ‘Okay, so, cardiothoracic surgeon,’ and he’d go ‘Yeah?’ ‘Who delivers babies, who does brain surgery, who does…’ And he’d go, ‘Alright, so already you’re a fantasy doctor, well how can I help you, from a real doctor?’ And I’m like ‘Well, what’s my, like, butt-clench level right now in a surgery like this?’ And he’s like, ‘Well, you do these every day.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, but then this happens. If I nick this…’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah, it’s, like, extreme. All you want to do is, like, disappear, and you’re the only one who can take care of this. Yeah, we’re talking extreme clench.’ And, you know, there’s all the different grades. I would try and call and talk out the surgeries and he’d be like, ‘Nick, I’m not going to make you understand this.’”
On whether he thinks the television landscape has gotten better for Latinx actors:
“There’s definitely more work. There’s definitely more work out there. I don’t know how much the opportunities have changed. I mean, I like to think they’ve changed for me at times, and then it all seems like everything’s still the same. I think there’s a lot more jobs out there. There’s a call for diversity. I’m more about, I think it was Riz Ahmed who said, ‘Forget diversity. Diversity is like you’re sprinkling me on the entrée, on the main. I’m part of the entrée?’ I want representation. That’s what I want to see, is representation. I want to see communities represented, not, like, you know, just the horror stories. And I don’t want to say it here that I’m tired of doing border stories, because I might do another one, but I’m tired of doing border stories, you know? There’s a lot of them out there. So, is there more work? Sure. And is there more stuff like that? There’s some interesting, cool projects coming out that wouldn’t have been done before, that have Latinos in the forefront, but I think we’re far from a type of colorblind type of casting, and therefore a bit more, you know, true representation, not just peppered in.”
On “walking the walk” as an activist:
“First of all, I feel like I can’t really even accept that profession, honestly. I have walked a walk, and would love to continue to do more walks. I hate the walk. I really do. I do not like politics. Activism, thankfully, has fallen into other realms, but politics seem to be the one, because I’m also from Texas, and then now it gets laced with, you know, COVID stuff and everything gets, really, it’s just a cacophony almost. So, I would love to accept the mantle of that. What I like to say is, I think I allow real activists to do their jobs, or to get them all the help I can, and sometimes I’m present.”
————————
More about “At Home With The Creative Coalition”
Hosted by The Creative Coalition CEO Robin Bronk, “At Home With The Creative Coalition” brings listeners intimate portraits, key moments of discovery, and “art and soul” conversations with iconic entertainment industry personalities from the big screen to the boardroom, from L.A. to D.C. Listen now at http://thecreativecoalition.org/podcast.
Upcoming guests include Mädchen Amick (“Riverdale”), Shiri Appleby (“UnREAL”), Justin Bartha (“The Hangover,” “National Treasure”), Kerry Ehrin (“The Morning Show”), Tony Hale (“The Mysterious Benedict Society,” “Arrested Development”), Evan Handler (“And Just Like That…,” “Californication”), Michael Imperioli (“The Many Saints of Newark,” “The Sopranos”), New York Times Bestselling Author Susan Isaacs (“Compromising Positions”), Aasif Mandvi (“Evil”), Rachel Mason (“Circus of Books”), International Bestselling Author Patrick McGinnis (“The 10% Entrepreneur,” “Fear of Missing Out”), Yolonda Ross (“The Chi”), Steve Schirripa (“Blue Bloods,” “The Sopranos”), Reid Scott (“Echo”), Alena Smith (“Dickinson”), and Matt Walsh (“Veep”).
Previous guests include Jason Alexander (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”), David Alan Basche (“The Exes”), Asante Blackk (“This Is Us”), Carly Chaikin (“Mr. Robot”), Wilson Cruz (“Star Trek: Discovery”), Alan Cumming (“Briarpatch”), Ethan Cutkosky (“Shameless”), The Creative Coalition President and actor Tim Daly (“Madam Secretary”), Lea DeLaria (“Orange Is the New Black”), Griffin Dunne (“This Is Us”), Michael Fishman (“Roseanne,” “The Conners”), Jim Gaffigan (“The Jim Gaffigan Show”), Willie Garson (“Just Like That”), Judy Gold (“The Other F Word”), Clark Gregg (“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”), Patricia Heaton (“Everybody Loves Raymond,” “The Middle”), Jon Huertas (“This Is Us,” “Castle”), Jason Isaacs (“Star Trek: Discovery”), Richard Kind (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”), Chad Lowe (“Supergirl”), Marlee Matlin (“CODA,” “The West Wing”), AnnaLynne McCord (“Let’s Get Physical”), Eric McCormack (“Will and Grace”), Wendi McLendon-Covey (“The Goldbergs”), Katherine McNamara (“Shadowhunters”), Marta Milans (“Shazam!”), Rob Morrow (“Billions”), Kathy Najimy (“Duncanville”), Haley Joel Osment (“Future Man,” “Entourage”), Bill Prady (“The Big Bang Theory”), Jessica Queller (“Supergirl”), Anthony Rapp (“Rent”), Mona Scott-Young (“Love & Hip Hop”), Julie Taymor (“The Lion King”), Krista Vernoff (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Alfre Woodard (“Clemency,” “Luke Cage”), Constance Zimmer (“Good Trouble”), and David Zucker (“Airplane!,” “Scary Movie”).
More about The Creative Coalition
The Creative Coalition is the premier nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) social and public advocacy organization of the arts and entertainment community. Founded in 1989 by prominent members of the creative community, The Creative Coalition is dedicated to educating, mobilizing, and activating its members on issues of public importance. Actor Tim Daly serves as the organization’s President. The Creative Coalition also creates award-winning public service campaigns including #RightToBearArts to promote the efficacy of the arts. For more information, visit https://thecreativecoalition.org.
###