TCA: “One Day at a Time” Panel Offers a Lesson in Colorism

amp8220The only thing that related to the older show is the titleamp8221 Lear pictured below far right said in a panel for the show during Netflixamp8217s day at the Summer 2018 Television Critics Association touramp160 amp8220What executive producers and cocreators Gloria Calderon Kellett and Mike Royce have done is entirely their own amp160And so much of it is out of real life which is Gloria who herself is CubanAmericanamp8221amp8220So much of the writersamp8217 room ends up in our showamp8221 Moreno told me during the Cubanthemed luncheon with the cast on the Beverly Hilton rooftop terrace that followed the panelamp160 amp8220Iamp8217m basically playing Gloriaamp8217s momamp160 We have the same hairdo and that very same wigamp160 We see her mother there every weekamp8221During the panel Morenoamp160recounted a reallife story she recently read by a young journalist whose mother attempted to get involved in local politics adding that as the show moves forward she would like to see her character follow a similar path amp160amp8220I would love that for Lydiaamp8221 she saidamp160 amp8220She could get into a lot of trouble with her big mouth amp160Sheamp8217s not exactly tactfulamp160 I think it would be hilarious if she ended up spending a night in jail amp160She wouldnamp8217t even be upset about thatamp160 Sheamp8217d just yell amp8216Where is my makeupamp8217amp8221The topic of colorism which to many of the reporters and critics in the room was an unknown term prior to the panel made for lively exchanges during the sessionamp160 amp8220My brother is very darkamp8221 Kellett said amp160amp8220He is this beautiful caramel coloramp160 I was the amp8216blanquitaamp8217 lightskinned oneamp160 Iamp8217m very whitepassing so a lot of timesamp160people will say things about Latinos in my presence because they donamp8217t know that I am Latina amp160I thought the show is a great opportunity to talk about itamp8221amp8220Weamp8217ll still be talking about it in Season 3amp8221 Kellett told me at the luncheonamp160 amp8220Weamp8217ll do a little bit of stuff with it but we feel that the colorism episode we did in Season 2 really covered that issue for this momentamp160 I really wanted to see Penelope date a black guy and have that conversation amp160We didnamp8217t do it this season but itamp8217s something I would love to do because I want to talk about it amp160I want to talk about whatamp8217s wrong that we Latinos are being otherized and then we are otherizing others amp160Itamp8217s insaneamp8221amp8220Whenever Ariela Barer the actress who played Carmen in the first season and I would talk about the industry she would ask amp8216Have you faced racismamp8217 and Iamp8217d be like amp8216No I havenamp8217tamp8217amp8221 recalled Isabella Gomez during the panelamp160 amp8220And then I read that script about colorism and I was like amp8216Oh amp160Iamp8217m whitepassingamp8217amp160 My entire life makes sense nowamp160 Itamp8217s a good teaching moment for people that arenamp8217t aware and ignorant about that kinda stuffamp160 It was good to put in the showamp8221amp8220A lot of the stuff that I did in the second season I was even going through in schoolamp8221 said young Marcel Ruiz amp160amp8220I moved to LA from Puerto Rico six years ago amp160I didnamp8217t know any English amp160A bunch of people in my school would think that Puerto Rican Mexican Dominican were the same thingamp160 I would spend like five hours trying to just to explain to them amp8216No itamp8217s not the same amp160We have really different cultures and different accents different foodamp8217amp8221One of the last topics discussed at the panel that later picked up some momentum on Twitter and other social media was when the cast was asked about how their different cultural backgrounds effect their Cuban charactersamp160 amp8220The Cuban diaspora is very spread in this country because of how Cubans came hereamp8221 said Kellett amp160amp8220Where you live definitely influences you culturallyamp160 In terms of how we are different a lot of that is colonization amp160My genetic DNA and Justinaamp8217s are more similar than my brotheramp8217s and mine amp160Weamp8217ve done our 23andMes amp160How it varied is when people started coming from Europe to over here amp160Justinaamp8217s grandparents stopped in a boat in Puerto Rico amp160Mine stopped in Cuba amp160Others went to the Dominican Republic et cetera amp160So we are telling it through this particular lens but they each have their ownamp8221amp8220Weamp8217re actors and I donamp8217t think that people necessarily ask that question to English or Australian actors when they come over here and they play American partsamp8221 Machado declared amp160amp8220I may not be Cuban and Marcel may not be Cuban but we are actors who understand this world and this community amp160I find that it is a very interesting question that is put to the Latinx community a lot when I donamp8217t feel itamp8217s asked of other communities amp160Weamp8217re actors and I think weamp8217re doing a pretty good job of playing the Cuban Alvarez family these three Puerto Ricans and Colombianamp8221Seasons 1 and 2 of One Day at a Time are streaming now on Netflix amp160Season 3 is set for release in 2019Click on the social media tiles above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively those of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggersamp160

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TCA: “One Day at a Time” Panel Offers a Lesson in Colorism

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Juan Ayala

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TCA: “One Day at a Time” Panel Offers a Lesson in Colorism

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