Girl on Guy with Aisha Tyler - girl on guy 183: jaime camil

Episode Date: May 7, 2015

join jaime camil of jane the virgin and aisha as they discuss love, loss, music, destiny, the pull of family, the pursuit of dreams, backhanded slaps and the heat of the telenovela. plus jaime stands astride the border like a giant, and gets the best of both worlds. girl on guy es un poco excitado.  

This episode is brought to you in part by LuteCrate, the box for geeks, gamers, and pop culture nerds. For less than $20 a month, you get a box of gamer and pop culture cool stuff like figurines, comics, shirts, and more. Go to lootcrate.com slash Aisha and enter the code Aisha to get 10% off any new subscription. This month's theme is Unite. So you'll get cool swag from supergroups like the Avengers, Team Fortress, and more. Go to Lutecrate.com slash Iisha, enter the podcast code Aisha to get 10% off your subscription. check it out. This is Girl on Guy.

Hey everybody, welcome to Girl on Guy 183. Welcome to the show. I'm so excited to bring this to you, and I want to jump right in to the business. You know, if you haven't heard already, I will be performing this weekend at Bullseye Comedy Night at the BAMFest. This is a rare opportunity to see me live here anywhere in New York. It is Saturday, May 9th at 7.30, and you can find a link to get tickets at Aisha to have. Tyler.com. Just click on Aisha on tour. Not too many live shows this year, so this is a shot to see me. So do that if you can. There will be a couple of other opportunities coming up this year,

but they are going to be few and far between. So I look forward to seeing you there, and you can find out more information about all my public appearances again at Aisha Tyler.com. I'm sorry, I'm a little under the weather today, and my voice sounds like shit. So that's fun. And you also know that you can see me every day on the talk. Archer Season 6 is over, but we're starting work on season And you can see me every Friday night. That's every Friday night on the CW on Whose Line Is It It Anyway, brand new season, hilarious shows. And in fact, today's guest is going to be on this week's show this Friday at 8 o'clock. So check that out. This show is brought to you in part by The Art of Charm. And the Art of Charm podcast is a show that you may or may not already have

heard about. It is a show mainly for men that helps you. It's a self-help. It's a self-help. show, but I mean, I think it's a show about how to live your best life, how to expand your scope, how to be more confident, how to speak to people, how to do better at work, how to do better in your private life with your friends, how to meet new people. And you can find the show by going to the art of charm podcast.com, and you can also find it on iTunes and Stitcher. You can just check that out in all of those places. This is a show that is packed with all kinds of wisdom and learning, about how to become a more productive and professional person, how to be confident, how to get people to trust you,

how to keep things fresh in your relationship, create a new relationship or N1 that's run its course, how to be more productive, how to manage your time better. And it is, even though it's ostensibly a self-help podcast, it's also a fun, funny educational podcast, not dry. It brings together entrepreneurs, artists, thinkers, leaders, and interesting people from every walk of life to discuss relationships, attraction, success of all kinds,

and how to hack your life, how to do better. If you're feeling like you're not living up to your full potential, this is a show about stepping things up in your life. It's not pop psychology. It's not superficial advice. It's a show that gives you meaningful, fun, life-changing insights with a practical edge so you can apply something you've learned

right out of the box from every show each day. So check it out. Go to the Art of Charmedpodcast.com or check it out on iTunes and Stitcher and start taking your life to the next level. The Art of Charm podcast, All right. This show is with Jaime Camille. And you may know Jaime from the massive CW hit show, Jane the Virgin. He's not new to the American market, but new in the way that he's found such

newfound popularity on this show. But he is a massive star in Mexico and has been for many, many years. And now Americans are getting to enjoy him on the show Jane the Virgin on the CW, which has been a big, fat hit for that network. He's a lovely guy. I met him when he came on the day. time show, and then we also had him on Whose Lines in any way. As I said, that airs this Friday. And you should check him out. Like I said, that airs this Friday, May 8th. And you can see him every week on Jane the Virgin. He is a lovely, lovely guy, funny and sweet and forthcoming. And we had a really great conversation. And I'm not going to keep it from you any longer. Ladies and gentlemen, with no further ado, this is Girl on Guy, 183 with Jaime Camille of Jane the Virgin.

and as you will find out during this show, many, many other things coming at you, straight out of the girl and guy bunker, and right into your face. We are willing. Hi, me, Camille, welcome to my show. Aisha, thank you so much. Did I say your name perfectly? I practiced in the car. Go for it.

I did. Jaime Camille. Perfect. Okay, good. It's flawless. I was very anxious about that. I wanted to get it right. For a moment, I thought you were Mexican.

Just that one little moment. My husband always says, I'm a third Mexican. I love it. I love it. And growing up in California, I'm probably all Mexican. Yes, since we're in Mexico. So, and I mean, I was like, it was yours, you'll get it back eventually. Thank you.

I don't think that will happen, but thank you. We've been borrowing it for a while. Let's just start right at the beginning. Sure. And you, the one thing I do know about you is that you were born in, we were born in Mexico City? Mexico City, yes, Mexico City. Mom is from Brazil, and my dad is from Mexico from Torreon, a very, the north, north kind of town like where men are men.

It's like in the mountains or something like this? Desert, desert-de-mountain. And, yeah, yeah. They're like Campaneros. Like, what would they be like cowboys in that town? Exactly. Like cowboys, like riding horses and, you know, you don't mess with my woman. I'm going to slap you.

You know, that kind of like, yeah. And then my grandfather on the side of my father is from Egypt. Oh, wow. Oh, that's cool. Yeah. You know what's interesting is I think Americans have this sense. I mean, we're very myopic. We only kind of understand our own experience.

I think that the country's so big. Yeah. But I think we have a sense of America being multicultural, but I think people don't think about other countries being super diverse. I definitely don't think people, if you're real, my grandfather came from Egypt. I think people have no sense of the migratory patterns of other countries. Probably, yeah. I do agree.

I do agree. Yes. For sure. It's like, but, yeah, you go to, like, for example, my mother comes from an Italian background. and it's like a whole different, like, strange mixture there. And, yes, so, yeah, yeah, I totally. So Italian, Brazilian and... Italian, Brazilian, Egyptian, and all kind of, yeah, crazy.

Was your father's father that was from Egypt? Exactly, yes. What brought him to Mexico? I believe there was like a big group of immigrants coming from, they were coming from Egypt to Mexico, and I think my granddad was one of those who decided to establish in Mexico. Then he started doing business with a press,

at a time with Lopez-Mateaus was the president and they started doing some business and whatever and and that's how they all got to to to Mexico how interesting but so and so then your dad lived in this kind of northern town and I'm I'm understanding maybe like a smaller like a smaller town exactly and how did he become so international like how did he meet your mom and oh that's that's a good one my mom from Brazil of course she she was a singer she had an amazing group called vox populi with Sergio Mendes and Laudir de Olivaira, and Laudir used to be their percussionist for Chicago. So back in the day, so, you know, all those guys

and Caetano Deloso, these very, very important Brazilian singers right now, Gilberto Gilles, all of those guys. And she had this group, Vox Populi. So she decided to go to Mexico to tour and do like a joint tour with Armando Manzanero, which is a very famous songwriter in Mexico all around in Latin America.

And my dad was in the show. And she was like, you know, from the north, I'm going to marry that blonde girl. I don't give a shit. And he did. Wow. He was in the show. I mean, he came to the show.

He came to the show to watch the show. He saw my mother perform. Oh, and he just pursued her. Exactly. Pursue her. Did they ever, that's so interesting. I wonder, if they ever, I mean, you know the story, but have they ever told, like, was she,

was it love at first sight or did he really have to like? I don't think, you know what, the problem is that I wish I had that communication with my parents. Like, okay, sit down, okay, sit. And tell me the story. How was it from beginning to and blah? Right. But they're very, like, independent and they're very, like, liberal. It's like, you know, we were never the kind of family that, you know, we have to meet at Christmas.

Right, right, right. Oh, what are you doing Christmas? Well, I might have a plan with some friends. Oh, go. Right. I mean, go, man. I know. Stay with a family.

And now my wife. wife brings that to the table. I'm really becoming an understanding more the family, how do you know, dynamic. Right. Thanks on my wife. Yeah. Oh, that's nice. And it's different. And every family does have a different dynamic. Definitely. I just understand, like my parents, I'm very close to them, but I realized I didn't know anything about their lives. Exactly. Yeah, like I had to sit my dad down and actually have them on my podcast. Let's find out about that. Yeah. Let's get to know each other. Yeah. Tell me about yourself, right? The person I've known my entire life. Exactly. Exactly. Well, same here. Same here. I'm probably going to do a podcast eventually.

Yeah, just to get the, just to get your, yeah. Just with my dad, that's it. And you were born in Mexico City, and at the, then was your mom still a musician when you were young, or did she stop performing? She always wanted, well, she stopped performing to be with my dad and everything. I was actually the third child because the first, they lost their first two babies. And we know when I was born, it was, you know, directly into the, what is it, the incubator or whatever, you know, there.

Yeah. And I think that she didn't, She neglected a little bit the singing career to be with my dad. Right. But now, and then I remember, I have some memories of her trying to make it in Mexico with the singing thing and everything, but things not actually going the way she wanted it to go. And I lived with her until I was probably 13, 14 years old. And then I started to identify more with my dad. Being a man and, you know, my dad and the man.

So I was kind of like more drawn to him. Yeah. To him. That was an experience, dude. Was it? To tell me a mom that I was changing the, you know, my... Yeah, you were moving. Yeah. Oh, my God.

Was she upset? Yes, a little, but that didn't went very well. It's hard because also, like, that's a time for a boy when you're really differentiating. You're, like, trying to figure out who you are and exploring, and you start to separate from your parents a little bit, you know, either, you know, it's that, you know, kids don't want their dad or mom to hug them and put their friends or any of that stuff. I mean, that's that age. It's like, you're trying to learn who you are, you know.

Well, in Latin America, you know, we're very loved, like, I was reading, when I, when we found out that we were becoming parents, my wife and I, I was, you know, reading this book, whatever, and it was written for the American market. Yes. No, so I was reading this. And for 50 pages, the book went on, like, don't be afraid to show the kids you love them and hug them.

And, you know, it was written for the dads. Right, right. Yes, I know this. Like who? Next chapter. Yes, next chapter. But I've seen this in the U.S. They're afraid of showing love to their kids

and hugging them and telling them, And I love you and play with them and be silly with them and whatever. And I don't, I don't. It's a different culture. It's a different culture. Exactly. I mean, I do know that it's all influenced, I think, maybe by like what the immigrant cultures were like here, you know, 20, 50, 100 years ago.

But I know, like, my husband's grandfather, his father's father, never hugged him. Oh, my God. And never said, he's from, well, Pennsylvania, but his father's Austrian, like German Austrian, you know. And never, you know, yeah, like he would run up to his, his grandfather to hug him. would like, you know, push him away. Wow. He would shake his hand. Oh, my God.

And my husband's father was very affectionate because he grew up with that and he really wanted to be. He was very huggy and loving with his kids. But, yeah, which is how you should be. Yeah, you should be, exactly. Now, I'm so curious, you moved in with your father. And was that, was it everything that you wanted to be? Was it a big adjustment for you?

He was definitely different. Because my father had money so. Who's a businessman? Yeah, a businessman. I mean, I don't want to say. that, I mean, under no circumstance that he, I don't want to even say the phrase, but, our love. Right.

Because it wasn't at all like that. Right. But yes. You know, so it's a kid is very alluring to know that with this guy, you can go to Disneyland whenever you want. Right. With the other one, you can't. Right.

Yeah. Yeah. No, and it isn't your kid. That's how kids operate. Yeah. I'm going to be missing your mom. Don't even call me by. So it was like that.

You know, it was. But then my, my dad already lived with a, with a. with Tony, which is his actual, his current wife. And Tony already had three daughters. And then with my dad, they had George and Alexia, my two siblings. So we were six, you know, very clouded house. Yeah. And, you know, competition was fierce.

Yeah. And how was that? Also, because then you were a new kid joining this family that had, you know, I mean, obviously they were your family, but you had men living with them. But I was the first. I was like the biological one. Right, right, so you're the oldest and your, yeah, and was that, was it? Not the oldest, the third.

Third. From old. For the third from all, but yeah, but the oldest in that house. It was, you know, it was a challenge. It wasn't bad at all or anything, but it was a challenge. It was, you know, coming from divorce. My dad divorced when I was, my dad divorced my mom when I was around, I don't know, three or four years old or anything.

So it was a very difficult moment to, you know. And I have like some kind of memories of, you know, living the house and getting into a cab and going to find an apartment. in another part of town. I'm like, where are we not living anymore in the house? Yeah. You know, it was like, like, it was kind of like, right.

Yeah, and you're young enough to be aware, but not young enough to totally understand what's going on. You just know your life is changing. Exactly. Yeah. I mean, kids are really resilient. My parents divorced from them. I was like 10, but kids are really resilient,

but there's always a thing of like trying to figure out finally, like at this point we were like, now I have to define myself. I have to figure out who I am. Exactly. You know? Exactly. Were you, now your father was,

was a businessman, was he, was he affectionate with you? Was he kind of... He was affectionate, but at the same time he was very... Yeah. How do you say? Not strict. A lot of discipline. Probably I was his guinea pig

when it comes to the kids kind of thing. Yeah. Like, he was very affectionate, but then he was he punished me very harshly. Right. So it was like this duality of a lot of love and then a lot of pain and then a lot of, you know, it was like this kind of thing.

Right. So I was definitely the guinea pig because I saw how he behaved with my siblings and my other sisters. And he was actually pretty cool. And he was pretty cool with me as well. But with me, he was experimenting. Right. Try to figure out. Try to figure out how much punishment is the right amount.

Right. And in Latin America, you know, when we punish the kids, it's not like, oh, my God, I'm afraid my kids is going to call child services. Right, right. Yeah. No one's showing up. We don't even have a number for child services. So you have to take it. Like, okay, okay.

Right. Were you a good kid? Were you like a naughty kid? I like to think that I was a good kid, but I was very hyperactive. Yeah. Extremely hyperactive. Like I had problems in school because of that because I was very hyperactive. I was a kind of kid that you go into a plane and there's this kid running from the pilot cockpit to the restroom nonstop.

Oh, yes. Up and down, up and down. And all the passengers are like, what the, somebody gave that fucking. child of value. Yeah, exactly. Do something. Do something. Just trap him in the seat.

Sure enough, my mom gave me a quarter of a volume that specific trip. She did what she had to. And I think I did some kind of damage. You shouldn't give volume to kids. No, no, it's not going to go the way you want. Not even one quarter of a volume. It's just, no, you shouldn't. But I was a kind of kid.

She was desperate times, desperate measures. But I was very there, like very hyperactive and always, yeah. And were you an artistic kit? I don't know if I was, I think so, yes. I think I was artistic. I used to log myself in the room and, you know, sing and put the men at work and be a Joel and even quite a riot, you know. Oh, wow, yeah.

You know, blast the volume and I had a study desk with a, which I never knew was for studying, actually. I mean, what is this thing? And then with the lamp, and the lamp was my microphone. Oh, that's so adorable. You know, full-on voice and whatever, my concerts. And I always had over 20,000 people in my class. Oh, yes, of course. Never a small venue.

No, always stadium. So, and that's interesting to me, again, because I think we have such a narrow sense of ourselves. Like, how much American culture did you have access to in Mexico, like American music or American television? Well, a lot because my, Tony, my father's wife, is from New York. Oh, okay. So she's spoken in English to us and everything, and I saw the movies and TV, and we traveled a lot to the U.S. and everything. So I've learned English like. as a survival instinct.

I need to learn this language. Right, yeah. And then I went to Oxford to study in England for like a couple of months just to perfect my English that didn't go well, as you can see. And yeah. Yeah. And so growing up, did you have a sense of like... Because you had such a huge career in Latin America before you came here,

but I wonder if as a kid you ever thought, oh, I want to move to the United States or I want to... Nile, not as a kid, but for example, I was dating actually a girl right now that our respect to her husband. Whatever. I was dating a performer at the time. And she was very kind and very clever and told me, listen, I always wanted to pursue what my mother transmitted me through her umbilical cord, which is the artistic side.

Right. But I was always afraid because my dad was expecting me to be a businessman or to pursue business like him. So, of course, you know, having his personality, I was super scared about just telling him, listen, I want to do this. I don't feel passion when it comes to businesses or whatever. Right. So this girl told me, well, you should talk to him very seriously, you know, ask for a meeting and tell him what you think.

So I did. I'm like, dad, I really need to speak with you regarding this and this. And I guess, you know, he was like, really, like, I'm your dad. What are you talking about? Right. And I'm like, yeah, because it's a very serious thing. So maybe he thought that I was going to tell him that my girlfriend was pregnant. Right.

Or something very serious. Yes. So when I went like, no, you know, you always told me that men, should feel the same satisfaction. Sigm Freud said the men should feel the same satisfaction in their job as they fell with their toys. And I don't feel that in the business thing, so I want

to pursue this career. So when I told him that, he was like, oh, dad? Oh, yeah, sure, go over it. Fuck it. He probably imagines it's like 100 terrible things. He's like, that's fine. But he did tell me this. He told me, listen, you can do whatever you want. You can be a shoe, you can shine shoes for living.

I don't care. But if I go to the main plaza in Mexico, where all the shoe shiner are and everything. And I don't hear, hey, listen, sir, you know that kid over there? Some Camille, something, whatever, that kid, that kid, he's the best. He will leave your shoes like, you know, spotless. So, talking about pressure, right? Right, right. So, so he was supportive. He wasn't happy about it, for sure, but he was supportive, supported to the point that there are many, like, urban legends that, you know, he bice my career and he pays for my projects and for my movies, which is complete bullshit. Right. But he was supportive.

People love to imagine that kind of thing. Yeah. And, you know, and, you know, He made sure that I never missed a meal and that I always had a roof on top of my head. Right. Which I think every dad, I mean, every loving dad should do that, right? Yeah. But that was the pressure he put on me, like, seek excellence. Right, right. Right. Right.

But you did go to university to study, and did you get a business degree? No, I'm one semester away from graduating. Oh, really? Because I was working so much and I was doing so much things in radio and this, and I was Wow. I was working a lot. How early did you start pursuing? Probably 92, 93.

So how old were you? 18. Okay. So, yeah, so young. I was. He was five. Five years old. I was also five at that time.

So you had that time. So you really, so you knew that when you're actually pretty young. Oh, yes. I knew it for the scenes. At the beginning, I logged myself in the room and seeing my lungs. I knew it. But, you know, my dad was very strong. So it was very difficult to.

Right. Once you go to college, at least you feel like you've done, you've delivered the thing they've been asking you for. I wanted to go to Berkeley. I wanted to study music. Okay. And he was like music. You know, that's a bum's career. Are you crazy music?

No, you have to study a career de bagos. Right. We don't even do that. You have to study something solid. Yeah. Solid. Business administration. Right.

In the whatever university in Mexico, where all the rich kids go, they don't give a shit. They just, you know. Right. Exactly. And I'm like, really? And this is a solid career. supposed to music in Berkeley. All right.

Right, right. So I did that, yes. So you didn't finish, and when you were there, you were you kind of, you were just doing everything else and kind of studying. Exactly. I was studying, and at the same time, I was doing this gig and a radio station, and I was singing with some Cuban friends in Mexico called Amari Gutierrez, David Torrenz, Panchos Espos.

These are amazing, amazing songwriters and singers. And every single Friday and Saturday I went to this club, this nightclub, very shady nightclub, in a very shady part of Mexico and I sang there every single week and I was singing, singing there I was studying opera at the same time I was studying acting at the same time

and kind of like, you know, Dad, listen, I need some, what, how do you give you money to spend on Sunday? Oh, yeah, just spending money. Yeah, I had spending money because, you know, and I spent all my money in like classes or the lessons or whatever. So I was kind of like preparing myself

for something that maybe at the time I didn't know that it was going to happen. Right. But some kind of, of the universe or some kind of whatever entity was telling me it is going to happen eventually. Well, you were making it happen. Yes, you were making it happen. I mean, that's what's interesting is I think, you know, there are people who kind of wait

for the universe to bring them something, and there are people who prepare for that thing to happen. I think the opportunities are flying in the air. Yeah. They don't land. Right. I'm waiting for, no, you don't wait, man. You have to jump and grab it.

To chase it. And why don't you jump and grab it or chase it, then you have to develop it. Right. And you have to nourish it. And, you know, if not, it's not going to happen. And constantly push yourself. I mean, it sounds like you were doing. You were doing everything you could do, right?

A really kind of multifaceted. You were doing radio. Were you a DJ? I was a DJ and I was producing also shows. Oh, wow. And that was back in the day. Well, not that. I was five.

Yes, right when you're five, like a prodigy. Yes, baby genius. Maybe genius. But we used to edit with the tape. Oh, wow, yeah. And cutting the tape with the thing in there. I mean, we didn't have pro tools, of course.

Yeah. So I was the head voice editor. I edited voices for the shows. Then they gave me my break, and I was like, I was editing like finished programs. Right. I was editing the commercials and whatever. And then they were like, hey, listen, there's a spot for you to, if you want to give it a shot at the morning show. Oh, wow.

Oh, yeah. So I did it for many years. But it was excruciating. I mean, people that whoever works on the morning shows, they should have. have statues all over the town. I mean, working up at 4.30 in the morning, right. Open on opening, opening the mic at 5, 5.36 in the morning and then be on the air for three, four hours. It's like, it's grueling. And feeling that much time every single day, you know, having to like be on, you know, and for, because it's one thing to even do like an hour

of live TV. It's another thing that has like four hours every single day. Oh my every single day. Yeah. Yeah. You're doing everything. Yeah. So you're singing and you're doing radio and you're taking classes and you're kind of preparing. In your head you had this idea, but I wonder like what was, because you were doing it. You were preparing as you were doing it. I wonder what the big thing that you wanted to have happened. Well, I was a good friend of, I'm still, I'm still, I'm a good friend of two singers in Mexico. His name is Mihades and Lucero.

They were married to each other. No, they're not. But I was, and we were in my house in Acapulco, and then Mihades told me, listen, the president of the label company is coming to visit me. Would you mind him up? And I'm like, do I mind me? Of course. And I had a lot of demos taped already and everything. So I said, fuck it up.

I'm going, of course. Yes. So I went, you know, pick him up. Mario Ruiz, we are still very close friends up to date, which is the beauty of this business. When you meet beautiful people and you meet beautiful human beings, you just state right enough, for example. It's incredible how many friends I have that I met several years ago.

Now they're the head of this network or the head of this studio. We're like, you know. Yeah. I didn't know you had in you. Yeah. I want to slap you. Exactly. And I pick Mario up in 1993 or something.

Mom, hi, Mario, hi, yes. So, hey, Chico, from Cuba, I think, or Colombia or something. Hey, chico, so what, whatever, and say, you know, so I popped a tape, no? Oh, we used to have, I was five again, but, and we had CDs and everything, but, you know, tape, I wanted to go retro. Yes. So I popped the tape and, you know, and I'm like, this is me, by the way, Mario. Or really, you sing, well, yeah, well, I sing and I, so make a long story short, he signed me. Wow.

I signed with EMI Mexico. Wow. And we do one CD produced by Rudy Perez, a Grammy Award winner, a beautiful producer. But then life was throwing at me acting gigs. Okay. So, of course, in my not very well-developed brain, I was like, yeah, of course, the acting gig is coming because it's going to help the CD sell. Like if I get this TV show or this whatever, I'm going to get exposure. Right.

that's going to help my CD to sell or sell shows. Yeah. And no, it was a much wiser entity called the universe telling me, no, you should pursue acting instead of the singing thing. And thank God I listened because some of us were very stubborn and we're like, no, no, I'm going to be a singer and a singer. And I'm like, no, no, life is telling you to pursue other. Right.

And maybe that's how I went into acting. Do you remember what your first acting gig was? Yes, it was a soap, a very, very dramatic soap opera. like, you know, the classical, like, I said, why don't you call me? That kind of thing. I don't know what the fuck I was doing, to be honest. I was there, and I'm like, what is this?

Right. This is not natural. Right. I don't know who's directing this, but this is crazy. Who buys this? Right. I mean, who buys this kind of acting? I was always questioning this kind of like soap opera, Latino kind of thing.

I was like, this is not right. And I said, well, I'm going to take this gig because it's going to help the CD. So it was playing the, the antagonist, the bad guy. in a novella by Lucero. Oh, wow. Because Lucero, my dear friend, she's very well known in the Latin market.

She's very famous. And so, yeah, I did that gig. And I was like, I don't understand this. I don't understand, you know? Yeah, you come in, and you, I mean, had you been taking acting classes up until this point? Had you been training this after? Not acting per se, more singing.

Right. More singing and opera lessons. And then, you know, eventually when I was doing more acting gigs, I was more going, you know, Larry Moss and this or that and finding the right coaches for me to get the acting

preparation I needed, right? But it was like that. Everybody that I know that's worked on a soap and I actually don't know anybody's ever worked on a telenovela but I know American soap actors. It's kind of like the same. Yeah, yeah. I mean, telenovelas are a little bit more dramatic,

a little bit more extreme. Oh my God. The style is very like stylized. But they say how good an environment it is to learn it because you have to move so quickly. You have to learn so many lines so fast. You don't have a lot of opportunities to tweak. You know, can I get another take?

You've got to just get it right the first time. Oh, yes. Did you feel like you've learned a lot in that time? Yeah, you get a lot of practice and a lot of, how do you name? I'm trying to find the word in English. Officio. Like, you really get the laugh, cry, dying, your dog died. Your mother left you.

Right. girlfriend is going to marry your archie enemy and this is all going to happen today. Right. In eight hours. So yeah, you do get a lot of practice and a lot of, yeah. Kind of turning on a dime and being able to deliver quickly. And you have to learn your lines. Right.

So many lines, you know, I mean, yeah, it's incredible. On Jane, the Virgin, we need to, we probably do 11 to 12 pages per day. And that's a lot. That's a lot. That's a lot. That's a lot. Because I think, yeah, I think six, seven, eight pages is typical for one hour. Typical for us is 11 to 13.

Yeah. Wow. Yeah. In Mexico, we have to do at least 40 effective minutes a day. Wow. And in the U.S. you have to do, what, six, seven minutes effective a day. So imagine, it's just the world of difference. Just a machine.

A machine. A machine. Did you fall in love with acting when you were doing it? Not with that kind of acting. I never liked that kind of acting. I never understood it. I was like, this is, this is odd. Yeah.

It's not real, no? And then I did another soap similar to that one, and I did it just because of the money, to be honest, because I didn't want it. I was like, I don't know. Right. But then they called me, during that soap, a friend of mine was doing a theater thing in Mexico,

and he said, listen, I heard that they're doing because they're looking for Latino actors for this Broadway production of Mambo Kings. And I'm like, I want to go because when I was a kid, I saw Mambo Kings and I saw Antonio Banderas. At that point, I didn't even know that I wanted to be an actor or pursue the entertainment. Yeah.

Like Rogelio would say the financial arts, or pursue financial arts. Right. So I was, okay, I called my agent at the time Jorge Pinos, who used to work in William Morris, and I'm like, Jorge, I heard this. I don't know what I heard, and I don't know what they're doing, but I heard they're looking for Latinos on Broadway.

I would love to go. Yes. So Jorge investigated. It was for the Mambo Kings, $12 million play. you know, huge, produced by the Roths. And I'm like, well, I want to go. And they're like, dude, they're not going to fly. And I don't care.

I'll fly on my own time, but I want to see them. Right. Perfect. So I went to New York, did the audition. They asked me to stay for one more day. I stay. So to make a long story short, I got the role. Wow.

The Antonio Banderas role he did on for the movie, but for the Broadway show. Wow. Wow. It was amazing. How exciting. Super exciting. And so I was there. I went to New York.

We rehearsed, you know, 40 seconds, studios, everything was fine. We did the pre-Broadway, Golden Gate Theater, San Francisco, everything was going beautifully. I met so many cool people there like, you know, Naomi Campbell or Sean Penn, you know, very, very cool people. And then the producers went over the budget $5 million dollars. Oh, gosh. So we were going to be at the Broadway theater, you know, 56th and Broadway. Yeah. Yeah. The Mambo. Isai Morales and Jaime Camille are the Mambo Kings. Everything was beautiful. And then they took the marking it down. And they put Oprah Winfrey presents a color purple.

Oh, no. And that was it. The show was just gone. The show was gone. Thank God we didn't open. I think it's worse if you open and then you get canceled. Right. That's like a failure.

Right. If you don't open, that's like a frustration kind of thing. Right. And it's not reflective on the talent. That has more to do with like the mechanics of the thing or the people backing. The book. They say the book needed work. To me, the book was, yeah, it needed work, but it was beautiful.

And maybe the producers were not very confident of opening an all Latino play on Broadway. But then what happened? in the heights open and won the Tony. Yeah, exactly. So I think it was a right. Yeah, and I think that there's been this big expansion in what, you know, I think even something like Book of Mormon, you know, which nobody would have ever expected to do as well as it has. It just maybe like expanded the scope of what people think will work on Broadway.

You know, then you've got like, God, that one that's based, that punk, the one that's based on Green Day. Like, there's like a whole musical based on like the Green Day. Yeah, American idiot. I mean, it's amazing. Yeah, I haven't seen it. No. Brilliant. Wow.

Brilliant. And I think nobody would have said that something like that would have worked, you know, 10-15 years ago. Brilliant. This conservative kind of taste or changing. It was a great play to draw the young audience to Broadway. Right, right. Not the classic. Yeah.

So that must have been very frustrating. It was very frustrating. And I was living there. And of course, in my mind, I was the Phantom of the Opera, right? I'm like, I am the fucking Phantom of the Opera. I'm going to live here for 50,000 years. Yes. wearing my mask while I walk in the street.

Your cape billowing. Exactly. Everything. And then boom, the show fell apart. I'm like, oh, my God. And of course, I told my landlady that I was going to rent this. I was renting at the city Spire building. Neighbors to Hallibery.

We live in the same building in front of Carnegie Hall. Of course, I can afford this because I am the phantom of the opera. Right. So I'm there and then like, oh, my God. And I told my landlady, how long will you be using the apartment? I'm like, really, this is a serious question. Right, right, right. 50,000 years.

Forever. Forever. Yeah. You'll be dead and gone. Exactly. And then, boom, nothing happened. I'm like, oh, my God, what is this? And then the show's canceled.

I don't have money to pay the rent. And then they call me, and they're like, listen, don't even get excited. We are planning on doing a remake of a Colombian show called Ugly Betty. I don't know if you heard. No, I haven't heard it. What's it about, I don't know, whatever. An ugly girl. Okay.

What's the pay? Not wait. You are our fourth option. So are we having any... I don't care. I need to know what's the pay because I owe a lot of money right now in New York.

All right. So, okay, whatever. So we'll let you know. So they called me two days after that. Okay, you got the part. 4 p.m. Not a very good time slot in Mexico, you know, to be in a soap.

It's kind of a lot of worse. I'm like, okay, I'll take it. Okay, we have to be here in two weeks. So you can imagine me calling my landlady, please, please. I'm willing to pay two months of penalties, but please let me go of this contract. So she was a sweetheart.

She let me go. I left. And then I did the version with my very close friends, Angelica Valley, we did the Mexican version of Ugly Betty, which broke historical records of rating in Mexico, Latin America, and in the U.S. Yeah, this is one idea

and has, like, been executed, like, done so well across these different... And that's when I started getting acting because it was a sitcom. Right. And I was having fun and doing comedy and that, and I'm like, now this I dig. Right.

I like this. Right. This is normal acting. Or if it's not normal acting, at least it's not the other. Yes, yes. If I'm going to be faking it in a way, I rather do comedy, then do those. Right, right.

Yes. And, and of course, my career is something before and after ugly bed. Completely different. I wonder about the popularity of television shows in Mexico versus the United States where we have, like, you know, hundreds of stations now and so many cable shows that a show like that at that time, everybody would have seen it. It would have been like such a big show that, like, every. They saw it. Yeah. Everybody.

It's a classic story. I'm sure you heard of these stories. You know, like, okay, yeah, the ratings or the sweeps or whatever you call you the technical word for it. But it's like, okay, the ratings. And wait, what is this? How do you pronounce this network? Right. Univision.

What is it? Univision? Yeah. Okay. Why does, why is this network has 30 more million viewers than CBS, CBS, NBC, Fox and ABC combined? Right. Right.

I would like to know what is this. Yeah. And that's a classic story of the success story that happens to us to the Latino markets, to the Latino people in this country, we break records and we are seen by 30 million, you know, season finale, 30 million viewers. And they're like, wait, wait, isn't that the voice kind of like ratings?

No, that's the kind of numbers. Univision has every single season finale of every single show they do. Wow. Yes. That's incredible. Yeah. Did you, so you did this in Mexico?

How long did that series run? Oh, for like a year. In Mexico, we don't do seasons. Oh, okay. Or like, we just do like a one run. let's say a novella and they label everything as novella because it's it's every day one hour from monday to friday right so maybe the format is like a novella if it was probably once a week one hour like like gender virgin is now probably they will call it a sitcom right but it's actually

the tone of the show was more like a sitcomy kind of like yeah not a novella because it was funny and whatever um but it ran for novellas usually run for any anything between six and eight months These one ran for a year and two months. Oh. So it was very, it was very successful, much longer than normal, but still just the year and two months. How do they do it, right? Well, they don't care. They just extend situations.

Wow. Just extend it. Okay, but there's no story to extend it. Right. I'm not asking you. I'm giving you a direct order. Right. Extended because it's being successful and we're kicking us in the rating, so just extend it.

Just, yeah. That's how they do it. That also explains to me something I was wondering about, which is that, you know, I saw that You'd done several different telenovelas. You had done one. Whereas most shows like that here, you know, all our soap operas have been running for 40 years. Exactly. And I was like, guys are like, I'm playing the same role for 25, 30 years, same show.

But these things kind of start and end, which actually... But it's the same story. Right. It's the same story with different settings and different wardrobe and different actors. Right. Right. Right. The poor girl that becomes rich, but then falls in love, falls in love with a rich guy that doesn't love her.

Right. The true girlfriend that is the rich comes, and so she's devastated. You know, it's like the same story, the same story over and over again. But instead of the lead actor to be like a businessman, now he's a banker. Right. And now he runs whatever. Now he's a race car driver. But it's the same thing.

It's the same story. You come off of Ugly Betty. What was it called in La Feaia? Mesaia. That's like, Fea means ugly. Fia means ugly. So the most beautiful ugly girl. The most beautiful ugly girl.

Okay. And you come off of that show and now you love acting and you've just been on this hit and you have a sense of like, okay, I can write my own ticket or here's what I want to do next. Well, before I did a couple of movies. I've done way more movies than sitcoms actually. I've done over 20-something films. Wow. Yeah. And I already did like three movies before La Fea.

Oh, okay. Yes. So we've done the four movies before La Fea, but after, or was this also before Mambo Kings? It was some of them before Mambo Kings, but most of them after. Yeah. So, yeah, so things were already humming. So it wasn't like, it wasn't, even though, even though La Famous Bella was a hit, it wasn't as if it was life-changing, radically life-changing.

It was not life-changing on what I was doing, but life-changing on the fame level. Right, right. It really, like, I was like, suddenly I'm like, why can't I go to the park? Right. With my kids? I mean, like, yeah. Was it like that? Oh, yeah.

All of a sudden, you couldn't, like, move freely? Yes, all of a sudden it was like that. Celebrity there similar to the way he is in the United States? No, they're more the... Since we don't have lawsuits in Mexico, we can beat the shit out of them. If they take pictures. If you don't like a picture, you can... Yeah. Oh, that must be...

Oh, invigorating. It's amazingly... Sean Penn Paradise. I mean, forget it. Not here. You get sued, and it's... I don't get this... Well, what's amazing is you'll get sued if the photographer assaults you and, like, you push them out of the way, like, let's say they can't your face. Yeah.

or they're in your face and you can't walk and you push them out of the way not like aggressively like you just and you they're they drop their camera they'll sue you for like all that stuff it's ridiculous is and i can't it's it's incredible excuse me please it's incredible how california has so much loss you know to to have like a very good civic whatever you know uh system system and whatever it's like how come how come it's not illegal when you're pulling out of their driveway and you're you're pulling out of their driveway and you're you're you're you're pulling out of their driveway and you're you have, and I see this, this, uh, Britney Spears and this Paris Hilton or whatever or the Kardashians and they have like 50 flashes on their face. In a, in a such an aggressive way, right, invading and violating your intimacy at, to such point and such extent. Right. That they might even cause an accident because you're pulling away, but you actually, you can't and then you can see and then how, how come this is illegal?

Right. I truly don't understand. What's interesting. Take the pictures. Just be 10 meters away. I think the law hasn't caught up with the industry, right? So the paparazzi is a relatively new business, you know? And now there are all these like online websites who kind of like they've proliferated, right?

There's the TMZs and everything. So these guys are freelancers. I mean, they're not licensed. Not like there is a license to be a paparato, but it's like the law hasn't caught up. I agree. And it's crazy. And it needs to. I mean, I don't care if we help them bring food to their table.

into their families, by them violating so harshly our intimacy. Right, right, yes. Let's not forget that small part. Right. That's cool. Right. But you know what? Let's make it fair for everybody, for everybody.

Right. For you, for me and for everybody, let's make it fair, no? It's, you know, it's kind of like a Faustian bargain, right? It's like, if you're in this business, you need to publicize your work, you know, you need the red carpet. You need all these things. But you don't necessarily need somebody to take a picture of you when you're, like, eating a sandwich. or taking your kids to school. I agree.

There's no reciprocity there. That's not, that's a one-way street. The photographer benefits completely, and you don't benefit at all because your private species... You don't benefit. But when you live in a country like Mexico where you have kidnappings and organized crime

and everything, these magazines, sometimes they work as a map for the organized crime. Okay, wonderful. He goes to these restaurants, his kids, they attend this school. Wow. They don't even care about blurring your license plates

or blurring the name of the street. They don't give a shit. They just publish it. Wow. And it's funny. For example, in Mexico, there's a federal law that protects information from, let's say, hospitals. Right. So if somebody goes and gets like an HIV test, I cannot just go and buy their results and print them on a national magazine. I will go to jail if I'll do that. In Mexico, they can do that.

They go to hospitals. They buy medical studies. They buy the ultrasound of your kids. and whatever. And it's not bad enough that they publish it, but it's like, okay, I'm publishing this, which I know it's a federal offense, but I'm going to publish it without the consent of the parents.

Right. And I'm going to mock the law because I'm basically not putting any, like, remarks on the magazine, like this picture was taken with the consent of the parents or the hospital agreed to give us this picture. No, you know it's an illegal trade of information. Right. And you know they are not respecting federal laws.

Right, right. But not happy with that, they publish it. So they're like, okay, you system and you, government and you, I shit on you. Right, right. And there's no repercussions at all. Exactly. And there should be repercussions for the love of God. I mean, it should be some kind of fines or something.

Or, hey, listen, meaning that the celebrity doesn't have to file a lawsuit. Right. There should be like some kind of government. And they go like, okay, listen, is there any note in the magazine that they publish just with consent? Right. No, there isn't, right? Right. Right.

Right. So, and this is a hospital thing. Right. Right. Right. So we should go after the hospital. We should go after the magazine and we should go after all these guys that are breaking the law. Yes.

We should not wait until the celebrity files for lawsuit. We should just go for it. Right. Tell me, you were just mentioning that there were, there are, you know, continue to be like a lot of organized crime and kidnomics and everything. And you grew up for, you grew up for, you. You know, you were the son of, I'm assuming a, you know, relatively well-off person. Did you have a sense when you were a kid that, like, your life was ever unsafe or in jeopardy or even as a teenager? I never lived with fear.

I mean, I was like, oh, I'm being followed. Of course, the reality is very sad in Mexico. You have to run around in armor cars, like bulletproof cars. And at some point, I had security following me, you know, armed security. And I were like, what is this? Right. It's like a living in, what is this? It's crazy.

So I said, you know what, okay, I'm going to be in the armor card. And whatever happened, I'll just, you know, sit down and cry like a girl if something happens until somebody comes and save me. Right. But, you know, the hell with the security and the hell with this. And let's leave our life in a more normal way. Right. And I think that we can do that here in Los Angeles. Yes.

Yes. I mean, that's obviously like a big tradeoff. Do you have still a lot of family in Mexico City? We have, well, my family lives there. My mom lives in Brazil. My dad lives there with the, and my brothers and sisters. they leave there. But yes, they travel a lot.

And has it gotten worse or better in terms of safety there? It has... You get used to it. Like you buy a car and one of the options is what level of bulletproofing would you like. It's not like, what you like air conditioning, leather seats, what level of bulletproofing, level three, level six, presidential level. It's like a part of the culture, unfortunately. Wow.

So now not only you have to... I mean, for example, all the CEOs or the big head of the companies, they all have, like, like, Procter & Gamble has, like, 20 bulletproof cars on their fleet. Right, right, right. To receive, like, yeah. How do you know, businessmen from a broader for you? Right. It's interesting, you know, I think it's indisputable that, like, there's, like, a specific thing going on in Mexico.

Then there has been for a while with, like, the drug trade and everything. But you made a good point, which is when you grow up in a place, your sense of it is just, this is what, you know, like you said, you don't live in fear. This is like, this is what I grew up with. But you develop, you develop, you are alert. Right. Right. You are alert. For example, here in the States, so many things happen. And you're like, really, you let that happen? Right, right. What happened? Why did somebody went into your house and robbed? Well, for 15 days, there has been a guy, you know, a homeless guy here lurking into my trash cans and, you know, taking pictures of my house. But I thought nothing was going to happen.

Shame on you. You deserve to have a break in. Because for the love of God, if you have this, you should report to the police immediately. At least I have a guy lurking in my house hanging around. Yeah. So, yeah, we are way more alert in Mexico. or when you're being followed, when you see a shady person, you immediately know, change the route.

Don't make this stoplight, just run the red light. I mean, you're kind of aware of this situation. Right, right. It's very... I'm saying such horrible things. No, but it's very... They sound normal, and then it's like, really, you live like that, yeah. I mean, you do, you have to.

And then, you know, I think there are a lot of people who feel that, you know, it's just as unsafe here. You know, and then, like, you know, just by way of illustration, I remember, like, like a year or two ago, a woman went to Istanbul, and she disappeared. She was traveling alone and she disappeared, and she turned up dead.

And everyone's like, you know, no one should go to Istanbul. And I was like, well, what about the Chinese families that sent their kids here to USC and they got like shot parked in their car like after a study group?

I mean, kind of the world is a dangerous place everywhere. You heard about what happened in Hawthorne. No. This woman laughing or making a joke at a guy that was riding a car with his feet up. Oh, which is the most stupid thing to do

because you get, if you crash, you die. Right, exactly. And she won't like, maybe it was like a little moky, kind of like, like, you know, that, yeah. Well, the guy got pissed off at that. And so the woman noticed that.

At least you have to give her that. She noticed that and she pulled up a cop. So listen, these guys been following him because I kind of like made a joke on how he was like this and everything. The guy came out of the car and shot the woman in front of the police car. Oh my God. Like, and then he shot the 12-year-old kid. Thank God the kid lived. Oh.

But it's like, really? Oh, my God. You are, you get. Are you that man? Right. That's like a sociopath with no impulse control. Yes, yes. So was there ever a consideration?

I guess you're doing movies and then you do this huge show and it kind of changes everything for you. And did you change the way that you lived after that? I mean, did you have to accommodate that celebrity? Did you decide that you were going to move or? You from Mexico? Yeah, from Mexico. Well, I've been in Los Angeles for the past seven years on and off because I'm, I'm, I always want to commit here.

Okay, pilot seasons. I'm going to commit. I'm going to come in. And then boom, a movie comes in Mexico. So I have to go back and do the movie. Then I come back. I'm going to do sitcoms in Mexico. I'm going to go back and do it.

I mean, not, I mean, it pays a bill. Yeah, no, it's nice to work. But you had a goal of like wanting to, yeah. So finally, the last time I spoke, I managed by Roar and represented by WME. So I'm like, okay, guys, let's do this. I'm going to stay here, period. And then we get this call. The last show I did for Televisa, which is,

which is, Ke Pobres San Rikos. I'm like, oh my God, and you know, I don't think I want to be able to do it. What is it's trans-like that technology for me? I just tell me- Tren-Rikos. It's like, the poor little rich people. Yeah, okay, yeah. I'm like, oh my God, I can't, I can't.

So thank God I work. This is my fourth project with Rosio Campo, my showrunner and producer, which we are super close friends. So I'm like, Rosie, let's do it. But I need a window open for me to come to pilot season. And if we nail a show, we have to shoot the pilot. So I need that. Yeah. I'll give you to the contract.

Don't even worry. And sure enough, Pilots Houston came. Jane the Virgin came my way. So I read it. I love the script. We shot the pilot and thank God we got picked. Yeah. But it was a very well-orchestrated plan by myself, by Aurora, by WME, which we, by Rosio Campo as well.

We both, like, really protected myself in the contract to have all these time. Right. And then were you able to go back and do Los Poverasandos? After after I did the pilot. I went back and I had like two or three more months of shooting and that's it. Right. Right. So right. And it was perfect because I finished June, the end of June, and we started taping in July. Oh, wow.

Yeah. So it worked perfect. That's exciting. Yes. What is, I'm very curious about this as an actor. What is the biggest, and maybe there's no difference, stylistically aside, like kind of telenevella style aside. What's the biggest difference between working on a television show here and a television show in Mexico? The budget.

particularly the budget. Yes. Yeah, the budget. Yeah, no, the show is very expensive. It's like $2 million to shoot or two point something. It's ridiculous. It's an hour. In Latin America, if you spend $250,000 for a one-hour show, you get fired.

Oh, wow. You're like, why are you spending so much money? Right, right? Right. What are you talking about? This is nothing, right? Yeah. So the budget, but I think that us actors, you know, as well,

we are kind of like, we're animals from. from the same farm. Right. No matter if we are in Istanbul or Vietnam or Mexico or the U.S. shooting, like the language and the lingo and the verbal and corporal communication that goes on on a set, it's kind of like the same. I mean, you know. Yeah, there's a way of moving on a set and operating.

I think we all speak the same language when it comes to that. That was your, was that your first American pilot? My first American pilot. No, I did actually a guest starring role in Divius Mates. Oh, right. So it was already going at that. point yeah so yes my first but i was very lucky i had three straight offers for for pilots wow and but i read jane and i'm like oh my god this is a brilliant brilliantly written script by jane

irman and her team of writers but mainly jenny of course and i'm like oh my god this is brilliant and it's not that i chose to be in the project because you know my character speaks five words in the pilot right right right it's not like it's a great character for me no i'm probably gonna die in the second episode but i love the show and then we did like a skypy conference with jenny and Brad Silverling and we're like, listen, not because it's a stupidity of the actor that I want more pages. Right.

No, it's just out of curiosity. Where is this character going, right? Yeah, exactly. So she kind of like laid the plan, and I loved, I love the plan on where the character was going. So I'm like, I'm in. I mean, I mean, I love the show. And thank God, everything has happened.

Yeah. It was, I mean, what was exciting about the show and I remember hearing about it, like, you know, when all the scuttle bits to come around about the new set of pilots and the shows that have been picked up and I do a show on the CW, so I think I remember hearing about it upfronts that last year, you know, that there was this new show.

And they don't pick up that many shows. I mean, they don't order a million shows, that it was such a unique idea. And I remember thinking, and I honestly, I was like, how is this going to work? It's like the most unusual concept for a show. You should have seen us walking the red carpets before the show aired. We went to the upfronts. Yeah, this is the Jane DeVers. First of all, who wants to interview us, really, honestly?

Right. From Jane the Virgin, move. we have Isaiah Washington coming You can move, please. So hey! So we're there. So funny. All right, so hey, yeah.

So, okay, hi. Yeah, what's your... Right, who are you? Right. No, no idea when you are. Oh, I'm coming here from Jane the Virgin. What? Jane the Who?

Right. Jane the Virgin. Oh, yeah, and what's the show about? And it got worse, right? Right. Well, about a girl that gets artificially inseminated by accident. Okay, thank you. next

it was I mean it's just it's like the wildest premise the wildest premise well that's novelas right there for you but of course Jenny brilliant

Ben Silverman brilliant as well producer you know they got the concept they're like this is going to be a great like they did with the office

or ugly Betty Ben especially know they were like we're going to make this work it nails this tonal line of like comedy and emotion yeah it

I think it's really hard to do. I mean, I think it's a really unique show because, like I said, it's such a crazy premise that works so beautifully. The show is funny, and it's also romantic, and it has these little elements of, like, the telenovela style without feeling over the top.

It's really unique. I think we're real. Whatever we do is real. It can be the most outrageous situation in the entire universe. Well, we played it real. We played real. This is real.

To us, it's real. So maybe the audience buys that. Right. Okay, well, yeah, it's real. It's definitely. So, you know, I don't know. And also we have, we're working with this beautiful group of human beings. And I know, I mean, you know Gina and she's a sweetheart.

She's the sweetest. The sweetest. But everybody on the show is a decent, beautiful human being. There are some shows, and I'm sure you've even probably participated on those shows where, you know, the air weighs a ton. Everybody's in a bad mood. You do not dare engage into eye-to-eye contact with the actor because you might get thrown out of the set. because you don't disrupt the creative whatever that fucking means. Yeah, exactly.

And no, on our show, everybody's in a good mood, happy, laughing. It's like a beautiful environment. We had a beautiful email sent by our president, David's staff, that said, guys, seeing you how you are together at the TCA's, it's incredible the chemistry, or to quote Clooney, the alchemy you guys have in the show. It's a beautiful energy. And I think that also transmits through the television. So I think people, maybe that's another reason why they dig so much, Jane.

You are living here for time. You're doing this show. You are on hiatus, but you're a big movie star in Mexico. Do you feel the tug to go back? Do you feel the, like, you know what I mean? Because you have this really well-established career in another country, and I wonder if you ever feel like the two things are in conflict or... I don't.

I just, it's just working out the dates. Right. Because you could do it in hiatus. two movies to shoot in Mexico. One is a beautiful movie called La Leenda, the Legend of the Diamond, which is a beautiful, like, never-ending story, kind of fantastic, fantastic film. And then there's another one, a remake of another movie that we are still negotiating, but it's also a very good movie. But it's just a matter of working out the dates during the hiatus, which is not actually a hiatus, because you have to do the upfronts and this, and as you know, all these events, so you

cannot take like two and a half months to shoot a movie, you know? I mean, you could, and you can travel to the up front and then come back to the same. I mean, it's, you can make it work. For sure, you can make it work. But, no, you know, Roar, my management company, they manage the Hemsworth brothers and Ken Watanabe, Alicia Braga. They manage a lot of international actors, which have a very solid and structured career in their market.

So, you know, for example, I heard that Ken loves to be in Japan. It's a very difficult for him to come to Hollywood and do a movie. It's just, you know, he loves being there. Right, right. In my case, I love being here. Right. But I also love the movies I shoot in Mexico. So it's just a matter of working out of dates.

Right. So it's not as difficult. It's like, okay, I've kind of left that career behind and move down to this. And I will never turn my back into my country, into my market, the Latin. Who, who I am, or the certain recognition I might have, it's thanks to them. Right. So it will be very ungrateful for me to just like, yeah, I'm an American. Now, as you can see from my perfect American accent, I'm no longer.

A part of your culture. No, I will never, never do that, ever. It's also interesting, though, because you're now, how many episodes did you guys do this first season? Was it 22? 22. Yeah. We started with 13.

Right. And then you got that back order. Yeah. And you, but it is very time-consuming to shoot a one-hour show. It is, but I'm very privileged. Even though we are, you know, there are six leads in the show. Yeah. Of course, there's one lead.

Her name is Gina Rodriguez, but we have like six principal characters on the show. I'm one of them and I'm very privileged because I have a lot of time to spend with my family. I love being with my kids. Yeah. I'm the biggest fan of parenthood there is in the world. That's so great. Yeah, it's amazing. Oh, that's wonderful.

So it's great. You know, out of the seven days we shoot the show, that it should be eight from what I've heard, but we shot her in seven. Yeah, that's fast. I probably work four. Oh, okay. So it's not bad at all. That's brilliant. Yes.

To you ever, sometimes with like a success. like a really successful project, it kind of, again, changes what you have access to, like the projects you've access to. And I wonder if there's something that you're dying to do now that you're on a big hit show

in the United States other than relaunched Marvel Kings on Broadway. Exactly. I'm going to be Broadway eventually. Yeah, I believe it. I believe it. I believe it. Because you also have a big musical career as well.

Yeah, but I have... I understand now that I'm an actor that can say, Right. And not this stubborn, like, I'm a singer. And I'm a no, no, I'm just an actor that sing. So whenever I have a role that the character requires to sing, they don't have to dub me. Right.

Right. Yeah. But no, I like to embrace, I like to embrace blessings a lot. So if we're in this show and it's working amazingly and everything, it will be very ungrateful. I might be happy to, okay, I'm here, but now I want to do something else. Right. But now I don't like this. Right.

No, no, no, no. No, no. I love this. I just don't like it. I love it. I love that I'm in a well-established show and that I'm in the group of the employed people, especially in Los Angeles,

because when you, you know, I'm an actor in Los Angeles. This is the most understated phrase that, you know. So I have to say, I'm a working actor. I'm currently working in a project, you know. Yeah. But I know, I love the blessings that we, Jane the Virgin is amazing, and I love it.

And if something comes, and if there's an opportunity of doing a film or whatever or a guest, I'm rolling on another show. I would love to do it, of course. Right. But I love my show. I love my show.

And I'm very grateful that I have work. And I'm very grateful that I have a steady paycheck every week. That's just a blessing. Yeah, it is. And I think, what I think a lot of times actors will, I mean, all of us, you know, you'll get to this thing where, you know, whatever you're doing can feel. And it's so early in the shows. Yeah, exactly. You know, it's for a season.

But you see doors opening, but also people will get frustrated. And, you know, it's just, again, it's probably a testament to the fact that it's such a well-run show, such a well-written show and such a lovely group of people. that yeah, yeah, I mean, you know, and you're

outtake on life as well, no, because if you feel for, oh, I feel frustrated because I didn't,

okay, change your narrative, do it. Right, right, exactly. And you have choices. Yeah,

exactly. It's not about you're frustrating because you didn't get the Quentin Tarantino movie.

Right. No. You should be super happy because you're in this ongoing show, blessed with critics

and, and, you know, highly acclaimed and critically successful. So just change the narrative

of your life And you'll be a much happier person. You have put out some albums in Mexico, right? Yeah. How many? Several. Four. Wow.

And is that something that you still want to do? No. Now I want to do a kids album. There's a very famous guy in Mexico, Latin America, called Kri-Kri, who used to do amazing songs for kids. And now I want to do that for my enjoyment just to have that for my daughter, to give it to my daughter and my kid. And is obviously all Spanish language? Do people know your music here in the United States?

The Latino community, yes. Yeah. I mean, it's interesting. You're like a polymath. You do lots of stuff really well. It seems like that's something that you've done from the very beginning. But for example, that's a blessing here in the U.S. In Latin America, there's a lot of resentment.

Really? What are you? A singer or an actor? Or you're like theater? Or you do television? What's up with you? You have to do what? I'm an artist.

Right, right. I mean, it's like, I love my computer. Yeah, but you should be using PDF. You should only be using Word and don't use Excel. I'm like, why? It's just a computer. We should not take advantage of the thing. Exactly.

So, yeah, I guess that was the thing that drove the question about, like, what you wanted to do next. Because I think sometimes people who just do one thing tend to, and they specialize, tend to just be kind of like, this is my matiéé, I'm going to be an actor. I'm going to do this, and then when this show's over, I'll do another show. But when you do as many things as you do well, I always wonder, I always wonder, like, you know, what's the box you have in check? yet of the thing that you want to do. I don't know. I think it'll come. It will come.

Yeah. You're in like a really sweet spot in your life right now. So I think you have to wait for the, you know, you cannot go and teach God or the universe or whomever how to maneuver. Right, right. You just be open. Exactly. You have to be open and just wait for things to come your way.

And of course, look for it like we were talking before, you know, like, like, you're talking. know, like pursue your dreams and put it out there in the universe to make it happen. But at the same time, learn to let go. Right. Because if I were to have learned to let go, I would still probably be completely destroyed by not accomplishing a musical career, for example. Right, right, yeah. So, yeah.

Now, is your father still here? Yes. And how does he feel about your career now? He's a biggest fan. Yeah. He loves it. He actually comes to the set. And I'm like, so what am I doing today?

I'm like, what do you know about what? Yes, what's my role? I mean, no, no, no, no, you don't have a role. My dad. You're a guest. No, no, no. I want to appear. So now he has appeared in every single, at the beginning, I was like that.

If they say you pay for the shows that I do, it doesn't help me for you to be on them. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And then I said, you what the hell with these people? I mean, if it's my dad, I mean, if he gets a kick out of playing being a celebrity or being an actor, I'm going to give it to him. Right. I mean, he gave me food for, I don't know how many years, and a roof to a bed and whatever.

So, yes, he's funny because he's an extra in the movies, right? So we're there in the movies and we're shooting a scene like in this chair, right, this table. So the camera is there and, you know, one actor is here, I'm here, and then we have extras there. When the actor, it's a very funny movie you should see it. It's called Saving Private Pettis. Very funny about it, very funny.

So the camera is there and the character Miguel Rodarte says, okay, so where the hell is Iraq? Right? And my dad is there and my uncle is there. And my dad goes like this. You know, to the camera, like, gesturing where? Where? To the camera like, and cut!

And I'm like, oh my God. Oh, my God. And nobody tells him anything. No, he's just doing his deep background acting. He's got a big idea. So the director is like, you should tell him not to do that. And like, why the, you're the director. I'm not sure.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, my gosh. Yeah. It's a funny. It's a funny process.

And so, and he's been, every time he's shown up at, at, at Jane Virgin he's worked his way. He has, no, no, actually here he gets a little bit more intimidating. Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah. I'm going to be there and you're going to shoot. And like, don't give directions. You're crazy. Right. Oh, my God.

Chill out, man. I love it. I love it. But he has visited me in the set of gender version, and I can see that he's very, very proud. And he loves being on the set. And, you know, I mean, I was being on a set of American show. It's like, it's very impressive. Yeah.

This is perfect. Let's do self-inflicted wounds. Do you have a story that you want to tell? Self-inflicted wounds. Oh, my God. Let me think, one. Self-inflicted wounds. What do you see?

I don't know. Let me see. I was thinking about the Broadway show that I got there and I'm like, hey, listen, would you like an escape clause of your apartment? Of course not. Right, right. I am the Phantom of the Opera. I don't need escape clauses.

Who needs escaping clauses? And yeah, and that. And then, oh, and that. And then I bought, I remember, I bought, I really wanted, I'm into like vintage cars, so I really wanted like a Mustang, a Shelby, Eleanor kind of like car. And I gave the deposit of the car. And then the Broadway show fell apart. And I'm like, oh my God, how am I going to pay for this? So I was really stressed. Oh my God. And I'm like, the televisa, the ugly Betty came. And I'm like, okay, let's do it. Yeah, yeah. You don't want to see what the show is about. I don't care what the show's about, man. I just want to work. What's a paycheck. Yeah. Yeah. So maybe that. But I'm like, but I'm. I'm like, okay. I'm. I don't want to see what the show is about. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But I. Yeah. Yeah. But I. Yeah. But I. I. Yeah. I. I. I. I I don't know. I mean, it's good. It's humbling. It's like, I mean, I think we all, especially earlier on in your career,

you think like, this is going to be the thing that I'm going to ride. And I do think that, at least for me, one of the greatest lessons I got was we're not always going to be on the top, but you're always not going to be in the bottom either. You know, that you have to kind of go through a couple of those bumps to realize that that's just like a part of this life. And I have noticed that in Hollywood. People have a difficult time understanding that there's not their moment, it's not their time. They're not going to be a leading man or a leading lady forever. Right. Right. And then they go

do these things and get their face butchered by plastic surgeons. He's like, just, you know, embegeese con dignity. Like, you know, you have to embrace becoming old. Right. And with dignity. Right. And love it. Right. I don't know. Right. And people are, it's interesting. People chase, people are chasing a moment that is gone to them forever. Do you know what I mean? Like, you're never going to look 25 again. You might look like a really good. You might look like a really good 45, but you're never going to. So trying to get to the way you look 20 years ago is such an impossibility. They probably focus on what they have in front of them and what they can actually grab instead of what they never grabbed. Right. Right. Right. Maybe change a narrative.

Right. Change a narrative. That's a really good. Hashtack change your narrative. Very good. Well, this was really wonderful. Thank you. Hi, May. Thank you so much. What a joy. He was amazing. Thank you, sir. All right. That was. Camille, a lovely guy, sweet, forthcoming, such an interesting life experience, and especially considering, you know, his background and his experiences and his extraordinary popularity in Mexico and his overwhelming popularity now here in the United States. So just sweet and lovely to chat with. So I hope you enjoyed that episode. No apolloja for today, other than that. I'm losing my voice. I have no idea why. Oh, I did do karaoke this week. I did some really, very ridiculous

karaoke. I did a fundraiser for Edina Mansell and Taye Diggs charity called her Brought Away, where they send young girls to Broadway camp in upstate New York. And it was just a lovely and maddening karaoke shit show with like a live band. And I got, you know, if you're going to do karaoke, you got to go balls out. I think I may have overdone it. It didn't, I didn't overdo it on the day. But of course, now I have a karaoke injury, and that is just pathetic. So, but let no one say I did not commit to singing what you won't do for love by Bobby Caldwell. I really gave it my all. I would not be surprised if I may wake up with a bit of back pain a couple of days from now on delayed onset muscle sorenness. But it was a great time. You know what to do, follow me, friend me online, and all my

many handles, Aisha Tyler Curds and Stone, and a girl on guy on all of the many socials, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and I'm on Huse. All the things that you want to do, you can do on the internet. The internet offers a plethora of joys for you and probably a couple of dark and perilous corners. But you can find me everywhere. You can go on iTunes, rate the show, keep it on top. Come write me a letter at girlong guy.com.

Come say hi. I read every letter and save the best ones for the awesome listener question show. So send me a question. And don't forget that the annual listener appreciation of everyone. will happen this summer at Comic-Con this July. So get ready to enter that contest in mere weeks, my friends, mere weeks. You are the greatest, you are my army. I'm going to take my ragged and broken voice off and nurse it with tea

and a little bit of self-pity. You are my army, you are a legion. I'll talk to the next one. Late. Girl on Guy is a production of Hot Machine, blowing shit up since 2009.