Category: Article

TV Interview!

Interview with Crystal Hunt of “Mood Swings” on PureFlix by Suzanne 8/14/20

It was great to speak with Crystal!  She’s a lot of fun. I used to watch her on “Guiding Light” and “One Life to Live”  She’s good at playing the villain, but she’s very sweet and down-to-earth in real life.

Here is the audio version of it.  Here’s the transcript!

Suzanne: So, when did you create the series? And when was it filmed?

Crystal: We shot it the year right before Christmas, year before last, and I created it when Donna Mills and Vanessa Marcil and I did that show “Queens Of Drama.” We were given a challenge. So, I create a treatment for a series that we think should be on the air. And so, my name is chosen, but Donna loved the concept of doing a female ensemble comedy and always loved “The Golden Girls,” and, you know, her favorite’s “I Love Lucy” like me. She loves Lucy a lot. So, we have a very similar sense of the style of comedy we like. And I just didn’t let her down. I was like, “Oh my God, I can’t believe we’re actually doing this.” She’s like, “You realize how big of a deal this is.” And she’s like, “There’s nobody in our industry that says they’re actually gonna do something and they actually follow through.” I’m like, “Well, I’m from Florida. I think it’s different.”

Suzanne: So had you done any writing before this?

Crystal: I had never, but I didn’t really have much of a choice once I saw what the budget was, and also timeframe before production needed to start by. And I didn’t realize just how many – because I’m not a writer, I didn’t realize just how – okay, I take it back. I did take poetry writing and things like that. I’ve always enjoyed that growing up. I’d just never formally written. So, I never really knew about writers rooms and all these different components and all these other people that add to the mix that actually makes up each episode. So, I realized really quickly, that yeah, this is too much work for anyone person in the time frame we need it. So, I happen to be friends with one of the writers of “The Golden Girls,” and I said, “Listen, I know that you [don’t want?] to do this for a long time, but it’s happening, but here’s the deal. It has to be done in this amount of time.” He’s like, “Okay, so possible.” I’m like, “Yeah, and here’s what it is. You’ll have me and one of my friends and we will -“ She has written some things. I was like, “So, she has a little bit of experience.” I said, “And I’m watching Judd Apatow Masterclass first.” I said, “So, while I finish up wrapping up the shooting the season on this other show.” I was like, “I will be watching a masterclass, so I know I can at least have an idea that I can make notes” I’m like, “And then lets beat board the whole thing out, and then let us create some female heavy content, and then you can run with it.” He’s like, “Okay, this sounds nuts but I think that it might actually be doable if you guys can do that.” He’s like, “That’s the key, like that’s where the writer room comes in, is you get to get ideas from a bunch of different heads, and a lot of different visions and takes on everything and that’s kind of what makes comedy so great.” So, it was a lesson and also opened up the doors to a lot of work right at the tail end of wrapping up season two of our show.

Suzanne: Wow. So, so, so it was difficult, but you figured out how to get help and get it all together.

Crystal: 100%. Tons of notes, tons of calls for questions and whatnot, but we got down to a really good rhythm. Some episodes, that will seem the most daunting to do, because they seem like they had the most content, turned out to be some of the easiest, and the ones that we thought were going to be the easiest, we’re like, “What? I don’t know, what do you mean?

Suzanne: So I know you’d worked for Pure Flix before, did that make it easier to sell it to them?

Crystal: Oh, it had already been sold. They had actually asked when I was actually negotiating my deal for season two. [Unintelligible] asked, “What happened to that show you pitched on, ‘Queens of Drama’?” “I mean, I do plan to do it at some point, but I just haven’t gotten around it yet.” He’s like, “Can you give me a rough pitch?” And I’m like, “Well, I haven’t even looked at the treatment in years, but yes.

Crystal: Like twenty minutes later, he’s like, “Let’s do like eight or ten episodes. Let’s just figure out like, what the beat board is and let’s do it. Like the episode, like what’s the season’s going to comprise of, and let’s do it.” So, just a treatment

Suzanne: Great. And so, did you first meet and work with Donna Mills with the “Queens of Drama,” or her did you know her from before?

Crystal: No, we actually have friends in common. One of the first executive researchers to ever hire her was a gentleman named John Conboy. He [unintelligible] “Santa Barbara” and “Capitol.” And he actually gave her one of my first jobs. He hired me for my first job on “The Guiding Light.”

Suzanne: Oh, good.

Crystal: Yeah, so, we had a lot of paths that crossed, but yes, we didn’t formally meet until “Queens of Drama.” And we’ve been like, yeah, there might be an age difference, but she and I, like you couldn’t find too closer pals. I love her pieces. She’s like family, as is her husband and daughter. They just didn’t realize they were gonna gain family from Florida, but they did…Joan Collins is a good friend of hers and Joan worked on “Guiding Light” with me. There’re just a lot of crossovers in our industry that you really don’t think of until that happens and you’re like, “Oh, oh, that’s where we know each other.” There’re so many times the things like that happen and it’s like, “Okay, now I’m not surprised anymore. Just go with it.”

Suzanne: Yeah, I read about that all the time. You’ll hear about somebody being cast and they’ll be like, “Oh, I know so and so, because we used to meet each other in the same auditions, or we took an acting class or something like that. And you’re like, “Oh, okay.”

Crystal: That happens a lot. Where like you used to, you know, do some sort of like workshop whatever with an actor and you run into them again, and then there’s like some sort of crossover.

Suzanne: Yeah. And I guess you see that a lot on Twitter too. Some actor that you know from one thing and then you’ll be talking to another actor, and you’re like, I wonder how they know each other? It’s always something like that.

Crystal: So true. And it does; it happens a lot. That’s because there’s not that many, especially in New York, there weren’t that many really reputable coaches that did workshops and whatnot. So, you had to have at least some credits on your belt to even get in there. So, if you were part of it, chances are you’re gonna see people that you’ve seen either on auditions or have worked with. [dog is barking]

Suzanne: Is that your dog?

Crystal: No, it is not. It’s my mother’s unruly dog. He is right next to me, barking next to me. I’m like, “What is she barking at?” We’re here in Florida for my mom’s birthday. So yeah, her dogs, though I love them to pieces. I got them for her, so obviously, I think they’re beautiful and I love them, but holy moly. They bark at everything

Suzanne: Yeah, that’s we always try to get dog that doesn’t bark if we can help it.

Crystal: Mine does not. I am very proud to say that.

Crystal: I’m answering a text; I have to get to an appointment that my mom’s at. Sorry I was asking on my dad’s [unintelligible] because they were walking in. My mom’s like – I told her, I’m like, “I have an interview to do on my drive over there.” Like I didn’t realize the time it was, because I was like, “I know I’ll be getting a call at that time. So I’ll head over there.

Crystal: I told him too, I was like…I surprised my mom got like this whole like, UV filtration system in their house and stuff like that, because she’s a cancer survivor…and really good it gets all the crap out of the water and stuff but also doesn’t have that water. So, I don’t know if you have long hair, but it doesn’t have that water softener feel that makes you feel like you can’t ever get your shampoo out of your hair. Because we hate it but also don’t want to have her breathing in carcinogens like they clean water with. So, I do that and the guy didn’t know what he was doing exactly, and it flooded a quarter of my parents’ house.

Suzanne: Oh, no.

Crystal: Yeah, this all happened in the last 48 hours, so it’s been fun.

Suzanne: You’ve been having a week.

Crystal: Yeah, exactly. I was like, “Friday might be a little hectic, but don’t worry. Even if I’m talking on the road, I’ll be talking.

Suzanne: Well, that’s good that you can multitask.

Crystal: [unintelligible] disaster.

Suzanne: Did you know any of the other people in your cast? You have a great cast for the show. Did you know any of them before they were cast?

Crystal: Oh, 100%, yeah. Well, obviously, Donna wrote the role for, and then Dyan Cannon she called me, and I was just like, that was beyond a pinch yourself moment. I mean, her her manager called a couple times, and I was explaining that the character that would be great for her would be be – She wanted to roll of Wanda, but I said I’ve written that for Donna, but the roll of her sister would be fabulous for her. She’s wild and crazy and a blast. But she wasn’t set to come until season two. Well, a couple of calls later, I get a call from Diane pitching me to have her come in a little bit in season one and then full time in season two. And I’m sorry yeah, it was a week before production, but you can’t get a call like that and not make it happen.

Suzanne: Right. Right. Wow. That’s great. Yeah, she’s wonderful.

Crystal: And I couldn’t have met a more unbelievable human being. She’s just incredible. Such an angel.

Suzanne: And what about Robin Riker? Did you know her before?

Crystal: Robin Riker, I actually know her through “The Golden Girls” writer; he wrote for her on “Mash.” It was so much crossover. It was crazy. And then several of my former cast mates from other soaps that are on there too, like the guy who plays my ex husband, Scott Bailey. We worked together since I was seventeen on “Guiding Light.” And a lot of people, because ultimately, I mean, Joan Collins has come out and said, “You know, soap opera stars are about the hardest working people in the business.” Because the thing is, there is no other workload like it. Like it’s the only thing that you see five days a week, every week that [unintelligible] training, and so it’s less of a series in the way that when people watch series, they watch ten, twelve episodes of something, and then they have to wait for another season to come out. Whereas it develops a totally different relationship with your fan base. Because it’s no longer like, “Oh my god!” It’s not that; it’s legitimately like they’ll come up to you and give you a piece of their mind and tell you, you know, “You need to stop giving this person a hard time,” and blah, blah, blah, bla, blah and are totally 100% in it, but like there is no like, “Hi, nice to meet you.” It’s like,”Why don’t you leave your your stepmother alone and give her a break.” And because it creates such a real family type relationship, that people forget that they don’t actually know you as a person, and also that you’re portraying a character. So, the separation is a little off, but there’s never a dull moment, I can tell you that.

Suzanne: So did you get more people coming up to you when you were playing Lizzie or when you’re playing Stacy?

Crystal: Oh, that’s a good question. I think just as much but just different, because I was so young when I was playing Lizzy. I had a lot of people like concerned, like there are a lot people waiting outside the studio tracks, like trying to introduce me to Christianity, even though if they ever looked up anything that I had said set about myself – I grew up Pentecostal Church of God and went to a bad Baptist school. So like, there’s really not much you can tell me that I haven’t heard ad nauseum, because I had to learn absolutely every single subject every kid learns in school, only the subject and how it relates to the Bible. But like they truly are concerned that I came from like a very sweet sort of nurturing side, whereas with Stacey, I think they are like, “She’s old enough to know better!” And they would give me an earful. It’s funny; it’s just different fans, because the fans – I feel like it sounds crazy, but the fans for CBS, it’s like they’re just 100% away from ABC fans. They’re just totally different types of people and demographics. It’s so weird. You would never ever think that a network would change, you know, what your fan base is going to be. Like, for instance, like “Guiding Light,” I would say, it’s definitely more of a legacy show. Like there was a lot one people that watched it, because it was like passed down to them like it was like an heirloom or something. Whereas I’d say ABC, it was the first time I actually had a lot of young fans.

Suzanne: That makes sense.

Crystal: Because there was such a broad demographic for ABC shows. ,So it was just it was it was crazy to see, because you don’t really know it until you experience it.

Suzanne: Right. Well, I watched you a little bit on “Guiding Light” and when you were on “One Life to Live,” and I liked you. You did a good job on both, but I didn’t like Stacy, because I liked Gigi and Rex together

Crystal: Yeah, nobody likes breaking up of the couples.

Suzanne: No, no, exactly…Do you still do you still know Ron? Didn’t Ron Carlivati write your character?

Crystal: My character, yes he did. He wrote my character for “GH.” No, not “GH,” for “One Life to Live.” He is at “GH” now. Yeah, he wrote my character for “One Life.” He’s such a sweetheart.

Suzanne: Yeah I thought I had read that he wrote all that, because I was like, well okay hope he does better now….Like I said you did a great job, you know, I just didn’t like Stacy. You know, it’s hard to like somebody who was so awful all the time.

Crystal: I hear you.

Suzanne: So I was wondering why – I’m sure you get a lot of flack from fans for that.

Crystal: Oh, for sure, but yeah, but that’s the one thing is I think that it probably helps that I already had covered some ground in daytime, because then there are at least enough people out there that knew that Crystal isn’t like that.

Crystal: So, I think that it saved me a little bit. I think a lot of people are trying to figure out how much of Lizzie was really me and how much of it was just the character. And because they didn’t know me from anything, because I was in the middle of my senior year of high school when I got cast. So, I think that since it established that I was not alone and doing all these crazy things, that I must not be so bad. There wasn’t like terrible hate mail. I like that. There has been, but not really as much for Stacey anymore, just because they like them together, you know, and they get used to that. And I completely understand it, but every show has to have that person.

Suzanne: Well, it probably helped you too, if you weren’t just thrown in as that being your first first character. You might have had a lot of trouble with how people treated you.

Crystal: I’m not gonna lie. I have pretty thick skin. I have a huge family that all think that they are like practical jokers and standup comics. I think there’s 99.99% sarcasm in our family. And they’re always pulling pranks on you and all that stuff. So, I feel like they’re so full of crap anyway, all the time that I just have gotten such thick skin to everything that I’m always ready to have a great response, to where I feel like I was already seasoned to handle anything at that point.

Suzanne: They prepared you for life.

Crystal: Oh, yes. No, it’s a good thing. I recommend it. Huge families are fabulous.

Suzanne: What else can you tell us about the series? It comes out in October, right?

Crystal: it came out the end of last October.

Suzanne: Okay.

Crystal: You know, like right before the whole world went on pause.

Suzanne: Crazy.

Crystal: Back when you could go to the movie theater.

Suzanne: Well, it’s a good thing it’s not a movie then.

Crystal: It’s funny though. It’s funny, because I there were so many films I did want to see. And I’m like, what’s gonna happen? Like they gotta put it on streaming somehow, but I guess they have to make a deal. And next thing you know, all these deals are being made with the shows and films that I wanted to see at the theater. They’re now streaming on streaming services. It’s so weird. It’s so weird.

Suzanne: It is weird, because all of a sudden, the definition of a movie has completely changed, hasn’t it?

Crystal: Yeah, I mean, it’s strange though. I mean, I know this has been going on for a long time now, but it still feels like if I were to wake up tomorrow, and this is all just some wacky dream, I wouldn’t be surprised. Like, it just feels so surreal. You know what I mean?

Suzanne: Yeah, I know exactly what you mean.

Crystal: it’s just too many things and too much negativity all at once. It’s just you hate seeing like, you know, this is all because of COVID and it’s messing with people brain chemicals, keeping them like the you know, sheltered up in their homes all the time and all that stuff. I mean, it’s not healthy, and then all the stuff that’s been happening in the media, the police forces and different things. It’s just like, really? Like right now? Like come on.

Suzanne: And then you’ve got what was it? Murder hornets. I don’t know what else, so many things. And then we’ve got an election coming up, so everything’s all amped up anyway in the news.

Crystal: Yeah, it’s true. It’s too much, and I refuse to watch the news. I’m not that person. If I flip on the news, it’s really hard to give me any kind of like, remote anxiety about something, but I just don’t understand. Like, it just puts you in a bad mood.

Suzanne: Yeah, it’s depressing.

Crystal: It takes you from a good mood to just being like, “blah,” so quick.

Suzanne: I know, even on a good year, it’s depressing. And this is not a good year.

Crystal: I feel like you watch it for five minutes and know what they’re gonna talk about for the next few hours. It’s like it’s cyclical. Everybody kind of rehashes certain things.

Crystal: But like, my mother loves my watching the news, and she was actually quarantined with me in LA, because she just had spine surgery. And I’m like, “Listen, Lady, I’m making some hard rules here. You can watch ten minutes a day, and if there’s something big happening, that there is some special thing that night, that there’s like some sort of thing that you feel like you need to get updated on, then we’ll see.” But it already is awful that we were in the hospital for as long as we were and then now we’re going to be trapped in this condo for as long as we are going to be and we don’t know when we are going to be let out, but then to actually have some depressing material to watch. No, thank you.

Suzanne: Yeah, that’s an older person thing, I think, watching the new over and over and over.

Crystal: It is; it really is. I’m like, if it’s important I’m sure I’ll get some sort of like, alert on my phone or something.

Suzanne: Yeah, my mother-in-law lived with us for five years, and all she watched was the news and reruns of “Law & Order.” That was is.

Crystal: Oh my God. That was my mother’s favorite. She loves that. What’s the one that Mariska Hargitay’s on?

Suzanne: Oh, “SVU.” Yeah.

Crystal: She loves that. [imitating] “Oh, I just love her, and she looks just like her mother.”

Suzanne: Yes, that’s true. She does.

Suzanne: “Just like her mother.”

Suzanne: And it’s funny, because there seems to be like, no matter what time of day you turn on the TV, there’s a “Law & Order” playing somewhere.

Crystal: It’s so true. There’re so many of them. I don’t know how they keep up with all those. Same with “CSI.” It’s like, what time is in?

Suzanne: The original “CSI” was in Vegas, and then they had one New York and one in Miami.

Crystal: Hold on “CSI” in Vegas was before New York?

Suzanne: Oh, yeah.

Crystal: See, I never knew that.

Suzanne: Yep.

Crystal: Unreal.

Suzanne: If you have any TV questions, you can always ask me. I know these things.

Crystal: I love it. I knew nothing about current television until the pandemic, because I then binged watched the first time every bit of content I think that’s probably out there.

Suzanne: There’s a lot.

Crystal: I’m a huge documentary fan, so I definitely hit those pretty hard.

Suzanne: Oh, that’s good. Yeah, there’s a lot of those. They have a lot more of those I think now too. It seems like it anyway.

Crystal: They do, and I feel like I’m seeing a lot more of those still like being made too, because I think they might fall under, well, non-union I imagine, so they probably don’t have as many laws that they have to abide by.

Suzanne: Yeah. Is that your phone?

Crystal: No, that was just the car let me know that I’m close to the curb.

Suzanne: Okay, so –

Crystal: It’s nice when the car talks to you, you know?

Suzanne: Well, you know, we’re not too far off from the whole talking car thing.

Crystal: I know right? There’re actually cars out there there, or are going to be cars out there, I think there already are, that drive themselves. That scares the crap out of me. Like there’re already enough bad drivers on the road. We don’t need any driverless cars.

Suzanne: Well, I like the idea, actually. I don’t I don’t like to drive, so it’s great for me.

Crystal: I love the idea, if it was like “The Jetsons.” I always say, that’s like the ultimate car-

Suzanne: Wait, wait, wait, wait. You want a car that drives itself, but in the air?

Crystal: Yeah! See, that’s just it. I love the concept. The problem is that I just feel like nothing ever works the way it’s projected to, so that’s my only fear, is that as a realist, it sounds fabulous, but let’s be honest, what’s the safety rating on this?

Suzanne: I think most people probably wait until they’ve been out for a while, and we all know exactly how safe they are, hopefully.

Crystal: Yes, I hope so. I do hope so.

Suzanne: I’m just giving you a hard time, I hope you know,

Crystal: Yeah. I will wait until I see how they fare, because I know there were a lot of different little things kind of like that that they were testing out, like Uber Eats and Postmates and things like that, like robotic things, and they didn’t work out so hot. So, it’s a great idea, but if it works seamlessly, if it’s flawless and great.

Suzanne: Right. Well, probably most accidents are caused by people, so, you know, if the cars are working okay and the people are not getting in the way then –

Crystal: That’s true, and as long as there is that then they’re won’t be any people falling asleep at the wheel, so that’s good.

Suzanne: Yeah, exactly, or are getting drunk or whatever.

Crystal: Very true. Uber will go out of business.

Suzanne: Yeah. So anything else you can tell us about the series for people who haven’t watched it yet?

Crystal: It is my personal modern take/twist on “The Golden Girls,” me coming from a huge, huge family of diverse ranges of ages, because all of the people in our family have kids in their early 20s and do it again their 40s, so there’re a lot of big age gaps. So, the one thing I wanted to do differently with my spin, because I know how interesting it makes things, is have someone from each decade. Because there is something that you don’t even need to write when you have women of every decade dealing with all different levels of estrogen and lack thereof, having to cohabitate and dealing with their randomly different issues. You know, it’s already fun. There’s already gonna be something entertaining there.

Suzanne: And you said you’re working on the second season now?

Crystal: No, I’m actually waiting for anybody to get back to the office to even hear anything. I know our ratings are the top show, so that’s good. But nobody’s at the office. So, it’s kind of hard.

Suzanne: Okay, but you you wrote the second season already?

Crystal: I have a list, yeah. Bob and I [unintelligible] started sorry, actually making notes of stuff as we were shooting of stuff that we want for episodes for the second season. So yes, we have a rough outline of it.

Suzanne: Cool. And do you think that the first season will be out on DVD?

Crystal: That’s a good question. I haven’t really given it much thought, because, I mean, we can sell it as a DVD, we just haven’t really gone into that, because the people who buy, it’s a different type of distribution. So, the people who would buy to do that aren’t in their offices to even have those calls yet. So, it kind of makes it hard in that way. But it is definitely a possibility. It’s just a bridge that hasn’t been crossed yet, because it is a different kind of distribution all together.

Suzanne: Yeah, I think it would work. I mean, I haven’t seen it, but I think it sounds like it would work for DVD, because you have people of all ages, and those of us who watch DVDs are older, so it would work.

Crystal: Yeah, absolutely, of course. If Netflix works, then a DVD would work. Yeah, exactly. Ultimately, it’s handy, so you have them all there readily available.

Suzanne: Right, and not everybody – there’re so many streaming services and you know, you can’t you can’t buy them all.

Crystal: You are not kidding. That is so true.

Suzanne: Well, anyway, I appreciate you calling me, and I enjoyed it. Like I said, I used to watch you all the time on the soap, so I do feel like I know you. See, like those other fans.

Crystal: Thank you, I appreciate it.

Suzanne: But you’re nicer than, you know, either of your other characters.

Crystal: Thank you. I hope so. Otherwise, I think I’d be creating some crazy publicity if I was. If I was anything like them, I can assure you, I’d probably be emulating it.

Suzanne: That’s right. All right. Well, thanks very much, and I look forward to check it out the show.

Crystal: Me too. Same here. I’d love to hear what you think.

Suzanne: Thank you.

Crystal: Thank you.

Suzanne: Bye bye.

Interview Transcribed by Jamie of http://www.scifivision.com

MORE INFO:

Emmy-nominated actress Crystal Hunt, who first captured America’s attention at age 17 when she was cast as the troubled teenager ‘Lizzie Spaulding’ on the iconic CBS daytime series “Guiding Light.” Now Crystal is the writer, creator, producer and star of the new TV series “Mood Swings” that gives a modern spin on “Golden Girls.” The comedy airs on streaming service Pure Flix and follows four generations of women thrown together by circumstance to live under one roof and survive in Los Angeles. It is directed by Emmy nominated comedy director Sean Lambert (“The Larry Sanders Show,” “Freaks and Greeks”) and features Crystal’s fellow soap stars Donna Mills (“General Hospital”) and Robin Riker (“The Bold and the Beautiful”), and Oscar-nominated actress Dyan Cannon.

Disillusioned with the pace of Hollywood and feeling there was a need for a great female ensemble comedy such as “Golden Girls,” “I Love Lucy,” and “Designing Women” which she grew up watching, Crystal took her career into her own hands to embrace the legacy of these female driven shows, while adding her own modern twist. Crystal Hunt is the creative and comedic force behind the series which follows ‘Farrah’ (Crystal Hunt) who after being recently divorced deals with an enormous mortgage on a Malibu mansion and so takes on roommates to earn money to support herself and her eight-year-old son ‘Ryder.’

Crystal’s new roommates include ‘Coco’ (Robin Riker), a disgruntled working woman, ‘Dani’ (BAD MOMS’ Christina DeRosa), a Canadian-Italian “culinary wizard” and aspiring actress, and ‘Emilia’ (“Ballers'” Sophia Gasca), a Dominican entrepreneur trying to secure U.S. citizenship. Jason Earles (Disney’s “Hannah Montana”) stars as ‘Farah’s’ live-in, slacker handyman.

After being spotted by an agent at the Actors Workshop in New York as a teenager, Crystal was quickly offered a role on “Guiding Light” that would last four years and earn the teenage actress an Emmy nomination. Coinciding with her rigorous television schedule, Hunt got her break into motion pictures, appearing opposite Zac Efron in the feel-good family movie THE DERBY STALLION.

Crystal returned to her television roots in 2009 when she was cast as the devious stripper ‘Stacy Morasco’ on the ABC daytime series “One Life To Live”, where she would stay for three years. She also starred on the docuseries “Queens of Drama” that followed a powerful cast of former daytime and primetime stars as they work in front of and behind the cameras to create, develop, pitch and produce a new steamy, serialized, primetime drama.

Enjoy Crystal’s remarkable behind the scenes Hollywood journey from developing the concept, writing the scripts, selling the series, casting and so much more.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

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TV Interview!

Interview with Carlo Arrechea of “S.W.A.T.” on CBS by Suzanne 7/22/20

This was a very nice chat with up-and-coming young actor Carlo Arrechea.  Although he has quite a Cuban accent, I had no problem understanding him. He was really interesting to speak to.

Here is the audio version of it.  Here is the transcript:

Suzanne:  I’m good. I’m doing well. So you’re in California?

Carlo: I am. What about you?

Suzanne: I’m in a little town you never heard of in Arkansas.

Carlo: Okay, so what’s the time zone – is it eastern time?

Suzanne: Central.

Carlo: Central time, Okay, okay.

Suzanne: Yeah, yeah, actually, I’m actually from San Diego originally, so…

Carlo: Okay.

Suzanne: …but we live here now.

Carlo: Nice. That was actually the first city from California I ever visit before leaving LA. I loved it. I fell in love with San Diego.

Suzanne: Oh, yeah, it’s wonderful there. It’s expensive to live there, though.

Carlo: It is, it is. I mean, nowadays, everywhere, I think is.

Suzanne: That’s true. Yeah, everywhere worth living. Definitely. So you started acting when you were very young, right?

Carlo: Yeah. When I was six.

Suzanne: Six, wow.

Carlo: Yeah, maybe even before, but like my first TV role in Cuba was when I was six.

Suzanne: Wow. And I think I read that your your parents and grandparents also were actors?

Carlo: Yeah, my mom was an actress in Cuba, and my grandfather was an actor as well. They both gave up. My mom, when when we moved to Miami, she gave up, because, you know, it was a lot to – it’s like starting from zero, and also the accent, because let’s say, Miami, if you want to do Latino market, you have to speak like natural Spanish and, you know, a lot of stuff is different. So, she was like, “You know what,? I don’t want to continue acting.” And my grandfather, actually, he was a professional actor since I think 17 or 16, but he gave up, too. He became a teacher. So, yeah, so [unintelligible] and, you know, to continue and everything that I do, it’s not only for my calling and my passion, it’s also because of them, you know?

Suzanne: Right. Yeah. Well, a lot of actors, yeah, just don’t make it, and you just never know. And I think you’re right, that, you know, you have to keep going and going and see what happens. Especially when you’re young.

Carlo: Yeah, you have to. I mean, if you have that, you know, that flame in your heart, you have to keep going in. You know, you’re gonna get a lot of nos but you’re gonna get that yes that’s gonna change your life, you know. So, yeah, never give up on your dreams.

Suzanne: Yeah, that’s true. Well, and a lot of people do. They change as they get older; they change what they think they want to do. And so you just never know what life is gonna hand you.

Carlo: I also think you have to be open, you know, to be open if you have, I don’t know, you have a higher purpose or a higher calling or just a change, you know, also to be open to that, but as long as you have it in you, I think you should definitely don’t give up.

Suzanne: Right. Now, your family moved to Miami in 2002. Can you can you tell us about that? How did that work?

Carlo: So, um, so my mom, we won the visa lottery.

Suzanne: Oh, okay.

Carlo: Yeah, we were very blessed. And so we left Cuba in 2002. And, you know, honestly, since day one, I felt that I was at home, you know, even that I had to learn English and to adapt to a new country, but I felt like I was home, you know, so much abundance and diversity and, I don’t know, it’s just different energy, you know?

Suzanne: Yeah. Miami’s a great city.

Carlo: Yeah, it’s full of Cubans.

Suzanne: Yeah, it is.

Carlo: I felt like I was home without Castro.

Suzanne: Right. Well, it’s a very exciting city. There’s a lot of color and partying, and just it’s a fun place.

Carlo: Yeah. A lot of flavor.

Suzanne: Definitely. And so, I didn’t even know there was a visa lottery. That’s interesting. I have to read more about that.

Carlo: Yeah. I don’t know if that’s still happening with, you know, so many changes. But yeah, and it’s funny because my mom, when she – I don’t know how to say like, she played the visa lottery, or she, I don’t know, she signed the papers. I don’t know, that was actually, I think it was 1998.

Suzanne: Oh, okay.

Carlo: So, yeah, and it was funny, because she even, you know, forgot about it. Like she didn’t even know that. You have to wait so many years, but it was a beautiful surprise.

Suzanne: Sure, sure. I was going to say something, now I forgot….. Oh, well. So you didn’t know English before you moved here?

Carlo: Not at all; I didn’t. So, the first thing, when I started school in Miami, they have a program. It’s called ESL, English as a second language. So, yeah, that was, you know, I had like a few classes in English, but most of the classes, they were like, like the teacher, I think, was required to speak Spanish as well, you know, to help the kids. So, yeah, so I had to learn the language. And the only thing that I think I regret, but I mean, it’s part of my journey, is that when you have, you know, so many teachers and a lot of, you know, friends or students that they speak Spanish, you just want to hang out with them.

Suzanne: Right.

Carlo: So, um, I don’t know, I think, I don’t know, if I could change something, it would be like try to speak English as much as you can, you know, especially because this is your new home.

Suzanne: Right.

Carlo: I mean, don’t forget your Spanish but, you know.

Suzanne: No, I understand you completely. I think that’s the problem. What happens with a lot of Latino immigrants is they’re in their own family and their own community and other students, and they don’t learn it as quickly as say somebody from, I don’t know, Vietnam or something that are stuck in the middle of an area where there are no other people that speak his language, for instance, you know?

Carlo: Yeah. I mean, no, it could be very controversial, this, but I just think that you come to, you know, a new home. Also, it doesn’t mean that you have to change who you are, but also adapt.

Carlo: So yeah, like don’t forget who you are, but adapt and learn the language.

Suzanne: Right, right. Yeah, I understand. I was a teacher for a while in California, and we had – actually, I don’t speak Spanish that well, but I was sort of, not a substitute teacher, but you know, I had a whole class that spoke Spanish and tried to teach the math and it was all different levels of how much English they knew. So, it was difficult, but we did have a couple of kids that were not Spanish speakers, but they spoke another language. And I think they learned faster, because like, we were just talking about they were immersed in English only, and so they had to learn, you know?

Carlo: Yeah. And I think you will take advantage of that when you when you get older as well.

Suzanne: Yeah, no, it’s definitely advantageous to learn the language of the country you’re in.

Carlo: Of course.

Suzanne: And I remember what I was going to ask you; it was about… do you remember a few years ago, when they lifted the visiting Cuba ban… did anyone in your family go back and visit? Or…?

Carlo: No, no, to be honest, no. My family has their own point of view. And I respect that, you know, they left Cuba even before I was born. So actually, in Cuba, it was only my mom and my grandfather. My father died in a car accident when I was 17 years born.

Suzanne: Oh, I’m sorry.

Carlo: So, I didn’t even get to know him. Yeah, so all my family, especially from my mom’s side, they were all in the states in Miami. And they have their own, you know, point of view. They don’t want to go back to Cuba, and I respect it. I understand. So, yeah, no one has been back.

Carlo: So, if they lift that ban again, are you going to go back and visit sometime maybe?

Carlo: You know, I would like to, because, you know, it’s the place that I was born, and I feel very proud of my roots, you know, even that my home is United States, and I’ve lived longer here now. But I would like to, yeah, of course. You know, I want to like feel, now that I’m older, I’m an adult now, I want to feel, you know, that flavor, the Cuban people, the Cuban energy, but at some point. And I would love actually even to film something there. So, that would be nice. Yeah.

Suzanne: Yeah, that would be nice. I’d we’d like to visit there sometime too. We were thinking about it, and then it didn’t last very long, unfortunately, the lift of the ban.

Suzanne:  I watched your episode of “SWAT;” you were really good.

Carlo: Thank you. Thank you so much. I feel very blessed and grateful because of this. I mean, this was my US primetime debut, and I’m also a contender for an Emmy. So, I will find out all that next week. So, I’m very excited.

Suzanne: Oh, great. That’s great; I hope you get it. So, did you already know how to box before that episode?

Carlo: No, I never boxed in my entire life, and I had a great team coaching. I also hired a coach before the audition when I went to casting, so I wanted to, you know, feel confident, as much as I could. And then when I booked the role, they actually had me with with this amazing team that I was rehearsing every day, and because we were doing – so we shot this this episode like in the middle of December, and then we had like a holiday break, the Christmas break. So, in that break, it was, you know, it was perfect timing, because I was like non stop training. And then we shot all the boxing scenes in beginning of this year. So, it was perfect timing. So that’s why, I guess, it looks real.

Suzanne: It does, it does. And now did they make you shave your head for that role? Or did you already wear it that way?

Carlo: So actually, because I audition with – I had probably like, not long, not like I haven’t now, but I had, you know, yeah, they made me shave my head. They asked me, and I was like, “Yes.”

Suzanne: Okay. Sure. Whatever you need, right?

Carlo: Yeah, whatever you need. I just wanted you know, and it also helped me to embody that character, shaving my head.

Suzanne: Yeah, I guess a lot of boxers do that now so like people can’t grab their hair or something. I don’t know. I have no idea. But so what was the cast and crew like?

Carlo: The what?

Suzanne: The cast and the crew of “SWAT.”

Carlo: Oh, “SWAT.” Oh my god. They were, wow, they were so warm. Like I felt like it was like my family, you know? Like the writers, they were so happy to have me; the cast were so nice and helpful. I don’t know, it was like, I think, I mean, I’ve been working since little, but “SWAT,” it’s been like, I think, one of the most special experiences in my life, because everyone was so nice and sweet and like, whatever you need. They were there, you know?

Suzanne: That’s nice. yeah. You didn’t have any scenes with Shemar Moore, did you? I can’t remember.

Carlo: I did not. I did not, no.

Suzanne: But you did meet him though?

Carlo: Yeah, but I met him. He was so nice.

Suzanne: He’s a nice guy. I met him in the 90s. We were living in Riverside, which is near LA, and he and a bunch of other celebrities came out for a softball game against local, so my husband was playing on other team.

Carlo: Oh, nice.

Suzanne: Yeah, and he used to be on a show called “The Young and the Restless.” It’s a soap opera.

Carlo: Yeah, I heard.

Suzanne: So, he was on that at the time. And I watched that. So I was like, “Oh, I got my picture taken with him.” So, I’m glad he was nice.

Carlo: He’s gentleman. He’s such a great guy.

Suzanne: Yeah, I know. He’s really nice to his fans on Instagram and Twitter, too.

Carlo: Yeah, he is; he definitely is.

Suzanne: So, working on “SWAT” was a lot different than working on other shows that you’ve been on.

Carlo: It was very different to be honest. The only thing that is the same is the passion. You know, my passion for acting and energy. But it was just different, because, I don’t know. It’s just, I don’t want to throw anything into, you know, in the bus.

Carlo: But, it’s just different, because, you know, we work with unions. We have the SAG-AFTRA here in the English market, in the US market. And even though you don’t – in Miami, I shot a Nickelodeon show for the Latino market for almost three years. It’s just different, you know. It’s another, not lifestyle, but it’s another –

Suzanne: Right, I know what you mean.

Carlo: Another level.

Carlo: Another level, to be honest.

Suzanne: Well, they have a higher budget, I imagine; that probably helps.

Carlo: And they have a huge budget, especially for this episode. Yeah, so I guess money motivates.

Suzanne: It does. Unfortunately, it does. Do you have anything else coming out or that you’re working on?

Carlo: Well, everything’s stopped.

Suzanne: Right.

Carlo: You know, everything is stopped; however, everything started to pick up. I have something cooking. I cannot say it yet, because, you know, they don’t let me, but it’s very exciting. Very different from “SWAT” and from the Nickelodeon and from everything that I have done. So, I’m very excited about that. Yeah, I just can’t wait to start, because I mean, it’s been said, I mean, it’s co-creating and, you know.

Suzanne: Yeah. What have you been doing it at home in the last three months… or is it four months?

Carlo: Yeah, so I know. I don’t even know –

Suzanne: I know. What day is it? I don’t know.

Carlo: Yeah, so I’ve been reading a lot, working on myself, you know, my mental health, to be honest, improving myself. I love to meditate. So, I’ve been doing that a lot. Working out. I adopted a puppy. So, he became my entire life now. And, you know, just becoming better day by day and trying to stay positive, you know, and lead by example.

Suzanne: So are you on Instagram?

Carlo: Yeah, I am.

Suzanne: Let’s see under –

Carlo: Carlo Arrechea.

Suzanne: Just under – yeah, you’re probably the only one. There you are. Okay. So have you posted some pictures of your puppy on there?

Carlo: No, I have not. I posted on Insta story.

Suzanne: What’s –

Carlo: Like the stories that last for 24 hours..

Suzanne: Oh, the story on Instagram. Okay, I’ll check that out. I want to see the puppy. All right. Well, thank you very much. I really appreciate you talking to me today.

Carlo: Thank you so much for having me. It means a lot, you know having the support and the love from the US press. So, it means a lot to me. Thank you so much.

Suzanne: Good luck on the Emmy. I’ll be pulling for you.

Carlo: Thank you. Thank you. I’m so excited. I’m anxious. I’m excited. I have so many mixed feelings, but whatever happens, you know, just to be there already, it means a lot, you know?

Suzanne: Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Talk to you later.

Carlo: Thank you so much. Bye, Suzanne.

Suzanne: Bye bye.

Transcribed by Jamie of http://www.scifivision.com/

MORE INFO:

Sizzling hot Havana, Cuba-born bilingual actor Carlo Arrechea is a star on the rise in Hollywood, recently making his U.S. prime time debut in the CBS hit TV series S.W.A.T. where he portrayed ‘Gio Torres’, a middleweight Cuban boxer, aka “The Caribbean King.” In the series, Torres is a prize fighter set to win a huge upcoming match when his pregnant wife if kidnapped and held for ransom. He enlists the S.W.A.T. team and works with them to retrieve his wife right in time for the delivery of their first child. The heartfelt role has garnered him much media attention and was one that was especially significant to him as it tied back to his Cuban roots.

A third-generation actor, Arrechea’s career began at the age of 6 when he played the son to his biological mother in a telenovela in his home country of Cuba. He fell in love with the craft and was selected as one of the stars of the children’s show “Los Chicos Altura” (“The High Kids”). In 2002 his family moved to Miami and he faced a culture shock that made him rethink acting. He decided to study psychology in college but dropped out after only one semester to return to his true passion. It was during this time that he got into theater and started receiving a lot of attention for his stage performances including “El Solar de la Palangana de Oro” by Raúl de Cárdenas, a work that opened many doors for him and earned him press coverage as the “new face of acting” by People en Español.

From theater, he jumped into television where he began with small roles in well-known Telemundo and Univision telenovelas such as “Más saber el diablo”, “El Cartel 2” and “Alguien te Mira”. He also starred in two short films, “Fate’s Decree” directed by Michael Ruiz and the super production “El Manantial”, with renowned Sam Bradley as director. His career thus began to roll, and his name to be known on the Miami scene. Not long after he was cast in the successful Nickelodeon Latin America series “Grachi” which he starred in for three seasons (152 episodes). It was during this time that he also starred in his first leading film role in the romantic comedy La ReBúsqueda, the highest-grossing Salvadoran film in the country’s history.

After his success in Latin America, Arrechea decided to move to Los Angeles to begin his crossover into the U.S. market. Throughout his acting career, he has starred in several television commercials, including the Johnnie Walker national commercial which toasts to immigrants and highlights their grueling path towards citizenship. He is a member of SAG-AFTRA and is an alumnus of the Stella Adler Academy of Acting. As a Cuban-born actor, Arrechea has always looked up to the original Latin Comedy star Desi Arnaz and a dream role for him would be to reprise the role of ‘Ricky Ricardo’ in a comedy series or film.

In his free time Arrechea enjoys reading, meditating, and exercising, and sees every day the opportunity to grow and improve in all aspects. He also enjoys volunteering for The Ronald McDonald House, where he feeds, plays games, and speaks with children and parents who have seriously ill children or family members in hospital.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

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