MediaVillage Podcasts

As the Emmy-winning daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless recently celebrated its 50th year on television, and over 12,000 episodes, the series gave starts to many actors’ careers in Hollywood throughout its historic run, including Penn Badgley, Justin Baldoni, Eva Longoria, Shemar Moore, Vivica A. Fox and even Tom Selleck.

One of its newest cast members is Mexican-born actress Zuleyka Silver, who joins us on this episode of Multicultural TV Talk to talk about her experience on the iconic series, transitioning to the fast-paced world of a daytime series, and teases an exciting upcoming storyline for her character Audra Charles.

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FX's Mayans star Carla Baratta has been with the show since the very beginning and reflects on her time on the series, the life changes she experienced during that time, and praised recent breakthroughs for Hispanic and Latin representation in the U.S.

New episodes of Mayans air Wednesdays at 10pm ET on FX, available to stream next day on Hulu

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One of last year’s most pleasant surprises of new series came from the freshman comedy series The Bear, centering on an award-winning young chef, played by Critics’ Choice winner Jeremy Allen White, who returns to his hometown of Chicago to revamp his family’s crumbling sandwich shop. Among the boisterous gallery of characters that help keep the restaurant running is Tina, played by this week’s guest Liza Colón-Zayas, a line cook with no filter who she describes as part “mama bear” and part “general”.

The veteran actress of stage and screen looks back at her varied career, what she looks forward to most in season two of The Bear, and makes a call to action for restaurant and hospitality workers to earn the salaries and benefits they deserve. 

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In celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride Month, we are thrilled to be joined by a delightful group from across the entertainment industry and the LGBTQ+ community: Damian Terriquez, Netflix’s Glamorous; Mrs. Kasha Davis, RuPaul’s Drag Race and All Stars; Tyler DiChiara, The CW’s Gotham Knights; and former child actor-turned-country music star Brian Falduto. 

The group discusses the figures and performances they saw growing up that made them feel represented, how some of their current work is helping push for meaningful representation and authentic storytelling, the impact of recent anti-LGBTQ+ legislation throughout the country, as well as sharing words of wisdom and courage for anyone in the community who may be fearful of celebrating this month. 

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When an injury ended his dreams of playing soccer on a professional level, Cristo Fernández decided to tackle his other dream: filmmaking and acting. Little did he know that the perfect opportunity would come along in which he could combine all of his talents in a single role, Ted Lasso fan favorite Dani Rojas. “I never imagined when I dreamed of being a soccer player that it would come back to me in this way, but I was always open thanks to my friends and family who pushed me to study and find something else. I learned discipline and hard work from the sport, being an athlete, and using it in my new dreams as an actor and filmmaker. Now here I am doing the two things I love the most in my life.”

You can stream seasons one through three of Ted Lasso on Apple TV+
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In honor of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Multicultural TV Talk host Juan Ayala is joined by a panel of three actors from the AAPI community to discuss what performances made them feel represented growing up, the current state of AAPI representation in entertainment and media and what changes need to take place in order for progress to continue in a meaningful and positive way. Joining us for this roundtable are actress, model and advocate Julia Lee; star of Paramount+ series School Spirits Kristian Flores; and star of Netflix’s Sweet Tooth Aliza Vellani.

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the episode, be sure to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review!

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Rising star of stage and screen, and a former fellow classmate of mine, Jhulenty Delossantos joins us to talk all about his time working on multiple CBS series, including a role that went from a co-star to recurring guest starring role with action-packed scenes on “The Equalizer”. You can see Jhulenty Delossantos back on The Equalizer on Sunday, April 23rd at 8pm ET on CBS

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the episode, be sure to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review!

Visit MediaVillage.com for more of our reviews, interviews, podcasts and more!

Continuing the legacy of the 1978 film Grease, and the 1971 musical it was based on, comes the new musical dramedy Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, a prequel series set in 1954 which focuses on the misfit students at Rydell high school who create the iconic Pink Ladies clique.

In his television debut, triple-threat Alexis Sides talks with us about his early love of acting that began when he was growing up in Mexico, what it felt like working with such a diverse cast in a typically white-centered time period, and how he is similar and differs from his character Pedro aka Potato.

As we approach the final season of the Emmy-winning comedy “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”, we spoke with two of the newest cast members on the series, Reid Scott and Jason Ralph, who respectively play late-night talk show host Gordon Ford and his talent booker Gordon Ford. The two stars share their experience tackling their larger roles, from recurring in season four to main cast members for the final season, as well as some of the biggest lessons they’ve learned while in production and how the show has championed breaking the glass ceiling and telling powerful, female-driven stories.

As one of the most critically-acclaimed and awarded comedies of the last decade bids farewell, we are pleased to have had the chance to speak with some of the cast of Prime Video’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel ahead of its fifth and final season. Tony Shahloub, Kevin Pollak, and Michael Zegen play the titular stand-up comedian Miriam “Midge” Maisel’s father, father-in-law and ex-husband, and look back at the last five seasons, how they’ve changed as individuals in that time, and what they hope audiences take away from the show.

While he may play a mild-mannered accountant on NBC’s hangout comedy Grand Crew, Aaron Jennings has practically been in the industry his entire life with Brent Jennings (The CW’s All American) and Juanita Jennings (FOX’s STAR) as his parents. “The art world is something I was very familiar with growing up but I didn’t see myself making a career out of it until I was in about 10th grade and I dove right in,” he explained. “They didn’t want me to do it as a child. They wanted me to know what it was like to be a normal teen, but I was always around sets and backstage. I’d go to auditions with them and help them run lines. It was an interesting childhood.”

Award-winning journalist, Chief Investigative Correspondent of Inside Edition and now author Lisa Guerrero joins us to talk all about her new memoir Warrior: The Path To Being Brave, a tell-all about her most vulnerable moments and how she overcame them. Though Lisa is nowhere near the end of her career, the usual point in time for memoirs to be written, she says that this was the perfect time for Warrior to come out.

In honor of Women’s History Month, we are thrilled to be joined by the leading ladies of The CW’s Kung Fu: series star Olivia Liang, her onscreen sister Shannon Dang, her mentor Vanessa Kai, and their villain Yvonne Chapman. Fresh off their season 3 finale earlier this month, the four actresses reflect on the past three years they’ve worked together, sharing the most significant lessons they’ve learned, the women in their lives they used as inspiration for their roles, and the improvements they hope to see in the entertainment industry regarding representation.

Emmy-winning star of stage and screen Loretta Devine joins us to talk about her upcoming film, A Snowy Day Oakland, where she plays the hilarious local gossip Jeanette, with an all-star cast including Nicole Ari Parker, Michael Jai White, Kimberly Elise, Tony Plana, Keith David, and Jackée Harry.

A Snowy Day In Oakland is in theatres March 17th.

Underdog stories and sports have crossed over for decades. Rocky, The Little Giants, The Waterboy, Bend It Like Beckham, The Blind Side, even Kung Fu Panda, these stories follow the unassuming protagonist who is dismissed by their peers as they go on a journey of self-discovery and to come out on top, proving themselves to their doubters. Tackling the classic genre is writer and director Jingyi Shao, making his feature film directorial debut, and rising star Bloom Li in the hilarious, poignant and heartfelt semi-autobiographical sports comedy film Chang Can Dunk, coming to Disney+ March 10th.

Closing out this Black History month we are joined by a delightful panel of actors, from rising stars to industry veterans, including Chad L. Coleman (The CW’s Superman & Lois), Ayesha Harris (Netflix’s upcoming Glamorous), Angela Lewis (FX’s Snowfall) and Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut (Star Trek: Picard, Paramount+), for a conversation on diversity, inclusion, and representation in entertainment.

For her first lead role in a romantic comedy, star Isabella Gomez was whisked away to Ireland for a fast-paced, 15-day shoot and was able to unleash her inner chef for the E! Original Movie Royal Rendezvous. Gomez stars as Cat, a talented young chef from East LA who is picked by a royal family to prepare a banquet. Romances blossom, chaos ensues and Gomez returns to Multicultural TV Talk to chat all about her role in the upcoming TV movie.

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In honor of Black History Month, we are thrilled to present this special roundtable interview with a trio of talent, executives, and industry professionals to discuss the current state of diversity and representation in the industry and what the next steps are for continued progress, brought to by Ampersand.

Joining us for this discussion: Karrington Symonds, VP of Content and Programming, HBCUGo; J. Bernard Calloway, actor, The Ms. Pat Show, BET+; and Aaron Finklestein, Head of Recruitment, Ampersand

Rising star Germain Arroyo joins us this week and talks about his early days coming up as an actor, reflects on what it was like pursuing an acting career in a pre-pandemic Hollywood, and discusses some of his biggest television roles, including a recent episode of ABC’s The Rookie, Netflix’s Ratched where they worked closely with Brandon Flynn and Sharon Stone, and his latest appearance in CBS series SWAT which airs tonight.

With the increased diversity and representation across Disney’s properties, from animation to Marvel and Star Wars titles, their next hero to tackle the small screen is Moon Girl in the upcoming animated series Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. Joining us to talk all about the energetic, loveable and genius titular hero is her voice actor, actress and singer Diamond White.

“One girl can make a difference. One person can make a difference,” Diamond explained of what she hopes audiences take away from the series. “Lunella’s superpower is her brain. So use your brain, don’t let things get you down, and don’t let people be the villains of your story  because you can make a difference in your community and environment.”

After a hit debut season in 2021, Netflix’s Bling Empire has expanded to the East Coast as it follows original cast member Dorothy Wang for a New York City adventure in Bling Empire: New York. Described by many as Crazy Rich Asians meets Keeping Up with the Kardashians, the series follows affluent Asian American families and individuals, from designers to billionaire CEOs and mega-influencers. To tell us all about the new season, we are joined by series cast member, fashion editor and actor Blake Abbie.

Television and film star Constance Marie joins us just before the holidays to talk all about her guest-starring role in the upcoming Christmas episode of NBC's Lopez vs. Lopez, where she plays a member of George's ex-wife's extended family visiting for noche buena (Christmas Eve). Constance starred for six seasons alongside George Lopez in his self-titled sitcom before it was abruptly canceled in 2007. During our conversation, she reflects on how far Hispanic and Latine representation has come since her early career days, and what it was like reuniting with George and several other co-stars from their previous show.

We are joined in this edition of Multicultural TV Talk by Emmy-winning journalist, author, podcast host and CEO of Agua Media Rick Sanchez, whose career spans nearly 30 years as an anchor on CNN, Fox News, NBC, Univision and iHeartRadio. Our conversation with Rick ranges from Hispanic representation in entertainment, to the current state of news and media, to the many changes that must be made to improve how Hispanics are perceived.

In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, we are thrilled to welcome a wonderful panel of actors from the Indigenous community for a special roundtable discussion. Joining us are Sarah Podemski (Reservation Dogs, Resident Alien), Jeremiah Bitsui (Better Call Saul, Dark Winds) and Dallas Goldtooth (Reservation Dogs, Rutherford Falls). These stage and screen stars share their perspectives on the recent strides regarding Indigenous representation, the changes that need to be made in entertainment, and the work there is still left to do.

Jimmy Smits of CBS’ “East New York” 

We are honored and delighted to be joined by Emmy Award-winning actor of stage and screen Jimmy Smits who after decades of work on long-running series like LA Law and NYPD Blue, is back on primetime in CBS’ latest procedural East New York. Jimmy reflects on his career and early inspirations, how it feels seeing a part of Brooklyn where he grew up reflected on television, and admits he didn’t expect to be back on a procedural at this point in his career. 

“I didn’t really see it in the cards that I would be doing a police procedural. A lot of had to do with what we have been through in the last couple of years with the pandemic, the empowerment of the woman’s voice and disenfranchised communities, and the insight we’ve had into law enforcement transgressions,” the actor revealed. “When I found out creatives that I knew were doing a show that mined this landscape, I was interested because I knew where their hearts were and that it was a different kind of take.”

When speaking on recent strides for diversity and representation in entertainment, Smits had this to say, “We’ve made a lot of progress but we’ve got a ways to go. Our population numbers are increasing and you’re seeing in the Latinx space that it’s not just one specific look or story. The moves that we have to make is to be more in control of the content. Not just Jimmy in front of the camera, but Jimmy and Juan getting together and talking about stories that interest them, writing those, pitching those, and getting them on the air, or in film or onstage. That’s where we need to make a leap to the next level, and it’s happening but I want it to happen quicker!”

New episodes of East New York on Sundays at 9pm ET on CBS, available to stream next day on Paramount+

As winter approaches, its time to head back to the sunny Las Colinas resort as the cast of Acapulco teases some of the new storylines, relationships and changes ahead in the second season of the beloved Apple TV+ comedy series. Paired together in this group interview are Enrique Arrizon and Fernando Carsa as best friends Maximo and Memo; Chord Overstreet and Camila Perez as the newly engaged Chad and Julia; and Jessica Collins and Rafael Cebrián as two of the show’s biggest personalities, resort owner Diane and head poolboy Hector.

Three-time Tony Award nominated actress Linda Emond joins us to talk about her role in the chilling new series, FX on Hulu’s The Patient where she stars alongside Steve Carrell and Domhnall Gleeson. The Joel Fields and Joseph Weisman-helmed series, who previously collaborated on FX’s hit series The Americans, follows a psychotherapist (Carrell), who is imprisoned by his client Sam (Gleeson) who reveals himself to be a serial killer. Emond plays Sam’s mother Candace who while not completely supportive of her son’s behavior, certainly isn’t discouraging of it either.

“I felt lucky every single day. It was great writing, great acting,” Emond said of working on the series. “Most of my stuff was with Steve Carrell, so how bad can that be? And Domhnall was a doll, even though he’s not playing a doll. It was a weird joy to go into such a dark show.”

Emond talks with us about the challenges in tackling the dark subject material and finding levity in between scenes when not filming, especially with her two co-stars Carrell and Gleeson whose roles were very emotional and physical. “We had to work to stay sane, especially Steve. I don’t know how he did that. Domhnall, too, but doing hours and hours in that basement? It was a great experience from top to bottom.”

New episodes of The Patient are available to stream Tuesdays on Hulu

Alisa Reyes is no stranger to the voiceover world, and even moreso to returning to beloved franchises after years since they wrapped: Nickelodeon’s All That and Disney Channel’s The Proud Family. Alisa shares her experiences working on both series’ original runs, how emotional and fulfilling it felt to return nearly two decades later, and the impact the show has had for young audiences of color who grew up watching them, as well as the first time she felt represented in entertainment when growing up.

Reyes’ big break was in 1994 when she joined the premiere cast of Nickelodeon’s All That, an SNL-style sketch comedy show for kids, by kids, that also launched the careers of Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell and Amanda Bynes, to name a few. The series made a grand return in 2019 and welcomed back some of its original cast members to kick things off, including Reyes. 

Similarly, the entire voice cast of the 2001 Disney Channel animated series The Proud Family, returned to voice their characters for the Disney+ revival The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, which also featured a star-studded slate of guest stars from Keke Palmer, Billy Porter, Tiffany Haddish and Bretman Rock to pop icons Lizzo, Lil Nas X and CeeLo Green.

“We have an amazing outpour of guest stars!” Reyes said. “What’s amazing is that we have celebrities wanting to be on our show. Instead of us going to them, they came to us. For me, that’s been the blessing, that people want to be part of this frequency.” 

The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder is streaming now on Disney+, with season 2 set to premiere in February 2023.

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month we are joined by a delightful panel of professionals from the stage, screen and behind the scenes for a special roundtable discussion. Multicultural TV Talk host Juan Ayala is joined by Phillip Garcia, currently starring in Freevee series Sprung; television and film director Gabriela Tagliavini, whose latest project Christmas With You stars Aimee Garcia and Freddie Prinze Jr.; and stage and screen actor Eric Anthony Lopez, currently starring in Broadway’s Phantom of the Opera and the upcoming Disney+ film Chang Can Dunk.

The group shared the individuals who made them feel the most represented in entertainment, from actor-comedians George Lopez and Cheech Marin, to Academy Award-winning directors Guillermo Del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón and Alejandro Iñárritu. 

When the trio was asked “is now the best time to be a Hispanic in entertainment?” to which Tagliavini quickly responded “Yes! I see a change in front of the camera, there are more actors that are Latinos, there are more Latinos directing television. The female directors in film are still low but I think finally the Latino population is growing in the US and the numbers don’t lie so it’s a great time to create products for our community.”

Garcia, who has made guest appearances in Criminal Minds, Scandal, and Mayans MC, has also appeared in national commercials for major brands like State Farm, McDonalds, and Walmart and spoke on the increase in diversity and representation beyond just television and film, but also in commercials and advertising. “It was tough for me at first, in 2011 I booked maybe two commercials. But then [over the years] all of my Latin friends, my Asian friends and Indian friends started booking a lot. It’s a wonderful time to be an actor of color. I’m very happy to be on that wave.”

Lopez chimed in, noting that representation has not just increased for performers but for all positions behind the scenes as well, particularly on Broadway, from assistants to dressers and makeup artists. “You’re getting a really diverse group of people and it’s really something. It’s a nice time and we obviously still have work to do but it’s nice to see things shifting behind the camera, behind the stage and onstage.”

Watch the full conversation above, or choose your favorite podcast platform below to tune in.

To close out Pride month, we are joined by David Collins, Co-Founder, and Rob Eric, Chief Creative Officer, of Scout Productions, the Emmy and Academy Award-winning production company. David and Eric are the creative minds behind iconic LGBTQ+ centered series including the groundbreaking Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, HBO Max’s ballroom competition show Legendary, the Netflix reboot Queer Eye, the HBO Max street fashion competition series The Hype, the historical documentary Equal and their Academy Award winning documentary The Fog of War.

American-Canadian actress and General Hospital star Cassandra James joins us for a delightful chat about her experience working on the decades-spanning series, including her reaction to booking the role of Dr. Terry Randolph, which made headlines as Cassandra became the first openly trans actor to portray a trans character in daytime television, and the increasing importance of gratitude in life.

“I remember being so nervous and not knowing what to do or what to say,” Ferreira shared. Although the young actress had worked on series like Netflix’s Orange Is The New Black, her role in Love, Victor was her first series regular role. “I was so scared but everyone was so sweet and kind and everyone had open arms.” Fernandez similarly was nervous, especially being the youngest member of the cast and only being 9 years at the time of his casting. “I was so scared and so shy, I didn’t say a word, I’m sure you remember,” he said to Ferreira, who plays his older sister on the show. 

Reflecting on his character’s growth throughout the series, Turpel spoke on how much Felix has gone through, starting as the goofy best friend and later having to become his mother’s caretaker when her depression was at its worst. “Balancing that and school and learning to reach out for help, or even figure out what help even is. In his mind, everything was fine, and he was dealing with this for a long time. He’s grown incredibly over the last three years.”

Ferreira then shared that she is most looking forward to for audiences to see “the chaos that is season three but we send things off in a very good way. We really put our all and care so much about the show and just wanted to leave it off in a really peaceful manner.” Fernandez chimed in, “I’m excited to see how people react to the chaos and to the endings, especially if they have predictions for what happens after the series ends.”

The third and final season of Love, Victor will be available to stream in its entirety on June 15th on Hulu and Disney+

Just in time for the theatrical release of the highly anticipated Top Gun: Maverick, we are joined by actor and voiceover artist Charles Parnell who plays Rear Admiral Solomon "Warlock" Bates. He chats with us about working on a film that was four years in the making, how Sidney Poitier was a huge influence on him growing up, and how his younger self would react to hearing that he’d star in the sequel to one of the biggest films of the '80s.