Constance Marie knows what it means to be part of the Latin influence currently booming in the entertainment industry.
Marie is one of the stars of American Family, PBS’ first-ever original dramatic television series. The story focuses on one Latino family–the Gonzalezes–and their life in Los Angeles. The series also stars other great talents like Edward James Olmos, Sonia Braga, Esai Morales and Raquel Welch.
Created by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Gregory Nava (El Norte, My Family, Mi Familia), the series spans the generations of this thriving Mexican-American family. Marie plays Nina, a fiery spirit and champion for the underdog who often finds herself at odds with her conservative father, played by Olmos. Marie previously starred in My Family, Mi Familia and last year’s gem Tortilla Soup.
We talked to Marie about making American Family and listened to her opinionated feelings about the future of television and how the Latin experience is destined to continue.
Tell me a little about the saga of getting American Family on the air.
Constance Marie: It was a long quest. It was originally shot as a CBS pilot, and it tested well, but the network decided not to pick it up. And I think it was because of [creator] Gregory Nava’s and [producer] Barbara Martinez’s determination, shopping it around to everyone they possibly could, that it got on the air. They finally broached PBS, who didn’t think they could afford it at first, but because they had worked with Gregory before on a movie he did called El Norte, they took a look. PBS liked it so much, they decided to become a new entity so they could afford to do the show.
Wow, that says a lot.
Marie: And we love PBS because there is so much more artistic freedom than we would have on the basic cookie-cutter network show. Twentieth Century Fox came on board, and CBS donated the pilot, and things began to happen.
Why do you think CBS originally passed?
Marie: I don’t know. [Network] decisions sometimes just awe me. I mean, I think some of the greatest shows get canceled, and yet some of the more horrific shows stay on. So, I have no idea. I’m just very thankful CBS did donate the pilot, which they didn’t have to do, and for PBS to have the gumption to stay in there.
What is the show about?
Marie: Well, if you listen to the ads, it’s about “what matters most.” No violence, no special effects, not a lot of sensationalism. It’s basically familial human drama and comedy.
Told from a Latin perspective…
Marie: Yes, and the thing that makes it special is that within that family, there are so many diverse ways of looking at it, which provides conflict. And through those conflicts, we get to see all these wonderful characters. We have such a wide range of characters from the older generation played by Edward Olmos to Sonia Braga’s character being a recent immigrant, [and] generational things from the 1950s to second-generation-assimilated Latinos, which would be my character and my younger brothers and sisters. There’s Republican vs. being a liberal. Problems between fathers and daughters–all that stuff. It’s topical and human.
And working with the great cast, like Sonia Braga, Edward Olmos and Raquel Welch, is it a great experience?
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Marie: It is. Everybody is so different, but we all work so well together. Gregory has a very freestyle way of directing. He writes these huge 10-piece scenes, where everyone has a couple of lines here and there. And then he just throws us in a room, and we basically rehearse it like a play. And anything that anyone could come up with stays in. We are creating the show together.
What makes American Family refreshing is the slice of ethnic America we get to see.
Marie: It’s a different shade of America we are not used to seeing on American airwaves. And that’s unfortunate. But it’s now fortunate for us to be having our moment.
Right now, those kinds of shows that are breaking those boundaries are not on primetime television, but on cable.
Marie: And networks are wondering why their audiences are diminishing. Their practices are arcane…they do the exact same show, with the same dynamics, over and over. After a while, it gets boring. I grew up watching TV. One of the things I realized growing up [is] how hard it was to be American and Latin and being a perfect blend of both. And in watching TV, I felt excluded, in a way. Until, that is, I found out Linda Carter was half Mexican. I was like, “Oh my God!” I really identified with her. She had the really long brown hair. Not only that, she was Wonder Woman. What better role model [is there] than that? TV is such a powerful medium. It can be used to atrophy people’s brains, or it could be used to stimulate and to move. And I think [American Family] moves people, and it’s thought provoking–an educational tool. PBS has a great reputation for that.
They are known for being educational and inspirational.
Marie: They have a certain kind of integrity. You know it’s not going to be Fear Factor. Or Survivor, which, by the way, I never understood, especially after Sept. 11. I look at that and say, there is already so much pain and struggle in real life that to see someone crying over having to eat a roach, that’s not reality to me.
How did you connect with your character, Nina Gonzalez?
Marie: [Laughs.] Well, I’m thinking, “Nina is very opinionated”–which I may be as well, judging from my recent answers. Yeah, Nina is very opinionated and strong. She is trying to reshape what she knows a woman’s place should be. Her mother [played by Sonia Braga] is in the realm of serving the husband, who doesn’t work, and cooks. And Nina is the complete antithesis of that–rejected it all, doesn’t want kids. She is sort of the pioneering spirit [and] wants to save the world. But she also has to learn about relating to the people in her own home, which is hard for her but something she works on. It’s great fun to play.
Working with Edward Olmos again must be very familiar. The two of you certainly have had a varied professional relationship together.
Marie: I think I’ve played every familial tie possible to him. I’ve played his wife [in Selena], his sister [in My Family, Mi Familia] and now, his daughter. In fact, in one episode of American Family, we flashed back to 1911 where I play his grandmother. But I have not played his mother! He and I have a great chemistry, a great dynamic. Eddie is a genius, and I don’t think anyone realizes how funny he really is. He’s hysterical. I’ve learned a lot from him on improvising.
I watch Selena every time it airs on TNT. Do you get recognized a lot for that role?
Marie: Do they not play that movie to death? Yes, I do get recognized. But what I love is when I don’t get recognized. In fact, for this show, the casting directors were looking for an on again/off again love interest for Edward’s character (which ended up being Rita Moreno), and they couldn’t think of anyone. The director’s assistant finally said, “Why don’t we get the woman who played Selena’s mother?” They looked at him like he was nuts. “We do have her…that’s Constance!” He had no idea. Which is a great compliment to me.
What was it like working with Jennifer Lopez?
Marie: She is one of the hardest-working actresses–no, make that person–I have ever seen. She’s like the Energizer bunny, never stopping. She also has a determination I’ve never seen, and I really think that has gotten her where she is today. I remember she said something about another actress not wanting to audition for something. And Jennifer said, “Good, don’t audition. ‘Cause I’ll be on the other side of that door, waiting to break it down.”
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How do you feel about the current Latin influence in the entertainment industry?
Marie: I feel it’s long overdue, and I don’t understand why that is. I hope [the Latin influence] maintains its momentum. Because in the ’80s, Latin was hot for about five minutes with the salsa dancing, and then it went away. I don’t know where we go, but we are back again. I didn’t know how Latin I was until I got into this business. It was like, “Oh, you’re the Latin girl. You’ll only be playing these parts.”
Has that been frustrating?
Marie: Oh, hell, yes! But Selena changed things, I think. To have a Latin woman play a Latin woman was great. Usually it’s like Eva Peron played by Madonna. But that’s a whole other thing…don’t get me started about that.
American Family airs on PBS Wednesday nights at 8 p.m.
