Bellamy Young, best known for “Scandal,” and John Ortiz, an accomplished stage and screen actor, joined ABC7 to discuss the bold, breakthrough series.
Ortiz performed for the Steppenwolf Theatre Company and Goodman Theatre, where Young also took the stage.
“Love Chicago!” said Ortiz, who plays Joe Sandoval.
Their show includes ruthless, steamy power plays between Hispanic families over a California vineyard.
“Oh yeah, all those grapes, all that squishy juiciness just doesn’t go into the wine, it goes into the story. There’s backstabbing and intrigue and betrayal, its like ‘Game of Thrones’ on a vineyard,” Young said.
“It’s ‘Succession’ meets ‘Godfather!'” Ortiz said.
Young talked about her character, Margaret.
“Margaret grew up on the vineyard,” Young said. “It was her family’s vineyard and then she fell in love with a little boy named Joe and they got married and had children and he kicked her out of the house. She’s come home… to reclaim her family and reclaim her vineyard.”
The experience is fulfilling for Ortiz, who has fought for inclusion and representation in the theatrical space.
“To have this opportunity to be part of a story that is at the core a Latinx story, with a predominantly all Latinx cast written by a Latinx writing room, I just take enormous pride and I can’t wait for the world to see it and feel it and be a part of it,” Ortiz said.
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