March 10, 2025 • 31 mins
Ros & Eric are so excited to welcome today's guest, as she is part of the new generation of Latin representation in Hollywood. Belissa Escobedo is here, not only to talk about her show Happy’s Place on NBC, but to also share her story on how she has had to manage an unpredictable career, proving Eric’s point the path in entertainment is never linear.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is he said a yadjo with Eric Winter and
Rodlin fantag.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Oh let me, he said, Yeah, I'm so excited to
have this guest with us today. She is a new
generation of Latin representation in Hollywood.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
She got her big break on ABC's The Baker in
the Beauty Show that we watched. We had a little
friends in that show. She starred in the highly anticipated
hocus Pocus Too and played milagro Reyes in Blue Beetle.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
And she's currently starring with Riba McIntyre on the ABC's
hit show Happy.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
So on ABC, Stay there again, you said, oh, And.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
She's currently starring with Riba McIntyre on the NBC's hit
show Happiest Place. Please Welcome to the show. Belisa Escobedo Hello, Hello, Hey, Hi,
how are you.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
I'm good? How are you guys?
Speaker 2 (00:52):
We're so good, so good on.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Thank you so much for having me. This is awesome.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
We're saying we're fans of yours in from Baker in
the Beauty We loved that show. We had Lisa that
was a very close friend of ours.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Yes, Lisa, I love her so much. Lisa is such
a good show.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
I know. Lisa is like my sister I love. I
love Lisa so much and even Carlos Card. Yeah, the
show was so great and you and you showed this
in Puerto Rico, which was so dear to me.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Oh my gosh, always Puerto Rico. I've had two projects
now that shot there. Blue Beetle, we shot a little
bit of it there. Oh yes, yeah, so it's so crazy.
I just you know, I'm not I'm Mexican, I'm not
Puerto Rican, but I have such this like huge connection
to Puerto Rico because all of my like most pivotal
(01:42):
projects have been shot out there.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
So yeah, I.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Love it there.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
I love that you're an La native as well. I
grew up in La myself. I know you're South Pasadena.
My my dad grew up in Pasadena. Oh my god,
family Altadina. I grew up in La Pente, City of Industry,
if you know that area.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
But yeah, yeah, I actually went to uh grew up
in South past for a bit, and then I moved
to Whittier and so that's where I went to like
middle school and finish out my high school years out there.
High school, well, I didn't go to high school out there.
I actually I auditioned for Loxa, La County High School
(02:20):
for the Arts. It's a public school out here, and
so I ended up commuting there every day, but went
to Hillview Middle School in Whittier.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
So you always knew you wanted to be in entertainment
as an actress. That's what that's what the focus was
in your performing.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Arts pretty much. Yeah. I think in like fifth grade,
I got to do a school play and that was
the first time I kind of channeled all this energy
I had inside of me, and standing on that stage,
I was like, Oh, this is this is the feeling
I've been looking for, and it was just It's so
(02:57):
I'm sure all of you remember your first time before
and that feeling of being like, oh, this is what
I want to do. This is the feeling I'm going
to chase forever like I.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
Had the opposite.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Like for me, she's you completely like I wanted to
be an actress, performer her whole life. I was, so
I got approach to being in the business. When I
was in junior high I was so afraid. I was like,
in front of my peers, I could be big, loud,
have fun, be myself, but public speaking or being in
front of people watching me. I would be so nervous,
(03:30):
freaked out. Tried a couple things in classes. I was like, Nope,
not for me, he can't do it. It wasn't until
my twenties that I actually resurfaced back into the entertainment
space and took a drama class in college and was like, Okay,
this is kind of fun. I've shed some of my
insecurities of being nervous. Still took a while for that
to fully fade throughout my career, where I was just like,
(03:51):
I don't care anymore.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
I'm gonna do whatever I need to do.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Before me, even when I met you, you didn't love
a public speaking at all. Still you'll be petrified about
well I have to speak in public. No, I'm going
you've you're actually very good at it.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
No, you're more comfortable, more comfortable, but not I was.
I've always been more then. I think acting has become
easier for me in that sense that you're not looking right.
I mean, I'm looking at my partner, acting opposite somebody
or a group, but I'm not speaking to a crowd
that's just staring at me. That is a whole different beast.
Like great public speakers, but I'm getting better at that.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
I was the opposite. It would be like, do you
want me to perform from you? I can dance, I can.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Give me a microphone, I'll do anything.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
I'm ready.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
I'm ready.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
I what was your first you know gig that sort
of set the path where you're going. Your parents are going, Okay,
this is uh, it's working, this is what she wants
to wants to do, and it's happening, I'd.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Say, because I didn't start auditioning for anything. My parents
were like, we love you, we support you, but we
have no way, Like, we don't know how to get
you in there, we don't know what classes to take.
So I kind of just sought it out all online.
And it wasn't until I dropped out of college and
(05:01):
moved back home. I went to the New School for
Drama in New York, moved back home, moved back in
with my mom, and started doing community theater GASA and
Boyle Heights. Josefina Lopez runs that theater and she's you know,
so pivotal to the Latino Arts and anyway, that was
(05:23):
my first time kind of like booking something. It was,
you know, first theater production and then they actually helped
me get the ABC Discovered showcase and that's how I
first got my agent and my manager. So they've been
such a blessing and I'm such a like community theater advocate.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
That's incredible.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
And we have a lot of listeners that ask questions
like that all the time, like how do I get in?
Speaker 4 (05:49):
What do I do?
Speaker 3 (05:50):
And right, everybody's got a different journey to getting to
that place of getting to break whatever it is, whether
like the ABC program is huge, A lot of people
come out of that because it opens a lot of opportunity.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
So for the Baker on the Beauty, they they saw
I'm assuming they saw you at this showcase, so they okay,
so they were familiar with your work and then you
auditioned for the Baker on the Beauty.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Yes, Baker in the Beauty was actually my third audition
that I had ever been on with my agencies, and
so it was nerve wracking and I was just like
going along with it. I was like, Okay, we've got
the callback. Okay, cool, and you know, mind you my
agents are like dang like this. But they were so
(06:33):
great and kind of just like not freaking me out
in the beginning, but also being like this is really good,
like keep you know. So they were great. They were
great kind of easing me into it while.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
You were working to get that opportunity where you did
you have another job on the side that you were
helping to navigate through.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Yes, I've actually off and on up until twenty twenty three,
I've been a briefsta cocktail waitress, just kind of going
back and forth. Really yeah, yeah, and I appreciate that
so much. I feel like it truly has shaped me
into the type of person and the type of artist
I am. You know, it's very humbling to be serving
(07:17):
someone a coffee and they're like, didn't I just see
you in a movie?
Speaker 2 (07:20):
So so way, So after the BA, after the Baker
on the Beauty, when it didn't come back from a
second season, you went back to being a barista.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
I did went back to being a barista after before
I did Blue Beetle, I was bristaying. And then after
Blue Beetle, you know the strike kids, So I was
I was back in the barista. I went to bartending
for a bit for like a solid year.
Speaker 4 (07:45):
Yeah amazing.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
I mean I love this kind of stuff because this
is what people need to hear when it comes to
our business, like, there's absolutely again, there's no linear path
to success. You can be rocking on you know, some program.
First of all, it's hard to get a show that
even gets on the air. Then you get a show
that gets on the air, show gets.
Speaker 4 (08:03):
Canceled, fun show. You're like, oh, this could go another season. Nope.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Now I want to go back to working to make
some money to do my passion and get my other
career going that I really want. You get a huge movie,
strike hits. People don't understand how it affects everybody. You
know different, and everybody thinks if you're in Hollywood, you're
on a big movie, you're on a big show. You
don't have to do anything. You just have everything at
your fingertips. And it's like, no, our business is very finicky.
(08:27):
It's tricky to navigate, and yes, you still need to
make money to pay your bills to then pursue the
dream of getting something that's stable and ongoing.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Oh my god, well, Lisan, you came out of stage
in the business that is so unpredictable, and he's so unstable,
you know, because my god, because your first big gig
was the Bacon and the beauty and then pandemic and
those two things have been brutal for the business. You know,
it's never been it's never been the same. Yeah, it's
(09:05):
never been the same. And we're hoping and hoping. It's
funny because I keep hearing my team, right, my manager,
my agent, they're always like, it's gonna start picking up. Oh,
it's gonna get better. Oh it's gonna start picking up.
And I'm going saying that for two years. It's like,
what the heck is going on? It's really it's pretty brutal.
So any work that we get it is indeed a
blessing because you you just never know.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
It absolutely is and that it is such a big
misconception and it's you know, one that I had to
kind of realize as well after my first show of like, Okay,
this isn't that's it. I never have to work again.
You know. It's rough, and I think the biggest thing
with this industry is you just have to have like
(09:48):
a solid backbone and just feel like I'm going to
keep going because there are so many no's and even
from the yes's, like there's still a no coming and
that's it's gonna hurt, and it's like, you know, you
get beat down and you just have to keep you
have to go back again, and that's hard. I won't
say that that's an easy thing to keep getting up.
(10:09):
It's hard.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Listen, and I'm sure you know that I've been doing
this for a long time. Right before, right before I
came to record this podcast with you, I get this
phone call from my agent and this is Ross and
they sent me the email maybe a couple of weeks back.
I didn't really pay attention to it because it shoots
in Miami, and I love Miami, but it means that
I will have to once again leave my family for
(10:30):
like six months at a time. But it's really interesting.
But you know what, agents they keep pushing, you know,
because their main focus is for you to do a job.
And so he calls me again, says Ross. You know
they call it again. It's for Peacock. Is this thing
is straight to series? This is the name. It shoots
in Miami. I know because of your lifestyle and your
kids and you, it's going to be a no. But
(10:53):
I think you should read it. You should read it.
And the character is not on the pilot, but they're
sending only you the scenes of the second and third
episode that the character is in for you for you
to please read it to see if you're interested. Now
they don't want to They're not ready for an offer,
(11:13):
so they don't they don't want to send you an offer.
They might want you to read with the director. And
I was like, very just pass you know what i mean,
I'm going if you know already that this is something
that I'm going to say no, And now you're telling
me that they want me to read for something that
(11:34):
I'm like the third lead. Are they out of their minds?
It's like really, and it puts it puts everything into
perspective when it shows you things are so difficult. It
doesn't really matter at what level you are at. You
have to fight for things like you just started.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
Always just limited the amount of programming. Every so every
movie starting the planet is doing TV. So it just
taking away more jobs from people that are coming up
or just TV people that have worked in TV for years,
because it's just all a big mess as far as
it's all crossover mess, you know, as far as opportunity goes.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Yeah, And I feel like right now such a big
thing that's like kind of hitting the surface? Is everything
shooting in crazy places? I know, Like I heard about this.
I don't know which network it was, but it kind
of like a sitcom and it was shooting in like Scotland.
Speaker 4 (12:30):
Is it for Fox?
Speaker 1 (12:31):
I think it might be, yes, because Fox.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
Is doing most content overseas. Scotland's become a huge hub,
even for comedy and a lot of their comedies. Even
for sure in Canada, it used to be if you
were doing a comedy it was la comedies were always
going to be la. Dramas you could have to relocate,
but there was still a lot of dramas here. Now
I know for a fact that Fox is doing a
lot overseas, and I've heard Scotland Lana Parilla.
Speaker 4 (12:56):
Is that for Fox?
Speaker 3 (12:57):
I don't know, but she's doing a show and it's
in Scotland. In Scotland, I think it might be for Fox.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
Is it? It might be that she went all the
way there.
Speaker 4 (13:04):
For drama that I don't think it has to be set.
I don't know if it does.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
I am about to leave to go to Budapest, Hungary
for five weeks for a movie that is a home
invasion and the house is supposed to be in Georgia.
Speaker 4 (13:21):
Why are we going to even Atlanta doesn't work anymore.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
I was gonna say, this could be a stage.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
And I love traveling. That's amazing. I'm going to go
to Budapest, but I'm going a home invasion out of Georgia.
I'm like, it's very confusing, I know. Anyways, so it's well,
talk to us about the sitcom now that you because
you are working.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
You're working.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
Yes, you got Reba McIntyre, who's who's I hear I've
never worked with her here She's amazing, and you're angel.
Talk to us about the show Happy, happiest place.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
Happiest place. Yes, we just got picked up for a
second season, which is amazing, and yeah, happiest place. It's me.
I play Reba McIntyre's half sister, which makes total sense
because we look exactly alike. I've been told out my
whole life. But it's just such a I you know,
(14:25):
I think right now, so much content we make. It
can be really intense and it can be emotionally taxing
as the actor. And I just love this project because
I mean not to be say happy so much, but
it really is just a happy show. And you know
it feels like I'm back in theater because we perform
(14:46):
in front of a live audience. And I've gotten so
lucky with the casts that I've been a part of.
This one included of just being surrounded by great people,
people that I enjoy being around and who I learned
from every day. You know, Riba, Melissa Peterman, and Rex
Lynn are like legends in the industry, especially Melissa and
(15:10):
Riba their sitcom queens, and so being able to watch
them do what they're known for is like such an
awesome feeling. And you know, you're just like, oh, of
course you of course you're the queen of this, Like
it's so easy. So it's such a fun experience. We
have Pablo Castel Blanco and to call A Black Alk
(15:31):
as well on the show, and they bring in such
like just things I've never seen, just so different, and
I'm just so happy that, you know, we're getting another
chance to keep going with the story.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
It's huge, that's amazing. And listen, doing sitcom is not
is not easy. I don't I don't do a lot
of sitcoms.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
And the.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
What is the coach that I love? Oh my good goodness, Leslie,
Leslie can I'm sure you've heard of Leslie Can. She
deals with all the sitcom people. So every time that
I'm tackling trying to do something like a three camp Leslie,
it's very specific the timing, the one, two, three's the jokes,
which gives me a little bit of a of a
(16:12):
hard time because I'm going but I don't see it
that way.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
You know.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
My rhythm is a little different. And to be able
to do sitcom is a very very specific and special skill.
And it's incredible how usually sitcom actors they go from
one sitcom to the next and they have the casting
directors and producers and networks. They have their group that
they believe can tackle sitcom, you know, because it's a
very different animal. So it's an incredible thing that right
(16:37):
off the bat, you know, boom, you got a sitcom,
which is it's not easy. It's not easy.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
Yeah, no, it definitely going into it learning how to
work with that many you know, cameras and just totally different.
I've been lucky where I've worked on a lot of
films and coming off of like Focus Pocus and Blue Beetle,
such different just ways of creating the art. You know,
(17:05):
it's different process, the different things you have to think about.
So it is a switch, and I think sometimes there
can be this misconception as well that sitcoms are like easy,
Like it's like, ah, you're just being up there and
being silly at all. No, there's actually so much you're
thinking about. You're trying not to get in your other
(17:25):
persons shots, so you're like weirdly standing like this. And
one thing is we can get a new scene thrown
down and be like, hey, we got to film this,
and it's you get five minutes and you're like, okay, okay, cool,
let's go yes, And that's thrilling to me. I think
it's like an adrenaline rush. But it's definitely something that
(17:47):
I didn't expect going into it. It is a different
beast to tackle and it's been fun learning.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Yeah, is there a specific thing that you're looking forward
to doing brought away or musical or like a fool
on drama? Indeed, like what is your north?
Speaker 1 (18:07):
I would love to go back to theater just because
that's that's where I first fell in love with acting,
and being on a sitcom has given me like a
taste of that, like live audience, feel again and Yeah.
I think I'm really ready to just be on a
stage again and be putting in the work and see
(18:28):
it come from like this little baby to this huge production.
And I always find that in any any project you're
a part of you like bond with the cast, but
with theater it's such like a blood in tears and sweat,
and you come out of it and you're like, we
did that, We did it.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
Beautiful, that's beautiful. Did you have one sibling?
Speaker 1 (18:50):
I do. I have an older brother that is.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
Not part of the arts at all.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
No. No, I'm the only one in my family so far.
I've got a lot of younger cous but so far
that has entered this industry, and so it's fun bringing
them along for the ride too.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
I'm assuming they're so so proud and so happy, right,
did they support?
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Yeah? They are. I think I think they've just kind
of been rolling with it as well, like cheering me
on every time. But I know sometimes they have moments
where they're like, oh my gosh, I can't you know,
I can't believe you're doing this. So it's awesome.
Speaker 4 (19:27):
You're on TV every week, right, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
On a network show, which is incredible. Yes, And you're
not in Scotland.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
And I'm not in Scotland. I get to shoot here.
Speaker 3 (19:38):
Yeah, that Scotland wouldn't be bad. It'd be amazing to gore.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
You're so lucky, like you go lucky too. He's been
on a show for seven years that shoots like ten
minutes from the house.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
Is unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
It's beautiful. I'm going on, when is it going to
be me? Everything? In God?
Speaker 1 (19:53):
Please?
Speaker 4 (19:54):
Please?
Speaker 2 (19:54):
I want to shoot it.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
I was manifesting it for years. I was passing on things.
I was like, nope, I'm not gonna go, not gonna go.
When you have kids, it becomes very complicated as far
as coming and going and just at any moment. I
think that's why it's been hard even for us now,
is that because I'm here until my show is done,
we have to kind of decide, all right, how long
can you go? You know, kids aren't going to go
(20:16):
there fully in school, so you got to pick and
choose what you're going to do and when you're going
to do it and how long it takes you away.
It's you're at a young age, don't have worry about
any of this stuff. Right now, you can go travel
the world and work on anything you want and it's
a very freeing experience.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Yes, I just were I just missed my cats, but
that's the only thing.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
Yeah, you can bring them, you can bring them along
maybe to some places, but yeah, that would be pets.
Speaker 4 (20:39):
Yeah, having pets is also a challenging you know moment
in it.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
Yeah, once you have kids and everything changes too.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
Are you going to go back to being a barista
during hiatus or no, thankfully I will.
Speaker 4 (20:55):
Or mar between. No, it's it's good that you don't
have to.
Speaker 3 (20:58):
But even I I just love and I admire the
truth behind that story. Like you can be working on
hit movies and hit shows and still go back to
something you have to do in order to get the
next thing, And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that
in our business. That's the way our business actually works.
That's most, that's most actors.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
But I think I think Belissa from now on is
going to be I'm not saying I hope to God
is smooth sailing, but everything is cyclical, so you know
it's going to go like this. But I think from
now on, because of this incredible opportunity with the Riba show,
that is going to probably go go on for a
long time. I'd say second seasons, but I think from
now on you'll be fine.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
Yeah, that's what we're open. That's what it's like a
running joke with my team after any like the projects
I've booked there like okay, no more bracing, Like we're
getting you away from the coffee shop.
Speaker 2 (21:53):
Yes, I think.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
And the truth is, I mean, look, I know you're
in your twenties and this is still so early in
your career, but you've done more than so many people have,
even that have been trying this for years.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
You know, if you think about it, you're.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
A been a part of huge shows that have gotten
shows that have gotten on the air. That's just a
big accomplishment. Big movies, another show for a second season.
These are these are you know, massive wins in the
scope of our business.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
Yeah. No, I feel so absolutely blessed and happiest place.
This show couldn't have come at a better time. It
was also another low point where I moved back I
had lived in New York, was bracing, and then just
you know, I hadn't booked anything, ran out of money
and was like, okay, Mom, I've got to move back
home with you again, and the day after I landed
(22:42):
in La I had my first audition for Happiest Place,
and within within two weeks moving back completely unemployed, no
idea what I was going to do. Life changed.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
Yeah, that's amazing. Good for you.
Speaker 4 (22:58):
When do you guys start your second season?
Speaker 1 (23:00):
We're going to start up back in August. Yeah, yeah,
so nice little break. But it's definitely this industry, you know,
it's so up and down. Your life can change in
a week. I mean, you just never and it's really
just about like continuing to pursue it. And I credit
(23:23):
everything to my support group, you know, my family, my
mom especially. I was so many times like this is it.
I'm done with acting like I can't handle this up
and down. It's affecting me. And she would always tell me, like,
what else will you do? Not in the sense that
you can't do anything else, but I've never seen you
(23:43):
so happy as I do when you're acting like I
just don't see you feeling that from anything else, And
that that would always keep me going because she's right.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
She is right, and you're very special. Listen, and you
can ask Lisa dal if you don't believe me. I
remember when I saw they're baking on the Beauty and
it was a fir time I saw you, and I
think I even mentioned to you Eric, because we saw
the whole show. I wanted to support Lisa. She's like
a sister. And it was shot in Puerto Rico. I
know all the crew because that that crew went to
Fantasy Island when I was doing Fantasy Island, and I
(24:13):
remember telling Lisa, oh my god, the girl that plays
your daughter, that girl, she's really really phenomenal. There was
a simplicity and a groundness and honesty. There's some honesty
about you when you act that. I was like, she
is amazing. So I'm so happy that you that that
is just only going up. You know, it's amazing.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
Thank you so much. Thank you. Lisa is amazing. So
she's still like my mom. I'll never not be like
my mom, you know.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
I know she's a truly special human being. Anyways, we
appreciate you. Thank you so much for doing this, and
good luck with everything. We're very happy, very happy for you.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
Thank you so much for having me. This was awesome.
Of course, enjoyed Budapest.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
Oh my godness, you will not will bye. Was gat
the sweetest, Oh my god, and she's so guys, she's
so good. She's super talented, very talented.
Speaker 3 (25:17):
Again, I just love her honesty and just right there
in her own life experience and storytelling. These are what
listeners ask all the time, and like you're getting firsthand
information of what it's like in the grind and what
it takes to continue to believe in yourself.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
So so this was so good. And it's always pretty
cool to be able to support this new generation of
Latinas you know that are out there working, trying, auditioning
up and down, because it's very important for our community
(25:50):
to see more and more representation. And her story is
it's pretty unique because it never happens this way that
you do three auditions and boom you get something that
is ant TV show.
Speaker 4 (26:00):
Big job like jobs that got on the air, and a.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
Huge movie and two huge movies, two huge movies around.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
Bubato and then still having to go back to do
other work. Crazy to keep pushing through it, I know.
Speaker 2 (26:13):
So I think it's I love it. Listen. And I remembered,
like I said to you, the first time I saw her,
I was like, oh my god, this girl is really
really good. Who is this girl? And I called Lisa
about it. I'm just happy. I'm just happy that she's
doing well.
Speaker 3 (26:27):
I got asked the other day about a fan like,
what was something you would have like, was there a
moment in your career that was super pivotal and it's
this is a true story, but I told you about
it the other night.
Speaker 4 (26:37):
It's like, yeah, I basically stopped.
Speaker 3 (26:39):
And I mentioned this, I think on the podcast before
and somebody asked me what the show was, but I
almost stopped the business after a Dawston's Creek audition and
they were like, what role was it? And I said, oh,
it was the role of that Kurse Smith got and
great for him. But I remember that being such a
pivotal moment of how you just can't stop if this
is what you want to do. And I did stop.
That's what's crazy. And it slowed my momentum down so
(27:00):
much about where I could have maybe been sooner in
this business. I was very fortunate, clearly it was, you know,
in my path to still do this business. But some
people never come back to the business when they stop.
Some people do come back. It's never the same. And again,
I don't know how far it set me behind my peers.
Who are in it with me at that time for
(27:23):
over a year stop completely like no auditions. My agent
would call me and said, you want to audition? I said no,
and you weren't doing what just going to call it.
I thought I was gonna be a firefighter. I was like,
I quit the business. Like I went and was about
to start the academy for LAFD and then got Days
of Our Lives.
Speaker 4 (27:41):
I got two soaps that came my way, and.
Speaker 3 (27:43):
I said, you know what, I'll just pressure me, pressure
me and said, go audition for passions and go audition
for Days of our Lives.
Speaker 4 (27:48):
And I was like, oh god, okay, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (27:51):
And I did, and I got both of them offered,
and Days ended up having the first test, so they
ended up getting the the I took them. But that
then that got me back in the business. So I
went back to my regular job at the time was modeling.
So I went back to doing that, you know, but
I had to go back to a job right which
was that's where it was. So I was doing that
(28:12):
at the time and then decided, while I was, you know,
have my savings, I was going to I'm going to
be a firefighter. So It's weird how your journey can
just shift and it sounds like, you know, she went
through these moments as well, where it's what do I do?
How do I stay with this? The times are hard,
the industry is difficult. They're dropping shows and consolidating things
left and right.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
I have acquaintances and friends of mine that we all
started together, you know, twenty something years ago that I will.
You know, do you usually see the same phases when
you auditioned for things. It's the same phases over and over.
Speaker 4 (28:42):
Sometimes friends sometimes you.
Speaker 2 (28:45):
And I can probably say that ninety percent of them
I've never seen. I've never seen them ever again, So
I get. I don't know if they pursued something else,
you know, got married and I was I remember there's
a girl that when I did Famla actually you know
what from Fame La, which is the first job that
I did in Los Angeles. It was a big deal.
(29:06):
It was Sony Pictures producing this whole thing. I think
Leslie Margherite, Leslie Marguerite, very talented, triple threat. I think she.
I think she's doing Broadway. Chris Kane.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
Stephanie got married to a lawyer and basically had kids,
and that she's a housewife. I don't Heidi that her
father was a big, big producer. I have never seen
any of these people active. Again, Yeah, it's crazy.
Speaker 4 (29:35):
It's wild. It's wild.
Speaker 3 (29:36):
It's not like other professions where people usually just stay
put and you know, grow within that career, that type
of field, like you either stick in this for the
long haul or you end up.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
It was so weird with me, Eric because I just didn't.
I just didn't have any other choice. You know. I
never I never go to the point that I was like,
I'm never going to do I want to I want
to quit. I hate it, and i've I've my heart
has been broken many times because of part that I
want to do that don't get or I booked them
and I get let go, you know, or my accident
has always been a problem. So I've had a lot
(30:07):
of disappointment. But I don't think I ever went to
a point of I'm out, I'm going to do something else,
like to me and I think that's a testament of
why I'm still in it. You know, it's because I
don't have anything else that I want to do. Nothing
else interests me. So it's really crazy.
Speaker 4 (30:27):
Well, I ended on a sad note.
Speaker 1 (30:29):
It is.
Speaker 4 (30:32):
Kind of go back and talk to her. She made
me happier talking. We were like, he just.
Speaker 2 (30:40):
Said he wasn't. She makes him happier.
Speaker 3 (30:44):
Us not talking to each other, but us talking to
her was uplifting. I felt inspired and then we're like, man,
it was so hard and so many friends.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
But listen, we we came, we came out on tom
we're still going at it and we're doing really well.
You know how blessed we are. Like I say, every
time I open my eyes, I say, I say thank
you God, because our life is pretty. It's pretty nice,
it's pretty beautiful.
Speaker 3 (31:06):
We're very, very lucky in any profession when you can
just succeed at what you want to do.
Speaker 2 (31:10):
We make it a living doing what we love exactly.
Speaker 4 (31:12):
That's a win for anybody out there in any profession.
I love you, it's been fun. Love you. Thanks for listening.
Don't forget to write us a review and tell us
what you think.
Speaker 2 (31:21):
If you want to follow us on Instagram, check goes
out at he said ajav or an email Eric and
Ross at iHeartRadio dot com. He said, AJAB is part
of iHeartRadio's Mike would do that podcast network.
Speaker 4 (31:33):
See you next time.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
I
This is he said a yadjo with Eric Winter and
Rodlin fantag.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Oh let me, he said, Yeah, I'm so excited to
have this guest with us today. She is a new
generation of Latin representation in Hollywood.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
She got her big break on ABC's The Baker in
the Beauty Show that we watched. We had a little
friends in that show. She starred in the highly anticipated
hocus Pocus Too and played milagro Reyes in Blue Beetle.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
And she's currently starring with Riba McIntyre on the ABC's
hit show Happy.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
So on ABC, Stay there again, you said, oh, And.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
She's currently starring with Riba McIntyre on the NBC's hit
show Happiest Place. Please Welcome to the show. Belisa Escobedo Hello, Hello, Hey, Hi,
how are you.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
I'm good? How are you guys?
Speaker 2 (00:52):
We're so good, so good on.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Thank you so much for having me. This is awesome.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
We're saying we're fans of yours in from Baker in
the Beauty We loved that show. We had Lisa that
was a very close friend of ours.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Yes, Lisa, I love her so much. Lisa is such
a good show.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
I know. Lisa is like my sister I love. I
love Lisa so much and even Carlos Card. Yeah, the
show was so great and you and you showed this
in Puerto Rico, which was so dear to me.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Oh my gosh, always Puerto Rico. I've had two projects
now that shot there. Blue Beetle, we shot a little
bit of it there. Oh yes, yeah, so it's so crazy.
I just you know, I'm not I'm Mexican, I'm not
Puerto Rican, but I have such this like huge connection
to Puerto Rico because all of my like most pivotal
(01:42):
projects have been shot out there.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
So yeah, I.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Love it there.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
I love that you're an La native as well. I
grew up in La myself. I know you're South Pasadena.
My my dad grew up in Pasadena. Oh my god,
family Altadina. I grew up in La Pente, City of Industry,
if you know that area.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
But yeah, yeah, I actually went to uh grew up
in South past for a bit, and then I moved
to Whittier and so that's where I went to like
middle school and finish out my high school years out there.
High school, well, I didn't go to high school out there.
I actually I auditioned for Loxa, La County High School
(02:20):
for the Arts. It's a public school out here, and
so I ended up commuting there every day, but went
to Hillview Middle School in Whittier.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
So you always knew you wanted to be in entertainment
as an actress. That's what that's what the focus was
in your performing.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Arts pretty much. Yeah. I think in like fifth grade,
I got to do a school play and that was
the first time I kind of channeled all this energy
I had inside of me, and standing on that stage,
I was like, Oh, this is this is the feeling
I've been looking for, and it was just It's so
(02:57):
I'm sure all of you remember your first time before
and that feeling of being like, oh, this is what
I want to do. This is the feeling I'm going
to chase forever like I.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
Had the opposite.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Like for me, she's you completely like I wanted to
be an actress, performer her whole life. I was, so
I got approach to being in the business. When I
was in junior high I was so afraid. I was like,
in front of my peers, I could be big, loud,
have fun, be myself, but public speaking or being in
front of people watching me. I would be so nervous,
(03:30):
freaked out. Tried a couple things in classes. I was like, Nope,
not for me, he can't do it. It wasn't until
my twenties that I actually resurfaced back into the entertainment
space and took a drama class in college and was like, Okay,
this is kind of fun. I've shed some of my
insecurities of being nervous. Still took a while for that
to fully fade throughout my career, where I was just like,
(03:51):
I don't care anymore.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
I'm gonna do whatever I need to do.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Before me, even when I met you, you didn't love
a public speaking at all. Still you'll be petrified about
well I have to speak in public. No, I'm going
you've you're actually very good at it.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
No, you're more comfortable, more comfortable, but not I was.
I've always been more then. I think acting has become
easier for me in that sense that you're not looking right.
I mean, I'm looking at my partner, acting opposite somebody
or a group, but I'm not speaking to a crowd
that's just staring at me. That is a whole different beast.
Like great public speakers, but I'm getting better at that.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
I was the opposite. It would be like, do you
want me to perform from you? I can dance, I can.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Give me a microphone, I'll do anything.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
I'm ready.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
I'm ready.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
I what was your first you know gig that sort
of set the path where you're going. Your parents are going, Okay,
this is uh, it's working, this is what she wants
to wants to do, and it's happening, I'd.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Say, because I didn't start auditioning for anything. My parents
were like, we love you, we support you, but we
have no way, Like, we don't know how to get
you in there, we don't know what classes to take.
So I kind of just sought it out all online.
And it wasn't until I dropped out of college and
(05:01):
moved back home. I went to the New School for
Drama in New York, moved back home, moved back in
with my mom, and started doing community theater GASA and
Boyle Heights. Josefina Lopez runs that theater and she's you know,
so pivotal to the Latino Arts and anyway, that was
(05:23):
my first time kind of like booking something. It was,
you know, first theater production and then they actually helped
me get the ABC Discovered showcase and that's how I
first got my agent and my manager. So they've been
such a blessing and I'm such a like community theater advocate.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
That's incredible.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
And we have a lot of listeners that ask questions
like that all the time, like how do I get in?
Speaker 4 (05:49):
What do I do?
Speaker 3 (05:50):
And right, everybody's got a different journey to getting to
that place of getting to break whatever it is, whether
like the ABC program is huge, A lot of people
come out of that because it opens a lot of opportunity.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
So for the Baker on the Beauty, they they saw
I'm assuming they saw you at this showcase, so they okay,
so they were familiar with your work and then you
auditioned for the Baker on the Beauty.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Yes, Baker in the Beauty was actually my third audition
that I had ever been on with my agencies, and
so it was nerve wracking and I was just like
going along with it. I was like, Okay, we've got
the callback. Okay, cool, and you know, mind you my
agents are like dang like this. But they were so
(06:33):
great and kind of just like not freaking me out
in the beginning, but also being like this is really good,
like keep you know. So they were great. They were
great kind of easing me into it while.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
You were working to get that opportunity where you did
you have another job on the side that you were
helping to navigate through.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Yes, I've actually off and on up until twenty twenty three,
I've been a briefsta cocktail waitress, just kind of going
back and forth. Really yeah, yeah, and I appreciate that
so much. I feel like it truly has shaped me
into the type of person and the type of artist
I am. You know, it's very humbling to be serving
(07:17):
someone a coffee and they're like, didn't I just see
you in a movie?
Speaker 2 (07:20):
So so way, So after the BA, after the Baker
on the Beauty, when it didn't come back from a
second season, you went back to being a barista.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
I did went back to being a barista after before
I did Blue Beetle, I was bristaying. And then after
Blue Beetle, you know the strike kids, So I was
I was back in the barista. I went to bartending
for a bit for like a solid year.
Speaker 4 (07:45):
Yeah amazing.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
I mean I love this kind of stuff because this
is what people need to hear when it comes to
our business, like, there's absolutely again, there's no linear path
to success. You can be rocking on you know, some program.
First of all, it's hard to get a show that
even gets on the air. Then you get a show
that gets on the air, show gets.
Speaker 4 (08:03):
Canceled, fun show. You're like, oh, this could go another season. Nope.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Now I want to go back to working to make
some money to do my passion and get my other
career going that I really want. You get a huge movie,
strike hits. People don't understand how it affects everybody. You
know different, and everybody thinks if you're in Hollywood, you're
on a big movie, you're on a big show. You
don't have to do anything. You just have everything at
your fingertips. And it's like, no, our business is very finicky.
(08:27):
It's tricky to navigate, and yes, you still need to
make money to pay your bills to then pursue the
dream of getting something that's stable and ongoing.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Oh my god, well, Lisan, you came out of stage
in the business that is so unpredictable, and he's so unstable,
you know, because my god, because your first big gig
was the Bacon and the beauty and then pandemic and
those two things have been brutal for the business. You know,
it's never been it's never been the same. Yeah, it's
(09:05):
never been the same. And we're hoping and hoping. It's
funny because I keep hearing my team, right, my manager,
my agent, they're always like, it's gonna start picking up. Oh,
it's gonna get better. Oh it's gonna start picking up.
And I'm going saying that for two years. It's like,
what the heck is going on? It's really it's pretty brutal.
So any work that we get it is indeed a
blessing because you you just never know.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
It absolutely is and that it is such a big
misconception and it's you know, one that I had to
kind of realize as well after my first show of like, Okay,
this isn't that's it. I never have to work again.
You know. It's rough, and I think the biggest thing
with this industry is you just have to have like
(09:48):
a solid backbone and just feel like I'm going to
keep going because there are so many no's and even
from the yes's, like there's still a no coming and
that's it's gonna hurt, and it's like, you know, you
get beat down and you just have to keep you
have to go back again, and that's hard. I won't
say that that's an easy thing to keep getting up.
(10:09):
It's hard.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Listen, and I'm sure you know that I've been doing
this for a long time. Right before, right before I
came to record this podcast with you, I get this
phone call from my agent and this is Ross and
they sent me the email maybe a couple of weeks back.
I didn't really pay attention to it because it shoots
in Miami, and I love Miami, but it means that
I will have to once again leave my family for
(10:30):
like six months at a time. But it's really interesting.
But you know what, agents they keep pushing, you know,
because their main focus is for you to do a job.
And so he calls me again, says Ross. You know
they call it again. It's for Peacock. Is this thing
is straight to series? This is the name. It shoots
in Miami. I know because of your lifestyle and your
kids and you, it's going to be a no. But
(10:53):
I think you should read it. You should read it.
And the character is not on the pilot, but they're
sending only you the scenes of the second and third
episode that the character is in for you for you
to please read it to see if you're interested. Now
they don't want to They're not ready for an offer,
(11:13):
so they don't they don't want to send you an offer.
They might want you to read with the director. And
I was like, very just pass you know what i mean,
I'm going if you know already that this is something
that I'm going to say no, And now you're telling
me that they want me to read for something that
(11:34):
I'm like the third lead. Are they out of their minds?
It's like really, and it puts it puts everything into
perspective when it shows you things are so difficult. It
doesn't really matter at what level you are at. You
have to fight for things like you just started.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
Always just limited the amount of programming. Every so every
movie starting the planet is doing TV. So it just
taking away more jobs from people that are coming up
or just TV people that have worked in TV for years,
because it's just all a big mess as far as
it's all crossover mess, you know, as far as opportunity goes.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Yeah, And I feel like right now such a big
thing that's like kind of hitting the surface? Is everything
shooting in crazy places? I know, Like I heard about this.
I don't know which network it was, but it kind
of like a sitcom and it was shooting in like Scotland.
Speaker 4 (12:30):
Is it for Fox?
Speaker 1 (12:31):
I think it might be, yes, because Fox.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
Is doing most content overseas. Scotland's become a huge hub,
even for comedy and a lot of their comedies. Even
for sure in Canada, it used to be if you
were doing a comedy it was la comedies were always
going to be la. Dramas you could have to relocate,
but there was still a lot of dramas here. Now
I know for a fact that Fox is doing a
lot overseas, and I've heard Scotland Lana Parilla.
Speaker 4 (12:56):
Is that for Fox?
Speaker 3 (12:57):
I don't know, but she's doing a show and it's
in Scotland. In Scotland, I think it might be for Fox.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
Is it? It might be that she went all the
way there.
Speaker 4 (13:04):
For drama that I don't think it has to be set.
I don't know if it does.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
I am about to leave to go to Budapest, Hungary
for five weeks for a movie that is a home
invasion and the house is supposed to be in Georgia.
Speaker 4 (13:21):
Why are we going to even Atlanta doesn't work anymore.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
I was gonna say, this could be a stage.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
And I love traveling. That's amazing. I'm going to go
to Budapest, but I'm going a home invasion out of Georgia.
I'm like, it's very confusing, I know. Anyways, so it's well,
talk to us about the sitcom now that you because
you are working.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
You're working.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
Yes, you got Reba McIntyre, who's who's I hear I've
never worked with her here She's amazing, and you're angel.
Talk to us about the show Happy, happiest place.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
Happiest place. Yes, we just got picked up for a
second season, which is amazing, and yeah, happiest place. It's me.
I play Reba McIntyre's half sister, which makes total sense
because we look exactly alike. I've been told out my
whole life. But it's just such a I you know,
(14:25):
I think right now, so much content we make. It
can be really intense and it can be emotionally taxing
as the actor. And I just love this project because
I mean not to be say happy so much, but
it really is just a happy show. And you know
it feels like I'm back in theater because we perform
(14:46):
in front of a live audience. And I've gotten so
lucky with the casts that I've been a part of.
This one included of just being surrounded by great people,
people that I enjoy being around and who I learned
from every day. You know, Riba, Melissa Peterman, and Rex
Lynn are like legends in the industry, especially Melissa and
(15:10):
Riba their sitcom queens, and so being able to watch
them do what they're known for is like such an
awesome feeling. And you know, you're just like, oh, of
course you of course you're the queen of this, Like
it's so easy. So it's such a fun experience. We
have Pablo Castel Blanco and to call A Black Alk
(15:31):
as well on the show, and they bring in such
like just things I've never seen, just so different, and
I'm just so happy that, you know, we're getting another
chance to keep going with the story.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
It's huge, that's amazing. And listen, doing sitcom is not
is not easy. I don't I don't do a lot
of sitcoms.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
And the.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
What is the coach that I love? Oh my good goodness, Leslie,
Leslie can I'm sure you've heard of Leslie Can. She
deals with all the sitcom people. So every time that
I'm tackling trying to do something like a three camp Leslie,
it's very specific the timing, the one, two, three's the jokes,
which gives me a little bit of a of a
(16:12):
hard time because I'm going but I don't see it
that way.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
You know.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
My rhythm is a little different. And to be able
to do sitcom is a very very specific and special skill.
And it's incredible how usually sitcom actors they go from
one sitcom to the next and they have the casting
directors and producers and networks. They have their group that
they believe can tackle sitcom, you know, because it's a
very different animal. So it's an incredible thing that right
(16:37):
off the bat, you know, boom, you got a sitcom,
which is it's not easy. It's not easy.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
Yeah, no, it definitely going into it learning how to
work with that many you know, cameras and just totally different.
I've been lucky where I've worked on a lot of
films and coming off of like Focus Pocus and Blue Beetle,
such different just ways of creating the art. You know,
(17:05):
it's different process, the different things you have to think about.
So it is a switch, and I think sometimes there
can be this misconception as well that sitcoms are like easy,
Like it's like, ah, you're just being up there and
being silly at all. No, there's actually so much you're
thinking about. You're trying not to get in your other
(17:25):
persons shots, so you're like weirdly standing like this. And
one thing is we can get a new scene thrown
down and be like, hey, we got to film this,
and it's you get five minutes and you're like, okay, okay, cool,
let's go yes, And that's thrilling to me. I think
it's like an adrenaline rush. But it's definitely something that
(17:47):
I didn't expect going into it. It is a different
beast to tackle and it's been fun learning.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Yeah, is there a specific thing that you're looking forward
to doing brought away or musical or like a fool
on drama? Indeed, like what is your north?
Speaker 1 (18:07):
I would love to go back to theater just because
that's that's where I first fell in love with acting,
and being on a sitcom has given me like a
taste of that, like live audience, feel again and Yeah.
I think I'm really ready to just be on a
stage again and be putting in the work and see
(18:28):
it come from like this little baby to this huge production.
And I always find that in any any project you're
a part of you like bond with the cast, but
with theater it's such like a blood in tears and sweat,
and you come out of it and you're like, we
did that, We did it.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
Beautiful, that's beautiful. Did you have one sibling?
Speaker 1 (18:50):
I do. I have an older brother that is.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
Not part of the arts at all.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
No. No, I'm the only one in my family so far.
I've got a lot of younger cous but so far
that has entered this industry, and so it's fun bringing
them along for the ride too.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
I'm assuming they're so so proud and so happy, right,
did they support?
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Yeah? They are. I think I think they've just kind
of been rolling with it as well, like cheering me
on every time. But I know sometimes they have moments
where they're like, oh my gosh, I can't you know,
I can't believe you're doing this. So it's awesome.
Speaker 4 (19:27):
You're on TV every week, right, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
On a network show, which is incredible. Yes, And you're
not in Scotland.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
And I'm not in Scotland. I get to shoot here.
Speaker 3 (19:38):
Yeah, that Scotland wouldn't be bad. It'd be amazing to gore.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
You're so lucky, like you go lucky too. He's been
on a show for seven years that shoots like ten
minutes from the house.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
Is unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
It's beautiful. I'm going on, when is it going to
be me? Everything? In God?
Speaker 1 (19:53):
Please?
Speaker 4 (19:54):
Please?
Speaker 2 (19:54):
I want to shoot it.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
I was manifesting it for years. I was passing on things.
I was like, nope, I'm not gonna go, not gonna go.
When you have kids, it becomes very complicated as far
as coming and going and just at any moment. I
think that's why it's been hard even for us now,
is that because I'm here until my show is done,
we have to kind of decide, all right, how long
can you go? You know, kids aren't going to go
(20:16):
there fully in school, so you got to pick and
choose what you're going to do and when you're going
to do it and how long it takes you away.
It's you're at a young age, don't have worry about
any of this stuff. Right now, you can go travel
the world and work on anything you want and it's
a very freeing experience.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Yes, I just were I just missed my cats, but
that's the only thing.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
Yeah, you can bring them, you can bring them along
maybe to some places, but yeah, that would be pets.
Speaker 4 (20:39):
Yeah, having pets is also a challenging you know moment
in it.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
Yeah, once you have kids and everything changes too.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
Are you going to go back to being a barista
during hiatus or no, thankfully I will.
Speaker 4 (20:55):
Or mar between. No, it's it's good that you don't
have to.
Speaker 3 (20:58):
But even I I just love and I admire the
truth behind that story. Like you can be working on
hit movies and hit shows and still go back to
something you have to do in order to get the
next thing, And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that
in our business. That's the way our business actually works.
That's most, that's most actors.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
But I think I think Belissa from now on is
going to be I'm not saying I hope to God
is smooth sailing, but everything is cyclical, so you know
it's going to go like this. But I think from
now on, because of this incredible opportunity with the Riba show,
that is going to probably go go on for a
long time. I'd say second seasons, but I think from
now on you'll be fine.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
Yeah, that's what we're open. That's what it's like a
running joke with my team after any like the projects
I've booked there like okay, no more bracing, Like we're
getting you away from the coffee shop.
Speaker 2 (21:53):
Yes, I think.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
And the truth is, I mean, look, I know you're
in your twenties and this is still so early in
your career, but you've done more than so many people have,
even that have been trying this for years.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
You know, if you think about it, you're.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
A been a part of huge shows that have gotten
shows that have gotten on the air. That's just a
big accomplishment. Big movies, another show for a second season.
These are these are you know, massive wins in the
scope of our business.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
Yeah. No, I feel so absolutely blessed and happiest place.
This show couldn't have come at a better time. It
was also another low point where I moved back I
had lived in New York, was bracing, and then just
you know, I hadn't booked anything, ran out of money
and was like, okay, Mom, I've got to move back
home with you again, and the day after I landed
(22:42):
in La I had my first audition for Happiest Place,
and within within two weeks moving back completely unemployed, no
idea what I was going to do. Life changed.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
Yeah, that's amazing. Good for you.
Speaker 4 (22:58):
When do you guys start your second season?
Speaker 1 (23:00):
We're going to start up back in August. Yeah, yeah,
so nice little break. But it's definitely this industry, you know,
it's so up and down. Your life can change in
a week. I mean, you just never and it's really
just about like continuing to pursue it. And I credit
(23:23):
everything to my support group, you know, my family, my
mom especially. I was so many times like this is it.
I'm done with acting like I can't handle this up
and down. It's affecting me. And she would always tell me, like,
what else will you do? Not in the sense that
you can't do anything else, but I've never seen you
(23:43):
so happy as I do when you're acting like I
just don't see you feeling that from anything else, And
that that would always keep me going because she's right.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
She is right, and you're very special. Listen, and you
can ask Lisa dal if you don't believe me. I
remember when I saw they're baking on the Beauty and
it was a fir time I saw you, and I
think I even mentioned to you Eric, because we saw
the whole show. I wanted to support Lisa. She's like
a sister. And it was shot in Puerto Rico. I
know all the crew because that that crew went to
Fantasy Island when I was doing Fantasy Island, and I
(24:13):
remember telling Lisa, oh my god, the girl that plays
your daughter, that girl, she's really really phenomenal. There was
a simplicity and a groundness and honesty. There's some honesty
about you when you act that. I was like, she
is amazing. So I'm so happy that you that that
is just only going up. You know, it's amazing.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
Thank you so much. Thank you. Lisa is amazing. So
she's still like my mom. I'll never not be like
my mom, you know.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
I know she's a truly special human being. Anyways, we
appreciate you. Thank you so much for doing this, and
good luck with everything. We're very happy, very happy for you.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
Thank you so much for having me. This was awesome.
Of course, enjoyed Budapest.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
Oh my godness, you will not will bye. Was gat
the sweetest, Oh my god, and she's so guys, she's
so good. She's super talented, very talented.
Speaker 3 (25:17):
Again, I just love her honesty and just right there
in her own life experience and storytelling. These are what
listeners ask all the time, and like you're getting firsthand
information of what it's like in the grind and what
it takes to continue to believe in yourself.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
So so this was so good. And it's always pretty
cool to be able to support this new generation of
Latinas you know that are out there working, trying, auditioning
up and down, because it's very important for our community
(25:50):
to see more and more representation. And her story is
it's pretty unique because it never happens this way that
you do three auditions and boom you get something that
is ant TV show.
Speaker 4 (26:00):
Big job like jobs that got on the air, and a.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
Huge movie and two huge movies, two huge movies around.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
Bubato and then still having to go back to do
other work. Crazy to keep pushing through it, I know.
Speaker 2 (26:13):
So I think it's I love it. Listen. And I remembered,
like I said to you, the first time I saw her,
I was like, oh my god, this girl is really
really good. Who is this girl? And I called Lisa
about it. I'm just happy. I'm just happy that she's
doing well.
Speaker 3 (26:27):
I got asked the other day about a fan like,
what was something you would have like, was there a
moment in your career that was super pivotal and it's
this is a true story, but I told you about
it the other night.
Speaker 4 (26:37):
It's like, yeah, I basically stopped.
Speaker 3 (26:39):
And I mentioned this, I think on the podcast before
and somebody asked me what the show was, but I
almost stopped the business after a Dawston's Creek audition and
they were like, what role was it? And I said, oh,
it was the role of that Kurse Smith got and
great for him. But I remember that being such a
pivotal moment of how you just can't stop if this
is what you want to do. And I did stop.
That's what's crazy. And it slowed my momentum down so
(27:00):
much about where I could have maybe been sooner in
this business. I was very fortunate, clearly it was, you know,
in my path to still do this business. But some
people never come back to the business when they stop.
Some people do come back. It's never the same. And again,
I don't know how far it set me behind my peers.
Who are in it with me at that time for
(27:23):
over a year stop completely like no auditions. My agent
would call me and said, you want to audition? I said no,
and you weren't doing what just going to call it.
I thought I was gonna be a firefighter. I was like,
I quit the business. Like I went and was about
to start the academy for LAFD and then got Days
of Our Lives.
Speaker 4 (27:41):
I got two soaps that came my way, and.
Speaker 3 (27:43):
I said, you know what, I'll just pressure me, pressure
me and said, go audition for passions and go audition
for Days of our Lives.
Speaker 4 (27:48):
And I was like, oh god, okay, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (27:51):
And I did, and I got both of them offered,
and Days ended up having the first test, so they
ended up getting the the I took them. But that
then that got me back in the business. So I
went back to my regular job at the time was modeling.
So I went back to doing that, you know, but
I had to go back to a job right which
was that's where it was. So I was doing that
(28:12):
at the time and then decided, while I was, you know,
have my savings, I was going to I'm going to
be a firefighter. So It's weird how your journey can
just shift and it sounds like, you know, she went
through these moments as well, where it's what do I do?
How do I stay with this? The times are hard,
the industry is difficult. They're dropping shows and consolidating things
left and right.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
I have acquaintances and friends of mine that we all
started together, you know, twenty something years ago that I will.
You know, do you usually see the same phases when
you auditioned for things. It's the same phases over and over.
Speaker 4 (28:42):
Sometimes friends sometimes you.
Speaker 2 (28:45):
And I can probably say that ninety percent of them
I've never seen. I've never seen them ever again, So
I get. I don't know if they pursued something else,
you know, got married and I was I remember there's
a girl that when I did Famla actually you know
what from Fame La, which is the first job that
I did in Los Angeles. It was a big deal.
(29:06):
It was Sony Pictures producing this whole thing. I think
Leslie Margherite, Leslie Marguerite, very talented, triple threat. I think she.
I think she's doing Broadway. Chris Kane.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
Stephanie got married to a lawyer and basically had kids,
and that she's a housewife. I don't Heidi that her
father was a big, big producer. I have never seen
any of these people active. Again, Yeah, it's crazy.
Speaker 4 (29:35):
It's wild. It's wild.
Speaker 3 (29:36):
It's not like other professions where people usually just stay
put and you know, grow within that career, that type
of field, like you either stick in this for the
long haul or you end up.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
It was so weird with me, Eric because I just didn't.
I just didn't have any other choice. You know. I
never I never go to the point that I was like,
I'm never going to do I want to I want
to quit. I hate it, and i've I've my heart
has been broken many times because of part that I
want to do that don't get or I booked them
and I get let go, you know, or my accident
has always been a problem. So I've had a lot
(30:07):
of disappointment. But I don't think I ever went to
a point of I'm out, I'm going to do something else,
like to me and I think that's a testament of
why I'm still in it. You know, it's because I
don't have anything else that I want to do. Nothing
else interests me. So it's really crazy.
Speaker 4 (30:27):
Well, I ended on a sad note.
Speaker 1 (30:29):
It is.
Speaker 4 (30:32):
Kind of go back and talk to her. She made
me happier talking. We were like, he just.
Speaker 2 (30:40):
Said he wasn't. She makes him happier.
Speaker 3 (30:44):
Us not talking to each other, but us talking to
her was uplifting. I felt inspired and then we're like, man,
it was so hard and so many friends.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
But listen, we we came, we came out on tom
we're still going at it and we're doing really well.
You know how blessed we are. Like I say, every
time I open my eyes, I say, I say thank
you God, because our life is pretty. It's pretty nice,
it's pretty beautiful.
Speaker 3 (31:06):
We're very, very lucky in any profession when you can
just succeed at what you want to do.
Speaker 2 (31:10):
We make it a living doing what we love exactly.
Speaker 4 (31:12):
That's a win for anybody out there in any profession.
I love you, it's been fun. Love you. Thanks for listening.
Don't forget to write us a review and tell us
what you think.
Speaker 2 (31:21):
If you want to follow us on Instagram, check goes
out at he said ajav or an email Eric and
Ross at iHeartRadio dot com. He said, AJAB is part
of iHeartRadio's Mike would do that podcast network.
Speaker 4 (31:33):
See you next time.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
I
Host
Roselyn Sanchez
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