August 31, 2025 • 25 mins
Is the Addams family Latino?
Maria Hinojosa embarks on a quest to unravel this mystery. She interviews actor Luis Guzmán, who plays Gomez Addams in the hit Netflix show “Wednesday,” to discuss his character, the family values in the show and to get answers about the true origin of this iconic family.
They also discuss Luis’ upbringing in New York City, why Latino men shifted toward the right in the 2024 US elections, Guzmán’s relationship with Bad Bunny and how the Addams family and their weirdness is also our own.
Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa.
Follow the show to get every episode.
Follow us on TikTok and YouTube. Subscribe to our newsletter.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Dear lat you know, USA listener.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Before we start, you should know that if you want
to listen to this episode ad free, just join Plus
and you can join for as little as seven dollars
a month. Joining also gets you behind the scenes access
and yes, some cheese may so click the link in
the episode description and after you do that, then click play.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Let's go to the.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Show, dear listener. We'll start the show today trying to
solve a little mystery, something that I've been kind of
obsessed with lately.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
You must know this iconic snap.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
It's from this original black and white nineteen sixty's television.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Show Lee Absam The Adams Family.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
I used to watch this show back when I was
a kid. I would run home from school to try
to make it so I didn't miss any of it.
But now you fast forward and Netflix just released season
two of Wednesday. It's the coming of age show following
the adventures of Wednesday Adams from the Adams Family. Here's
(01:28):
a clip from the show's trailer.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
This is the first time you've ever willingly returned to
a school.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
How does it.
Speaker 4 (01:38):
Feel like returning to the scene of the crime.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
I already know where the bodies are buried.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Now this is a big deal because season one of
Wednesday the TV Show shattered records at Netflix. It became
their most watched show ever globally, and the character of
Wednesday Herself, played by Jenna Ortega, became a cultural phenomenon.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Can we talk about the dance the Wednesday dans La.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
Teenage lady gotgat goes full Wednesday jumping in on the
viral takes off trend inspired by Wednesday Herself, and.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
It now bolds the record for the most hours viewed
for an English speaking show, securing three hundred and forty
one zero point two million hours viewed in its first week.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Now, throughout all of this, there has been a question
that has been bubbling up across social media regarding the
Adams family.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
They're Latinos, their Mexic, They're half. His name is Gomez.
They're Latinos.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Wait, and yes, this YouTuber is right.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
The name of the father in the show, in fact,
is Gomez Adams and his daughter.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Wednesday Adams is a Latina.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
And here's the thing, guys, she's always been a Latina.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
The actress Jenna Ortega revealed that her character is a Latina.
Speaker 5 (03:02):
I also like give a lot of respect and appreciation
towards Netflix because they made it very clear from the
beginning when this project came around that they wanted her
to be Latino, which I thought was really really cool
to just kind of set the standard and solidify that.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
But even with all that, not everyone agrees.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Is the Adams Family a representation of Latino culture.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
I think it's pretty obvious that the answer is no,
is the Adams Family Latino?
Speaker 2 (03:31):
And to help answer this very important question, I'm going
to go straight to the source.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Oilla, Louise Maria, what a pleasure it is to see
you here.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
That is the voice of actor Louis Guzman, who plays
Wednesday's dad, Gomez Adams in the show. He was born
in Puerto Rico. He grew up in New York City.
Louis Guzman has a decade's long career in Hollywood with
big hits from Miami Vice to Carlito's Way. You definitely
know him. Just wait until you hear his voice, because
(04:04):
it's definitely so recognizable. So, Louise, is your character of Gomez,
is he in fact a lot more Latino?
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Definitely more Latino? Because I still use words like KERI drama,
I speak about the chupacabra. I think besamemucho at dan tango.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
His character Gomez Adams head roots in Spain when other
actors played him in the past, but in this series
he's been able to make the version of Gomez Adams
more Latino. And the fact is that the majority of
the cast who plays the Adams family is indeed Latino
and Latina.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
I don't know that's something that was done intentional on purpose,
but it works.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
There are references to Aztec gods in the show. There
are references to the ad Loos Moertos. There's a lot
of Spanish in the show. Is it a Latino Adams
family so on Adams, I.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Don't really label them. They could really be any family.
In this case. We do have certainly a Latino influence,
but it's a legacy family, you understand, because they started
fifty years ago and we started fifty years ago. It
wasn't Latino's playing Adams.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Okay, okay, okay okay.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
So the Adams family could be a Latino family, but
it's also not technically a Latino family. So it's not
an easy answer. But what is undeniable is that this
iconic family does share a lot of similar values that
Latinos and Latinas across the United States hold.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
Dear to their hearts, were representing our community because for
a long time, yeah, I used to have to have
to the question, so you think, how do we finally
allow Latinos in? And we're here, we have proven a
value to the world of entertainment.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
And quite frankly, does it really matter if they're Latino
or Latina because it's a family that connects with people
all over the world and from all different walks of life,
because their weirdness is like our own weirdness in our
own families.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
They are like all of.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Us from Fudro Media, It's Latino USA.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
I'm Maria no Josa.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Today a conversation with actor Louis Guzmann, who stars in
the Netflix show Wednesday. We talk about family values, Latino manhood, politics,
and the you know, kind of sort of Latino Adams Family. Louise,
your character certainly is having a very big moment on
(07:03):
season two of Wednesday, which is so funny because when
we were kids, the Adams Family was like, I mean,
I watched it in all of its different shapes and forms,
and it was definitely quirky. It was kind of like dark, quirky, strange.
What do you remember because you were watching it too,
So what was that like?
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Oh man, it was like for me, it was like
I want to be part of that family. No, yeah, yeah,
because they were different, they were crazy, they had a
weirdness to it, but it was beautiful because they loved
each other. They looked out for each other in the
weirdest way and it worked. And I would run home
(07:48):
after school just to catch that show and just be
like that dad. You know, it's like the cookie and
the you know. So for me, the Adams family has
always been generational and to be doing it now and
stepping into that, there's not a bes cultural in this
(08:10):
world that you can give me that can take that
away from me.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
I think the other thing was that they didn't judge.
Everybody was different, everybody had their things, There was mister
it and there was no judgment.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
And I think you're right.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
I think there is an issue of we're a family
and we just give each other space. Do you think
that people are identifying with the Adams family.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Absolutely, because we are an outcast family. I find that
we don't have to hide anything We love who we are.
It's the world that views us as outcasts, and we're
okay with that. So when you do consider the state
of the world nowadays and being able to watch a
show like this, it just helps because I know that
(08:59):
so many young people struggle with just trying to fit in.
And I always say, you don't have to fit in.
The world has to fit into you. You don't have
to fit into it. Love yourself. You're different, that's okay,
that's beautiful.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Your character, Gomez.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
He is quirky, no doubt, he's got a particular way
of kind of moving in the world. But he's also
really beautiful. He isn't afraid of showing his emotions, his
love for his daughter, for his wife, for his family.
You get the sense that he's like the family guy
who's taking care of everybody.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
I stepped into it and I understood Gomez. I understood
what he meant not only to himself as a man,
but what he meant to his fai family, to his
wife's with daughter, his son, and I wanted to really
amplify that and just show all the emotions because growing
(10:14):
up in a household and a Latino household as a
male you're not really allowed to emotionalize stuff, And for me,
it just now just comes organically because I'm in touch
with my emotions more than ever. I've gone through a
lot of stuff in my own personal life that it's
(10:37):
okay to cry, it's okay to vent, it's okay to
let it out, it's okay to hear another man and
encourage them to have that conversation. And I take a
lot of pride in that.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
Louise, I wasn't planning on asking you this question, but
when you say things like I've gone through a lot,
what are you talking about? When we come back, Louise
Gusban answers that question, stay with us, Yes, Hey, we're back.
(11:27):
When we left off, I was speaking with actor Louis
Gusban from the Netflix hit Wednesday, and I was asking
him what he meant when he told me that he's
been through a lot of tough times in his personal life.
Let's get back to the conversation.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
We lived in Greenwich Village from nineteen sixty to nineteen seventy.
That was like the best time to be growing up,
so I saw everything. My mother worked in the garment
district and my dad was the TV repairman, and I
grew up a hippie, and I was proud of that
because being a hippie back in those days, it just
(12:10):
meant free love and everything's cool and everything's groovy. So
when we moved to the Lower east Side, we moved
to middle class housing, but I didn't hang out there.
I decided to go into El Barrio, and the Lower
east Side once you got out of that complex was
like a war zone, a lot of abandoned buildings. That's
(12:34):
what I gravitated to, and I found myself hanging out
with all these community activists and poets and musicians. I
was like the black sheep of my family. To be
honest with you, because I will go against the grain.
When we moved to the Lower east Side, I lost
a lot of friends to drug overdoses because back in
(12:58):
those days it was really easy. It was easiot to
buy drugs that it was to buy candy. I saw
when AIDS came in to the Lower east Side and
we were averaging two three funerals a week for like
a year. I lost a couple of family members and
(13:18):
then I also lost my first son. And you just
go through a lot, and you got to find your strength.
You got to make peace with yourself, make peace with others,
because I heard long time ago from an older friend
of mine said, don't hold grudges, Papa, because they become
toxic in you. And so there were a lot of
(13:41):
beautiful lessons that I learned from all the older guys
you know and women.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
Thank you for sharing that, Louise, and I'm really sorry
about your son. Gets why a lot of people, once
they get to know you as an artist, they really
become fascinated by so many aspects of your life and
your vulnerability.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
Which can I just have one thing?
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Yeah, of course.
Speaker 3 (14:13):
So I lost my first son. His name is and
he was the one that planted some seeds. And what
I mean by that, I had ended up adopting four
children and having another child. So I have five kids.
They're all beautiful adults in this world now. So even
(14:35):
through death, something beautiful came along, and that was adopting
four children and having another one. It's it's set me, yeah, Maya,
Luna Yoruba and Margharita, you know. Wow.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
So speaking of being a good Latino man as a father.
After the presidential life, there was a lot of national
conversation about Latino voters and very specifically Latino men as
a voting block that really swung to the right. What's
your sense of what happened with Latino men in the
(15:16):
shift right. What's your sense of why Donald Trump, who
is so openly anti Latino, why was he able to
get the Latino male vote.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
Number one, I think they were misguided. Number two, I
think that home a chiefsmo thing is not dead in
the Latino community that trusts in women. And I hate
saying this, but you know, there's a certain level of
racism that within our own community we face, whether it's
(15:47):
toward women, whether it's towards black, whether it's toward gay
let be in because back in the day, I remember
anybody that was gay or let being in the neighborhood.
It was like really taboo, and men more than anything
did not know how to handle that, especially when it
came to a family member or their own kids. As
(16:07):
far as this election goes, I also want to say this,
I think that from the Democratic side of that party,
I didn't think they really did a good job. You
can't come to our community six months before a major
election to ask us to appeal to you to vote
(16:30):
for you. You have to be consistent within our community,
and we don't have that consistency coming. And then you
got this other guy, this mouthpiece, and like I said,
like men not you know men, I think they have
a little bit of growing up to do, because we
can be the change and we should have been the difference.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Will be right back, Yes, hey, we're back. Here's the
last part of my conversation with actor Luis Guzmann. So
(17:18):
we're doing this interview at the end of the summer
of twenty twenty five. A lot has happened between the
election and now, how are you feeling about Latino men
politically now when many Latino men are being taken by
the government, taken by Ice border patrol, removed from the
country without even a process of deportation, and we've seen
(17:42):
protests erupt really in Los Angeles led by Latino men
and women.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
First of all, what I say happening in this country
is disturbing. We have real wonderful family values. Those are
being attacked by this administration. It's a shame that. My god,
I see how these and I will say, these gestapos
are showing up and they're wearing masks and stuff like that,
(18:12):
and listen, I got friends that are scared to let
their kids walk out the house. This is not the
America that I grew up in. I know that Latino
men are hard workers, but I also know a lot
of Latinos are discovering, o oh, we made a bad mistake.
We made a really bad mistake.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
So Luis, how do you recommend that people have these conversations.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
Well, my recommendation to them is, see what's going on
to your neighbors, See what's going on to good people
that come here with a dream. You know, there's all
these statistics, and immigrants pay more in taxes than all
these huge corporations. Apparently they don't get benefits. They don't
get Social Security, they don't get Medicaid, but they come
(18:59):
to this country and they come to work. There was
a story about these farmers in Florida and when that
governor the had passed the law, and all the migrants left,
and these guys put up some signs looking for people,
and they get these like three white guys show up
and two of them lasted half a day, and then
(19:20):
the other guy didn't come back the next day. Our
people are hard working people. We have really good family values.
Not everybody is a criminal. For that matter, look at
the criminals that are on this side before you start
saying that every immigrat is a criminal. That's not true.
That's not true by any means at the community of Latinos.
(19:43):
We all need to start really checking in with each other.
We need to start having an open dialogue with each other,
and these politicians need to understand that we mean something
and not saving us for the last second to try
to I hope they're thinking shit, because now what are
(20:04):
the ones that being affected the most by this ice
stuff that's going on. Who in the world knew that
this country was going to regret the way it has,
you know, the way it had Its terrible, It's really terrible.
Speaker 2 (20:27):
One of the things that I've admired from Afar about you, Louise,
is again the tenacity to know that you're an artist,
know that you're an actor, and to never give up
on that, to believe in your talent. I'm spitting facts
right here, because you are definitely having a moment and
(20:48):
to be that like you are definitely so applause, applause, applause. Hello,
there you are on stage with Bad Bunny in his
residency and when people saw your face, when Bad Bunny
showed your face on the camera, you heard the people irrupted.
(21:09):
They were like we mother, It was so adorable. When
you look back now, Louise talk for a moment about
the highs and some of the lows that that still
didn't break you.
Speaker 3 (21:22):
Well, as far as Benito goes.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
We listen to you. Benito, damn.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
I'm really proud of him because he's putting not only
his music but the state of affairs in Puerto Rico
on the map. My fear has always been that Puerto
Rico would be gentrified because there's so much corruption in
Puerto Rico politics. And the fact that Benito Bad Bunny
(21:51):
has come out and presented his views but has encouraged
our community there in Puerto Rico to like, stand up
and vote, let's make a change. And as an artist
to do that, that's major because it's not about it's
not about the fame and pocketing all this money, but
(22:14):
it's like, you know what, you're in a position right
now that you can make a difference in the future
of Puerto Rico and for future generations. And the fact
that he's doing this, I couldn't be proud of him.
I'm part of that bandwagon and so many other people are.
(22:34):
But the fact that he's he's using that he's utilizing
that nothing but respect. I give him me vendc on
this and he's so My mother had to saying, delo bueno. Yeah,
I'm vocal, okay, and that's what we are.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
So Louise, just to wrap up, what do you want?
Speaker 2 (23:00):
I mean again, the show Wednesday, you know, bringing people
together all literally all over the world. What do you
want people to take away from the show. What's your message?
Speaker 3 (23:11):
I want you to take the love with them. I
want them to take that being weird is okay. You
know that being an outcast is not the worst thing
in the world, that there are many like you, that
you're not the only one. That family is everything, and
to be a good man to your family, be a
(23:32):
good man to your kids, to your partners, and just
so walk away with all the love and to say, wow,
this was great, this was funny, this was entertaining. But
also I saw all the family values that came out
of it.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
I love that so much.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
Oh my god, We'll I just gonna ask you, as
Luis Guzman, for making time.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
To speak with me on nothing A USA which.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
This episode was produced by Renaldo Leanoz Junior. It was
edited by our executive producer, Panile Ranidez. It was mixed
by JJ Carubin. Fernanda Echavari is our managing editor. The
Latino USA team also includes Roxa na Guire, Julia Caruso,
Jessica Ellis, Stephanie Lebou, Andrea Lopez Cruzado, Luis Luna, Dori
(24:39):
Mard Marquez, Julieta Martinelli, Marta Martinez, Monica Moreles Garcia, and
Nancy Trujillo. Our intern is Diego Perdomo. I'm your executive
producer and host Maria no Josa. Latino USA is part
of Iheart's Michael Dura podcast Network. Executive producers at iHeart
are Leo Gomez and Arlene Santana. Join us again on
(25:00):
our next episode. In the meantime, I'll see you on
all of our social media. Remember, dear listener, when the
ads get to beat too much, I have a solution
for you.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
All you need to do is join Futuro Plus.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
You'll get the show ad free and you'll get bonus
content and a lot of fun on the other side.
So join Futuo plus right now. You're not going to
regret it. As that approxima Joe
Speaker 4 (25:28):
Latino USA is made possible in part by Skyline Foundation,
the Ford Foundation, working with visionaries on the front lines
of social change worldwide, and Michelle Mercer and Bruce Golden
Dear lat you know, USA listener.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Before we start, you should know that if you want
to listen to this episode ad free, just join Plus
and you can join for as little as seven dollars
a month. Joining also gets you behind the scenes access
and yes, some cheese may so click the link in
the episode description and after you do that, then click play.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Let's go to the.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Show, dear listener. We'll start the show today trying to
solve a little mystery, something that I've been kind of
obsessed with lately.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
You must know this iconic snap.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
It's from this original black and white nineteen sixty's television.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Show Lee Absam The Adams Family.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
I used to watch this show back when I was
a kid. I would run home from school to try
to make it so I didn't miss any of it.
But now you fast forward and Netflix just released season
two of Wednesday. It's the coming of age show following
the adventures of Wednesday Adams from the Adams Family. Here's
(01:28):
a clip from the show's trailer.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
This is the first time you've ever willingly returned to
a school.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
How does it.
Speaker 4 (01:38):
Feel like returning to the scene of the crime.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
I already know where the bodies are buried.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Now this is a big deal because season one of
Wednesday the TV Show shattered records at Netflix. It became
their most watched show ever globally, and the character of
Wednesday Herself, played by Jenna Ortega, became a cultural phenomenon.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Can we talk about the dance the Wednesday dans La.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
Teenage lady gotgat goes full Wednesday jumping in on the
viral takes off trend inspired by Wednesday Herself, and.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
It now bolds the record for the most hours viewed
for an English speaking show, securing three hundred and forty
one zero point two million hours viewed in its first week.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Now, throughout all of this, there has been a question
that has been bubbling up across social media regarding the
Adams family.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
They're Latinos, their Mexic, They're half. His name is Gomez.
They're Latinos.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Wait, and yes, this YouTuber is right.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
The name of the father in the show, in fact,
is Gomez Adams and his daughter.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Wednesday Adams is a Latina.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
And here's the thing, guys, she's always been a Latina.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
The actress Jenna Ortega revealed that her character is a Latina.
Speaker 5 (03:02):
I also like give a lot of respect and appreciation
towards Netflix because they made it very clear from the
beginning when this project came around that they wanted her
to be Latino, which I thought was really really cool
to just kind of set the standard and solidify that.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
But even with all that, not everyone agrees.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Is the Adams Family a representation of Latino culture.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
I think it's pretty obvious that the answer is no,
is the Adams Family Latino?
Speaker 2 (03:31):
And to help answer this very important question, I'm going
to go straight to the source.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Oilla, Louise Maria, what a pleasure it is to see
you here.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
That is the voice of actor Louis Guzman, who plays
Wednesday's dad, Gomez Adams in the show. He was born
in Puerto Rico. He grew up in New York City.
Louis Guzman has a decade's long career in Hollywood with
big hits from Miami Vice to Carlito's Way. You definitely
know him. Just wait until you hear his voice, because
(04:04):
it's definitely so recognizable. So, Louise, is your character of Gomez,
is he in fact a lot more Latino?
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Definitely more Latino? Because I still use words like KERI drama,
I speak about the chupacabra. I think besamemucho at dan tango.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
His character Gomez Adams head roots in Spain when other
actors played him in the past, but in this series
he's been able to make the version of Gomez Adams
more Latino. And the fact is that the majority of
the cast who plays the Adams family is indeed Latino
and Latina.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
I don't know that's something that was done intentional on purpose,
but it works.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
There are references to Aztec gods in the show. There
are references to the ad Loos Moertos. There's a lot
of Spanish in the show. Is it a Latino Adams
family so on Adams, I.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Don't really label them. They could really be any family.
In this case. We do have certainly a Latino influence,
but it's a legacy family, you understand, because they started
fifty years ago and we started fifty years ago. It
wasn't Latino's playing Adams.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Okay, okay, okay okay.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
So the Adams family could be a Latino family, but
it's also not technically a Latino family. So it's not
an easy answer. But what is undeniable is that this
iconic family does share a lot of similar values that
Latinos and Latinas across the United States hold.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
Dear to their hearts, were representing our community because for
a long time, yeah, I used to have to have
to the question, so you think, how do we finally
allow Latinos in? And we're here, we have proven a
value to the world of entertainment.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
And quite frankly, does it really matter if they're Latino
or Latina because it's a family that connects with people
all over the world and from all different walks of life,
because their weirdness is like our own weirdness in our
own families.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
They are like all of.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Us from Fudro Media, It's Latino USA.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
I'm Maria no Josa.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Today a conversation with actor Louis Guzmann, who stars in
the Netflix show Wednesday. We talk about family values, Latino manhood, politics,
and the you know, kind of sort of Latino Adams Family. Louise,
your character certainly is having a very big moment on
(07:03):
season two of Wednesday, which is so funny because when
we were kids, the Adams Family was like, I mean,
I watched it in all of its different shapes and forms,
and it was definitely quirky. It was kind of like dark, quirky, strange.
What do you remember because you were watching it too,
So what was that like?
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Oh man, it was like for me, it was like
I want to be part of that family. No, yeah, yeah,
because they were different, they were crazy, they had a
weirdness to it, but it was beautiful because they loved
each other. They looked out for each other in the
weirdest way and it worked. And I would run home
(07:48):
after school just to catch that show and just be
like that dad. You know, it's like the cookie and
the you know. So for me, the Adams family has
always been generational and to be doing it now and
stepping into that, there's not a bes cultural in this
(08:10):
world that you can give me that can take that
away from me.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
I think the other thing was that they didn't judge.
Everybody was different, everybody had their things, There was mister
it and there was no judgment.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
And I think you're right.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
I think there is an issue of we're a family
and we just give each other space. Do you think
that people are identifying with the Adams family.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Absolutely, because we are an outcast family. I find that
we don't have to hide anything We love who we are.
It's the world that views us as outcasts, and we're
okay with that. So when you do consider the state
of the world nowadays and being able to watch a
show like this, it just helps because I know that
(08:59):
so many young people struggle with just trying to fit in.
And I always say, you don't have to fit in.
The world has to fit into you. You don't have
to fit into it. Love yourself. You're different, that's okay,
that's beautiful.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Your character, Gomez.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
He is quirky, no doubt, he's got a particular way
of kind of moving in the world. But he's also
really beautiful. He isn't afraid of showing his emotions, his
love for his daughter, for his wife, for his family.
You get the sense that he's like the family guy
who's taking care of everybody.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
I stepped into it and I understood Gomez. I understood
what he meant not only to himself as a man,
but what he meant to his fai family, to his
wife's with daughter, his son, and I wanted to really
amplify that and just show all the emotions because growing
(10:14):
up in a household and a Latino household as a
male you're not really allowed to emotionalize stuff, And for me,
it just now just comes organically because I'm in touch
with my emotions more than ever. I've gone through a
lot of stuff in my own personal life that it's
(10:37):
okay to cry, it's okay to vent, it's okay to
let it out, it's okay to hear another man and
encourage them to have that conversation. And I take a
lot of pride in that.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
Louise, I wasn't planning on asking you this question, but
when you say things like I've gone through a lot,
what are you talking about? When we come back, Louise
Gusban answers that question, stay with us, Yes, Hey, we're back.
(11:27):
When we left off, I was speaking with actor Louis
Gusban from the Netflix hit Wednesday, and I was asking
him what he meant when he told me that he's
been through a lot of tough times in his personal life.
Let's get back to the conversation.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
We lived in Greenwich Village from nineteen sixty to nineteen seventy.
That was like the best time to be growing up,
so I saw everything. My mother worked in the garment
district and my dad was the TV repairman, and I
grew up a hippie, and I was proud of that
because being a hippie back in those days, it just
(12:10):
meant free love and everything's cool and everything's groovy. So
when we moved to the Lower east Side, we moved
to middle class housing, but I didn't hang out there.
I decided to go into El Barrio, and the Lower
east Side once you got out of that complex was
like a war zone, a lot of abandoned buildings. That's
(12:34):
what I gravitated to, and I found myself hanging out
with all these community activists and poets and musicians. I
was like the black sheep of my family. To be
honest with you, because I will go against the grain.
When we moved to the Lower east Side, I lost
a lot of friends to drug overdoses because back in
(12:58):
those days it was really easy. It was easiot to
buy drugs that it was to buy candy. I saw
when AIDS came in to the Lower east Side and
we were averaging two three funerals a week for like
a year. I lost a couple of family members and
(13:18):
then I also lost my first son. And you just
go through a lot, and you got to find your strength.
You got to make peace with yourself, make peace with others,
because I heard long time ago from an older friend
of mine said, don't hold grudges, Papa, because they become
toxic in you. And so there were a lot of
(13:41):
beautiful lessons that I learned from all the older guys
you know and women.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
Thank you for sharing that, Louise, and I'm really sorry
about your son. Gets why a lot of people, once
they get to know you as an artist, they really
become fascinated by so many aspects of your life and
your vulnerability.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
Which can I just have one thing?
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Yeah, of course.
Speaker 3 (14:13):
So I lost my first son. His name is and
he was the one that planted some seeds. And what
I mean by that, I had ended up adopting four
children and having another child. So I have five kids.
They're all beautiful adults in this world now. So even
(14:35):
through death, something beautiful came along, and that was adopting
four children and having another one. It's it's set me, yeah, Maya,
Luna Yoruba and Margharita, you know. Wow.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
So speaking of being a good Latino man as a father.
After the presidential life, there was a lot of national
conversation about Latino voters and very specifically Latino men as
a voting block that really swung to the right. What's
your sense of what happened with Latino men in the
(15:16):
shift right. What's your sense of why Donald Trump, who
is so openly anti Latino, why was he able to
get the Latino male vote.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
Number one, I think they were misguided. Number two, I
think that home a chiefsmo thing is not dead in
the Latino community that trusts in women. And I hate
saying this, but you know, there's a certain level of
racism that within our own community we face, whether it's
(15:47):
toward women, whether it's towards black, whether it's toward gay
let be in because back in the day, I remember
anybody that was gay or let being in the neighborhood.
It was like really taboo, and men more than anything
did not know how to handle that, especially when it
came to a family member or their own kids. As
(16:07):
far as this election goes, I also want to say this,
I think that from the Democratic side of that party,
I didn't think they really did a good job. You
can't come to our community six months before a major
election to ask us to appeal to you to vote
(16:30):
for you. You have to be consistent within our community,
and we don't have that consistency coming. And then you
got this other guy, this mouthpiece, and like I said,
like men not you know men, I think they have
a little bit of growing up to do, because we
can be the change and we should have been the difference.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Will be right back, Yes, hey, we're back. Here's the
last part of my conversation with actor Luis Guzmann. So
(17:18):
we're doing this interview at the end of the summer
of twenty twenty five. A lot has happened between the
election and now, how are you feeling about Latino men
politically now when many Latino men are being taken by
the government, taken by Ice border patrol, removed from the
country without even a process of deportation, and we've seen
(17:42):
protests erupt really in Los Angeles led by Latino men
and women.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
First of all, what I say happening in this country
is disturbing. We have real wonderful family values. Those are
being attacked by this administration. It's a shame that. My god,
I see how these and I will say, these gestapos
are showing up and they're wearing masks and stuff like that,
(18:12):
and listen, I got friends that are scared to let
their kids walk out the house. This is not the
America that I grew up in. I know that Latino
men are hard workers, but I also know a lot
of Latinos are discovering, o oh, we made a bad mistake.
We made a really bad mistake.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
So Luis, how do you recommend that people have these conversations.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
Well, my recommendation to them is, see what's going on
to your neighbors, See what's going on to good people
that come here with a dream. You know, there's all
these statistics, and immigrants pay more in taxes than all
these huge corporations. Apparently they don't get benefits. They don't
get Social Security, they don't get Medicaid, but they come
(18:59):
to this country and they come to work. There was
a story about these farmers in Florida and when that
governor the had passed the law, and all the migrants left,
and these guys put up some signs looking for people,
and they get these like three white guys show up
and two of them lasted half a day, and then
(19:20):
the other guy didn't come back the next day. Our
people are hard working people. We have really good family values.
Not everybody is a criminal. For that matter, look at
the criminals that are on this side before you start
saying that every immigrat is a criminal. That's not true.
That's not true by any means at the community of Latinos.
(19:43):
We all need to start really checking in with each other.
We need to start having an open dialogue with each other,
and these politicians need to understand that we mean something
and not saving us for the last second to try
to I hope they're thinking shit, because now what are
(20:04):
the ones that being affected the most by this ice
stuff that's going on. Who in the world knew that
this country was going to regret the way it has,
you know, the way it had Its terrible, It's really terrible.
Speaker 2 (20:27):
One of the things that I've admired from Afar about you, Louise,
is again the tenacity to know that you're an artist,
know that you're an actor, and to never give up
on that, to believe in your talent. I'm spitting facts
right here, because you are definitely having a moment and
(20:48):
to be that like you are definitely so applause, applause, applause. Hello,
there you are on stage with Bad Bunny in his
residency and when people saw your face, when Bad Bunny
showed your face on the camera, you heard the people irrupted.
(21:09):
They were like we mother, It was so adorable. When
you look back now, Louise talk for a moment about
the highs and some of the lows that that still
didn't break you.
Speaker 3 (21:22):
Well, as far as Benito goes.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
We listen to you. Benito, damn.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
I'm really proud of him because he's putting not only
his music but the state of affairs in Puerto Rico
on the map. My fear has always been that Puerto
Rico would be gentrified because there's so much corruption in
Puerto Rico politics. And the fact that Benito Bad Bunny
(21:51):
has come out and presented his views but has encouraged
our community there in Puerto Rico to like, stand up
and vote, let's make a change. And as an artist
to do that, that's major because it's not about it's
not about the fame and pocketing all this money, but
(22:14):
it's like, you know what, you're in a position right
now that you can make a difference in the future
of Puerto Rico and for future generations. And the fact
that he's doing this, I couldn't be proud of him.
I'm part of that bandwagon and so many other people are.
(22:34):
But the fact that he's he's using that he's utilizing
that nothing but respect. I give him me vendc on
this and he's so My mother had to saying, delo bueno. Yeah,
I'm vocal, okay, and that's what we are.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
So Louise, just to wrap up, what do you want?
Speaker 2 (23:00):
I mean again, the show Wednesday, you know, bringing people
together all literally all over the world. What do you
want people to take away from the show. What's your message?
Speaker 3 (23:11):
I want you to take the love with them. I
want them to take that being weird is okay. You
know that being an outcast is not the worst thing
in the world, that there are many like you, that
you're not the only one. That family is everything, and
to be a good man to your family, be a
(23:32):
good man to your kids, to your partners, and just
so walk away with all the love and to say, wow,
this was great, this was funny, this was entertaining. But
also I saw all the family values that came out
of it.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
I love that so much.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
Oh my god, We'll I just gonna ask you, as
Luis Guzman, for making time.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
To speak with me on nothing A USA which.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
This episode was produced by Renaldo Leanoz Junior. It was
edited by our executive producer, Panile Ranidez. It was mixed
by JJ Carubin. Fernanda Echavari is our managing editor. The
Latino USA team also includes Roxa na Guire, Julia Caruso,
Jessica Ellis, Stephanie Lebou, Andrea Lopez Cruzado, Luis Luna, Dori
(24:39):
Mard Marquez, Julieta Martinelli, Marta Martinez, Monica Moreles Garcia, and
Nancy Trujillo. Our intern is Diego Perdomo. I'm your executive
producer and host Maria no Josa. Latino USA is part
of Iheart's Michael Dura podcast Network. Executive producers at iHeart
are Leo Gomez and Arlene Santana. Join us again on
(25:00):
our next episode. In the meantime, I'll see you on
all of our social media. Remember, dear listener, when the
ads get to beat too much, I have a solution
for you.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
All you need to do is join Futuro Plus.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
You'll get the show ad free and you'll get bonus
content and a lot of fun on the other side.
So join Futuo plus right now. You're not going to
regret it. As that approxima Joe
Speaker 4 (25:28):
Latino USA is made possible in part by Skyline Foundation,
the Ford Foundation, working with visionaries on the front lines
of social change worldwide, and Michelle Mercer and Bruce Golden
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal
Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.