Ep. 57 - Bernardo Cubria on Acapulco, The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine Vote and Gene Wilder

Cultural incongruence and its consequences is a theme which has shaped Bernardo Cubria’s work in several different ways. As an actor, in television shows like Group, his work explores what it means to be misunderstood, and delves into the epiphany which often arises when one realizes his peers’ criticisms and insights, which they initially may have dismissed, may, in fact, lead to realizations about self that may significantly affect their perspective. As a playwright, it has laid the backdrop that surrounds his stories about typecasting, politics, cultural appropriation, and the trivialization of minorities in America that can be seen in works like Crabs in a Bucket, which won the 2024 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Writing; The Giant Void In My Soul, a satirical journey into fulfillment (and the lack thereof); Neighbors: A Fair Trade Agreement; and the timely portrait of electoral pregnancy in The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine Vote. His work has been awarded the Smith Prize for Political Theater and has been nominated for Stage Raw and Ovation awards. As a screenwriter, he wrote Like It Used to Be and Guerrero which Gina Rodriguez is attached to direct and star in, and he was a 2023 Sundance Screenwriters Lab fellow for the screenplay Kill Yr Idols which he cowrote. In our conversation, we discussed the interplay of the notable themes in Bernardo’s projects, including Loop Group: Or Shia Lebeouf's Version, as well as being part of the writer’s staff on Seasons 3 and 4 on the Apple + series, Acapulco.

Opening Credits: AvapXia - Do You Still Think About Me? I CC BY 4.0; Anitek - 09 Lola I CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Closing Credits: Útidúr - Fisherman's Friend I CC BY-NC-SA 3.0.