July 4, 2024 • 44 mins
"Hotel Cocaine" Week continues at The BUZZ this week as Erniel Baez stops by to chat about his character, Ray Dorado. Ray makes his debut in the upcoming episode that drops this Sunday, and Baez describes him as someone with street smarts, charismatic, but very dangerous. One thing that we did reveal is that after this episode, it is going to get even more intense up to the finale.
Baez spoke with us about what attracted him to not only the show but also to the character of Ray Dorado. He spoke with us on reading up on the history of, "The Mutiny Hotel," Roman Compte, Ray, and how he used those facets and incorporated it into his portrayal of the character. We even got deeper in the conversation about Cuban representation in the series and working alongside actors of the Cuban/Cuban American culture.
So much insight and worthwhile conversation that you definitely want to hear!
"Hotel Cocaine" airs new episodes every Sunday at 9 PM ET on MGM+.
Baez spoke with us about what attracted him to not only the show but also to the character of Ray Dorado. He spoke with us on reading up on the history of, "The Mutiny Hotel," Roman Compte, Ray, and how he used those facets and incorporated it into his portrayal of the character. We even got deeper in the conversation about Cuban representation in the series and working alongside actors of the Cuban/Cuban American culture.
So much insight and worthwhile conversation that you definitely want to hear!
"Hotel Cocaine" airs new episodes every Sunday at 9 PM ET on MGM+.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Buzz Buzz. The buzz is on. The Buzz is on, the show
that gets you up close and personalwith some of the hottest stars. Now
here's your host, Novelle Jaylee.What's going on, guys. It's Novelle
Jayle with another new buzz cast hereat Buzzworthy Radio. And we are still
continuing our Hotel Cocaine week. Asyou can see, little costume change had
(00:22):
to get into the flavor of ita little bit. But we have Erneil
Bayez joining us. He talks aboutRay Dorado, who appears for the first
time in this upcoming episode that airsthis Sunday on MGM Plus. And I'm
just gonna tell you right now,I have already seen episode four, so
I've already said on this show thatit really kicks into high gear when episode
(00:47):
four drops. But I'm going tobe excited because I've only seen up to
episode four. So I'm gonna beon the ride with you, and i
can't wait because from what everybody's beento talking about, it's about to go
down with the last four episodes remainingof the season. So we got to
talk to Ernilil about Ray and thehistory of Ray Dorado. The backstory to
(01:15):
Ray himself as a real life personas Ernil actually read up about him just
to get a little bit of anidea of the person, the personality and
the character, and even with apotential backstory, like basically hearing about what
can we expect with Ray in theshow. And there's just so much more
(01:36):
that we dove into that I don'twant to give it all the way.
You gotta watch and you got tolisten to it, so here it is
or interview check it out with ernieialBias. We get to talk about your
character, Ray Dorado, and Ibelieve he actually makes his first appearance in
this upcoming episode. For those ofyou who haven't watched Hoseel Cocaine, Ray's
(01:59):
character has been mentioned already, wejust haven't seen him. We actually will
get to see him coming up onthis Sunday's episode and tell us a little
bit about his character. I've alreadyseen episode four, by the way,
so I already know what's coming down. But for those that are getting ready
to see it, believe me,you don't because you've seen before. There's
(02:23):
still a whole lot left to besurprised about. Oh I was told,
Yeah, there is a lot ofsurprises down the line. For Ray Ray,
I mean, Ray is you know, it's a fantastic character. He's
I really have always seen him asthe incarnation of the American dream. You
(02:46):
know, he's cutan American immigrant thatfinds his way to you know, to
the top as far as success isconcerned in the seventies and eighties. He's
a character that's he's a fake.He's fictionalized but in real life, but
in actuality, he was based largelyon a real life character which had the
same first name as him, andwho also frequented the Mutiny Hotel back in
(03:09):
the seventies and eighties. He's abig time banker in the city of Miami
when the story starts in nineteen seventyeight, and in the show, he's
you know, a regular natural clientcustomer of the Mutiny Hotel and Mutiny Club.
And as we're going to see anepisode four, he's gonna start becoming
(03:34):
a crucial part of the story becausehe's gonna start bringing together both the flamboyant
world the Mutney Hotel and he's goingto interconnect it with the underworld of Miami
at that time. So he's reallygoing to serve as an octopus for lack
(03:54):
of a better term, and withall his tentacles, he's going to start
bringing together characters and people into thesame room and into the same situation that
otherwise would not have met or seeneach other or really had any kind of
relationships. So that's I think what'sinteresting about him. And because of that,
he's really fun character and interesting becausehe's very multifaceted, because he deals
(04:15):
with a large range of different charactersand different people from different worlds, from
different walk of life, from differentwalks of life rather and so he's going
to act in a different way dependingon who he's with, like the character
in real life I imagine would havebecause you know, to be a banker,
high end banker that has big affiliationsand friendships with very powerful, economically
(04:41):
wealthy, influential individuals of the legitimateworld, and at the same time,
very much like the real character inreal life, to have connections with the
very the most dangerous criminals of theunderworld. It takes a certain talent.
You have to be a chameleon.You know, you got to know when
to walk a certain way and whento act a certain way, when to
(05:03):
talk way because you can't allow peopleto walk over you. But at the
same time, you can't walk oversome people because they're more dangers than others.
So it's he's a very street smart, very very cunning, very very
charismatic when he needs to be invery dangerous when he has to be individual.
He's a survivor basically is what heis. Yeah, I will say
(05:27):
so caution everybody spoiler alerts. So, first of all, if you haven't
gotten up to episode three as ofyet, Ray's appearance in the show deals
with the fact about how Burton reallygot the club the Mutiny Hotel basically under
false pretenses, and he's doing everythingin his power to make sure he doesn't
(05:48):
lose control of the hotel to hissister, so he needs to basically go
to Ray. And he was warnednot to go to Ray because, as
you just said, he can bea dangerous fan, and of course he
Burton doesn't really listen to what istold to him and goes right on the
(06:12):
opposite cusp of everything and brings inRay to the field. And I'm just
gonna say now, obviously from watchingepisode four and just seeing your portrayal of
the character with Mark's Burton. Ilove the fact that, again, as
you said, he can be ruthlessand he can be charismatic. But it's
just something about this character that hebrings this sadistic humor with him that I
(06:40):
completely enjoy you playing when you wereacting opposite of Mark in those scenes.
I love the fact that we knowhe can be a dangerous fan, we
know that he can bring the streetsmarks to the table. But I love
the fact that you brought some senseof humor. Rather it was a little
bit on the darker side, itwas still humor. I love that aspect
(07:02):
of his character. So I enjoyedseeing that. So I wanted to I
wanted to mention that first foremost foryou, what attracted you to the show
itself as a whole, Not justthe role when you were offered Ray,
but the show itself. What attractedyou to it? Oh? Man,
so many things, I mean,honestly, honestly, honestly mean it might
(07:25):
sound a little cheesy or whatnot,And then if you have an actor gonna
say he liked everything about the showand whatnot, but that's actually the case
for me. I mean, theshow really hit home on multiple aspects.
First, of all the fact thatit's it's a Cuban American actor role,
sorry character rather, and so Ihad never played an actual Cuban American or
(07:47):
Cuban character, despite the fact thatI am Cuban me number two. The
era where the story's taking place soin the seventies and eighty. So I
grew up watching and idolizing films fromthe seventies and eighties, and it's an
era that I hold a particular loveand and and admiration for. So to
(08:11):
be able to portray that kind ofera in Miami immediately thinks Garface, obviously,
and it's one of my favorite films. So it's to be able to
be involved in that world, youknow, the the the Miami seventies music
wardrobe, gangster crime, you know, war. It's like, there's so
(08:31):
many things that that bring us tocertain films that I was like, I
can't wait to dive my teeth intothat. There was obviously the fact to
be able to work with someone that'sas renowned as talented as Chris Broncato.
(08:52):
I had seen Narcos. I absolutelyloved Narcos, both Narcos the Original and
Narcos Max Ago. So to beable to collaborate with something like that was
a fantastic opportunity. To be ableto work alongside an Academy Award winner in
Yiemlarro, I could not wait toget that opportunity as well and see what
(09:13):
that entailed. To be able towork alongside industry grates like Michael Chickliss and
Danny Pino and Yobascuz, cute Americansin their own right, which I know
when I've followed their careers and I'veadmired as I was a kid. I
mean, I remember, in thecase of Michael Chicklis going to the movie
(09:33):
theaters when I was about maybe elevenyears old and watching Fantastic Four, you
know what I mean. So itwas to be able to be in the
same scene with him was something specialand so and so just when I saw
that whole team that had been puttogether in the in the world that it
was going to partake in with thecreator, the showrunner, and the writer
(09:54):
that it had behind it, andthe director that had guiding it, I
and then the top it all off. I mean, if all that doesn't
sound good enough to be able togo and shoot in the Dominican Republic,
which for anybody would be a dream, right because it's you know, it's
like a paradise and you're internet inthe Caribean and whatnot. But for me
it was particularly special because it wasright next to home, so it was
(10:18):
almost like shooting back home for me. And I've always dreamt of being able
to do that. So it checkedall kinds of things off the checklist for
me. And then to finish itoff even more, yeah, there is
more actually, you know, tobe able to play a character that was
That was as I started reading andinforming myself on it, you know,
(10:39):
try to prepare for the character.We started realizing that, wait a minute,
this is based on somebody that actuallyexisted. Yes, fictionalized and whatnot,
but this is based on somebody.And then and this is based on
an actual place which I had neverheard about somehow. I never heard of
the hotel. I had never heardof all the insanities that had gone on
at that time in that particular place, and this character was there. So
(11:01):
when I started getting that information too, it really made it interesting for me
because I've always wanted to try andplay a real life character, and so
that helped me a lot. ThatI'm formula lot for my interpretation. So
yeah, man, all kinds ofthings it the show itself, I mean,
obviously I fell in love with itsince that one, and I told
everybody, once you hit episode three, it's about to jump off very excited
(11:26):
to see where the story is goingto go after episode four, because the
one thing I will say about itis that there is no going back after
what transpires an episode four. Nogoing back because isn't there. I mean,
it just it just starts getting moreand more serious from there, and
it's getting more more interesting from therebecause you know, I episode one and
(11:50):
two is more an introduction to theworld itself than episode three. Four is
more of an introduction and a developmentof the main characters, bring some spiciness
and some you know, some helpthe drama that ensues later on that after
that, from there, it justit's just now where is it all going
to lead up to? So yeah, it's it's I really liked episode three
(12:13):
personally, I because it's, likeI said, it just started making things
for the viewer a little bit moreentertaining in the sense of now you start
seeing more of the action, moreof the drama, and you start starting
to lead, and he's like,Okay, now this is getting interesting,
right, and so hopefully he continuesto go down to that path and people
(12:33):
that have the opportunity to watch itcan enjoy it and be entertained by it.
Listen, we got some slew ofcharacters that are hitting this next episode
besides yours. When you got thecharacter of your Landa coming in and already
I was just interested in her storyas well. She just that character just
came in, guns blazing and apologiesto not getting the actresses, I mean,
(12:54):
but she will see you, thankyou. She was just she's just
fierce, just got this fire.And then and there's a particular scene that's
just really when everybody gets to seeit, you're gonna understand why I keep
telling y'all if you don't have yourair conditioner on, turn it on when
you watch this next episode because ofa particular scene that she's in. So
(13:18):
I looking forward to it. Isthat the one where bot no after that?
Okay, when she meets when shemeets Roman. Oh okay, yeah,
okay, okay, last time yougo in Paris. Yes, I've
(13:39):
already said this to people in aninterview before, So I'm literally you know,
so it is not not known,it is known. So I'm just
gonna keeping y'all you don't understand howmuch you're gonna need to turn on the
air when you see it. I'mjust saying, spy, yes, yes,
man. I mean, just topiggyback off of something that you said
(14:01):
before, where you were learning aboutsome of the facets, not just of
the show, but some of thecharacters that it takes a part of.
Since we all know that of RomanCounty it is based off Maurice Comti's father,
who is the executive producer of theshow. Obviously, some parts of
it are embellished for a dramatic emphasis, which, of course one of which
(14:24):
is the fact that Roman didn't havea brother in real life. This was
added into the show. But whenyou started learning about aspects of like the
mutiny hotel and Roman and everything likethat, did that inspire you to just
learn even more about it? Becauseagain, you were just so interested in
(14:46):
just just from our conversation, justnow, how you were getting all this
information. You just were enthralled ofwhat we're hearing. How much more did
you look into that history after that? Absolutely? Man? I mean,
I first of all, I readthe script and whatnot, and I was
interested by the theme, by thegenre, by the world right off the
bat, because I love crime dramas, always have. But then, as
(15:11):
you said, I started off withmy manager, happened to find online some
pictures in the link to something onit, started seeing it. I started
seeing how the actual Mutiny Hotel wasin Scarface, the movie Scarface that you
find in Scarface is the Mutiny Hotel. I was intrigued. They already had
(15:33):
me hooked. From then on theyhad me. And then I was like,
I had no idea about this,okay. And then I started reading
on it, and then eventually Icame across a couple of books that were
very explicit as far as to thevarious adventures that took place in the Mutiny
Hotels and the various characters that wouldfrequent the Mutiny Hotel and throw the course
(15:54):
of the years, especially throughout thecourse of the eights at the late seventies
and early to midst eighties. Andso I definitely started reading up on it,
and I honestly could not believe thethings that I was reading. I
was like, this actually taking place, Like we're flying around the country to
find the biggest reserves of Dan Perignonin order to fill out bathtubs for chics
(16:18):
and multi billionaires to take baths withgirls and with Dan Perignon just to flex.
I mean, this is insane,you know. And that's just like
the cherry on top. So manycrazy things and so many interesting characters,
and so really the thing that cameoff the page reading all that was well,
I can't wait to be able tobe a part of this because I'm
(16:42):
reading so much story and so muchnarrative and so much so many possibilities of
things that are naturally cinematic that wereactually taking place. That's without thinking or
touching on the fiction, on theimagination of things, just actually so if
they're there, all of this tobe able to help you and guide you
(17:03):
to do to make something interesting.I can't wait to see what a great
writer like Chris Broncato is going tobe able to do and Michael Pains is
going to be able to do onthe page when he can actually start adding
some fictionalized things. So it reallyit informed me on the world and on
the realities that my character and theman that he was based on was surrounded
(17:26):
by. But at the same time, it excited me because it made me
know that I was definitely going tobe a part of something that was hectic
and that was thrilling, and thatwas full of excitement and that and there
was a lot to write about.Basically, you know, there's a lot
to write about. And so that'swhy I think the show hopefully goes on
(17:48):
for a second season and a third, and a fourth and a fifth and
ten season because there's just so muchto write about, and so many different
characters passed through that hotel in reallife, and so many stories actually took
place in that hotel in real lifethe way that definitely a great writer like
Chris Broncottle Michael Payns can can makea lot from it. One thing I
(18:11):
will mention before I get into thisnext question. You just said something that
really was interesting that I brought upbefore, is that there were stories that
we are somewhat seeing on the showthat did take place in the in the
Mutiny hotel, the club mutiny.And a comment that I have made was
that we have characters like the RickJames and the lives of Mannelly's that that
(18:36):
was showcased, and you know,you're you're seeing these I don't want to
say parodies of real life personas.I don't want to say it that way,
but you're seeing these these personas thatwe have grew up with showcased in
in this way. And but theinteresting about it with with Chris and and
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Marie said the show is that they'rean integral part to the story, but
they don't take up the story.And I love that that's how they wrote
those those characters, what they wrotefor Rick and in the show. I
love the fact that while the characterRick James did get screen time and was
(19:21):
a part of Burton's story, hedidn't take over Burton's story, let alone
the story of Hotel Cocaine itself.So I love the fact that they're utilizing
these characters that are fleshing out themain characters of the show. Yeah,
it's not taking away from them,and I think I love that aspect of
it. One of the one ofthe things I definitely wanted to mention with
(19:44):
you was I've talked with Danny Pinoabout this multiple times, and I just
love the fact that we have ashow that is showcasing, as you just
said yourself a few moments ago,with Cuban representation with in the show.
I love getting the chance to seethem going back and forth between English and
Spanish language in the show. Ilove the fact that we have leads that
(20:08):
are Cubans in this and I knowthat was one of the things you said
that really did attract you to beinga part of this show. I just
I'm just enthralled by that we weget to have and see that representation and
bringing on actors who also represents thatculture. You yourself just seeing that yourself,
(20:32):
I mean, you already answered it, but it's just when you're just
seeing everybody that's coming on board thathave that that is really a part of
Cuban American and you're now playing youra Cuban role. You've never really done
that before. As you just said, just kind of elaborate a little bit
more, just on the fact thatyou're now part of something that is really
(20:56):
not only has this culture a partof it, but they're also writing it
in such a way where it's notone offensive, but it's also very true
to the actors and actresses that arein these parts. Absolutely, man,
you know, it's it is definitelya wonderful opportunity and a gift to be
(21:17):
able to see your presentation on thescreen for any and all minorities, and
it's is a wonderful thing to seebecause it's a very big world with all
kind of different people in it,and everyone deserves to have a chance to
be seen on the screen, beat the big screen or the small screen.
(21:37):
And unfortunately, you know, therehas been progress done in that area,
but there's always more progress to bemade, and tectically speaking, when
we talk about for example, likelike in the show Cuban, there is
not too many Cuban rules or Cubancharacters. As a matter of fact,
the most famous Cuban character ever portrayedwas portrayed by it talent American and that
(22:02):
was our patina and scarface and evenfrom there. And I'm completely fine with
that, by the way, Iam completely fine, and I think all
actors were actors. We should getan opportunity to be able to interpret different
characters from different nationalities. We shouldnot be bottled up. If you're Hispanic,
only play Hispanic. If you're youknow, if you're Italian, play
Italian. If you're Irish, playIrish. We're actors. We're here to
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act. But I think it isbeautiful to be able to have that kind
of representation in characters from a widerange of nationalities that we have on the
show. And I think the beautifulthing about it I'm going to touch on
two bases is that in this show, one of its strengths is the multinationality
aspect that it has because you havenumber one, characters from a large range
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of nationalities, but two, youhave actors from those wide range nationalities characters.
So you have Columbia, you haveCubans, you have Mexicans, you
have Spaniards, you have Americans.So that gives it a certain legitimacy and
the interpretations and a certain realness anda certain transparency that you would perhaps not
(23:12):
see would those characters be interpreted bypeople that have that either are not from
those backgrounds or I've never been involvedwith those backgrounds whatsoever. Right, That's
that was incredibly beautiful to see,and obviously as time progressed and we were
all together, it built an evenbigger chemistry because we were you know,
one island for four months together andwe both family like environment, and then
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I think you can see that onthe screen. The second aspect is that
you gotta be. You know,we have to all be thankful to mister
Chris Broncott or Michael Pains to writearound the show for their leniency and their
flexibility to be able to give usactors permission to be able to go out
there and explore and to a certainto a certain point if need be,
(24:00):
improvise or talk to him about thescript and how can we turn this into
what we want it to be.You know, from day one, the
first conversation that I ever had,and I am a thousand percent certain it's
gonna be the same thing across theboard with every other actor. From the
first conversation I had with Chris,he told me, listen, this is
your character. You're going to knowhim better than I do. You're gonna
(24:22):
spend more time with him than Ido. And I am completely open for
you to come and talk to meabout him. If you have a doubt,
bring it forward. If you havean idea, bring it forward.
If there's a word or phrase somethingthat you're not comfortable with or that you
feel could be given a certain appmention it, bring it forward, and
we will not just consider it,but we will see how we can apply
(24:45):
it. Because Ultimately, that's whyhe surrounded himself with people that number one
were talented, yes, but numbertwo that he thought could bring to those
respective characters a sense of reality andof naturality. And I think that's why
we see those beautiful scenes, forexample, between Jo Basquez and Danny Pino,
(25:07):
when they speak to Spanish like you'resaying, and they're using actual Cuban
slang and actual Cuban words that youwould hear in the streets of Miami or
even in Cuba. But let's sayin the streets of Miami for the second
story that brings you to a senseof reality had you just have been and
I know for fact many of thosewere just on the day. You know,
(25:29):
Oh, I think we should saythis like this, you know,
and bring some Spanish here like thisor like this phrase. I know what
you're trying to say, but we, we Cubans, would say like this,
okay, perfect, go with it. And that's what me as a
Cuban watching the show, I canthose moments I feel identified with, and
every other Cuban will as well.Whereas had you kept the original version of
that phrase, or had said itin English, or had said it in
(25:52):
a Spanish in a Spanish that isnot usually used by us in our community.
This looks fake for some reason,right, and you have actual Cubans.
So why didn't they say it theway that you know? Because you
know how we are right? Thatis true, No, it is true,
and then immediately you lose us.You would lose us, and you
(26:14):
can't lose your audiences, right,So that's what I think is one of
the strengths of the show. Andthat's all things. So obviously the incredibly
talented cast, but also the incrediblytalented and Chris Broncott or Michael Painton,
their ability to be able to recognizewhat they know and what they can get
better on and hopefully it works outand people I can enjoy it. I
(26:36):
appreciate you saying that because not many, not many feels in this industry,
you have those type of showrunners wherethey give those actors that create a freedom
and you know, just hearing thisstory, I love the fact that was
said because it basically enforces the ideaof Chris and Michael want to have have
(27:00):
character driven stories. They want tohave character driven material, and this falls
in line with that simply because ofthe quote you just said that these actors
are going to know the characters morethan they will. They know how the
character is going to be represented,how they're going to act, whether they're
going to be when they're with theirfamily or their friends, whoever it's whoever
(27:22):
they're acting opposite of on the screen. I love that aspect of it,
so thank you for sharing that,because it really that is one of the
biggest things, at least in mytelevision viewing. I always look for as
character driven stories and I love that, and I think that's also another reason
why I fell in love with HotelCocaine, because you can tell that when
you watch it, you know thatit's it's character driven and not plot driven
(27:44):
material. So right, right,right, the focus is the emotional,
physical, mental, and spiritual transitionthat those characters individually go through the other
course of a series. It's definitelytrue. You notice that even with Roman
and how we how he's trying todeal with the Dea informat, which is
played by Max Chiculus, and thenyou know, dealing with Nestor played by
(28:06):
Yule, and how he is tryingto encompass what is the right thing for
him to do on both fronts aswell. As his own for his family.
So it's it's really great to seein that aspect. That then also
with the other characters on their spectrum, even with Burton, I always say
that Burton is the levity of theshow, but you're also seeing it.
(28:27):
You're also seeing what drives him todo what he's doing and what he's trying
to achieve. So in in retrospect, while he is providing that as far
as the levity is concerned, youare still seeing what is driving him to
do what he does. You're alsoseeing what drives Nestor to do what he
(28:47):
does, and that even comes tothe play when it comes to his family.
You're also seeing what he does toprotect his family. So that's really
one of the biggest things that Ilove about the show. And you just
hit the nail on the head.It's just you get to see it through
their psyche and I love every aspectof that. But yes, absolutely,
(29:08):
But I do need to ask somea selfish question. This is a selfish
question. Okay, so you getonly two, by the way, this
is this is your first so Iactually do have two selfish questions actually,
so this works out well. Thefirst one is, yeah, how was
the premiere because you were at thepremiere, and so what was that like
(29:29):
walking the carpeteat and everybody watching iton the big screen for the first time
for the pilot, what was whatwas that experience like for you? For
me personally, was dream come true. Man. I'm a small Cuban boy
from the city of Gas next toour daturistic point and to be able to
go to Hollywood, you know,and the city of Angels for the first
time in my cage, and tobe able to go to a Hollywood premiere
(29:51):
trying to buy not only the starsof the show obviously, which are stars
in their own right, but tobe able to go and see something that
I was a part of was wasone of those dreams come true for me
and that has definitely checked off offthe bucket list as so many other things
that have come along with this show. So it was a fantastic experience number
one, because we got to seeeach other again, with each other for
(30:14):
a couple of months now, andI was fantastic reunite and reacquaint ourselves with
everybody and see how they were.And unfortunately not everybody was there, but
an important part I was, andthe ones that were not there were definitely
in our thoughts and in our artsevery time it came on on screen or
every time that we talked about something. And hopefully in near future we'll be
able to all gather around and seeeach other again. But the most important
(30:37):
thing about this show, and I'vesaid this everywhere I've went, is Yes,
the experience was fantastic, and theshow is great, and like I
said, all the great people thatwe worked with, But the most important
part of this show was the friendshipsthat were created. Those friendships are really
created because of the conditions under whichwe filmed right on one island, four
(31:00):
months, eating together, working together, working out together, laughing together.
Everything was done together pretty much,so those friendships will last forever. And
to be able to see each otherrequeen with each other again, you know,
and just have a good time andjust just enjoy it and and and
know in the back of your mindthat you know, whatever you did is
done now and now it's it's forthe world to judge. So that was
(31:22):
that was a great, great,great moment, a great uh great,
yeah, great moment. Just leaveit at that, okay, and then
and then and then yeah, andthen for me, you know, I
was something that we're always we're alwaysdreaming of when we're growing up, right,
to be able to uh, togo to Hollywood and to see that
(31:44):
sign, and and and for meto be able to go there for my
first time, and for it notto be for teristic reasons, but for
it to be reasons. It wassort of like the cherry on top of
the cake well circle moment maybe,yeah, exactly. And the second question
is when they got you in theduds for your character thoughts? I love
(32:09):
to know because he raise got alittle swag. He got a little swag.
So what did you think of theof the of the duds that Ray
gets to wear in the show?Because again, one of the things I
never got to talk about was thefashion that they are able to incorporate in
the show. And they have somevery interesting pieces and it just pops so
(32:35):
and raised not Rai's not off thelist on that, So no, he
can't because he was someone who wasvery driven on the materialistic side of things.
And you can tell well, firstof all, I'd be remiss if
I don't mention the great which iswhich was our costume designer, which is
(32:59):
one of the most talented costume designerthat I've ever seen or had the pleasure
to work with. And she's justthe most kind, loving human being on
the face of planet Earth. Sowherever she is, thank you, because
she was really the massive mind behindthe look of not just Ray, but
every other character from you know,from the extra that's standing the furthest away
(33:22):
from the camera, to the mainactor that's in front of the camera.
And I think the wardrobe, alongwith the wonderful set designs and with the
music are what brings this show tolife, because that's what that era was
about, right, seventies and eighties, especially the seventies which were in the
end of and the show we're about, and everybody that got the chance to
(33:44):
live through those years, that's thefirst thing that they think about and that
they talk about whenever they mentioned theseventies, right was commute is the clothing,
is the environment, the world?And the feeling that that brought forth.
So was fantastic because for Ray,the first thing that came ross from
the information that I got started whenI started reading on the character and the
(34:07):
real life character was was was thathe was someone who was very materialistic and
it was very important for him tohave to show bizazz, to show through
what he wore, through what heate, through what he drank, drove,
to show that he had made it, that he was, that he
(34:30):
was legitimate, that he belonged inthe world with the higher ups, you
know, and naturally being you know, just another Cuban American, Cuban immigrant
really integrating Miami at the time,you know, and so and you could
easily be discarded, you know,by the legitimate world, by the people
(34:52):
who actually had money. He actuallyhad power. So when he came to
it, he wanted to make surethat he showed it, you know.
And so those suits were amazing.I mean, number one, me,
I felt identified because another thing thatI felt identified with him was because I
love suits. I just I'm afan of suits, and I've always I've
always had a thought that a manlooks at his finest when he has a
(35:15):
nice tailor made suit and he's cleanshaven and has a proper haircut. Those
are the disagree and so and so. To be able to get an opportunity
to be able to go tailor madehere for every single episode was fantastic.
I mean, he wears probably asuit every single scene. There's probably two
exceptions to that because of continuity,so it seems that takes us immediately right
(35:37):
after. But otherwise every scene that'staking place in a different location, in
a different time zone, even ifit's during the day both or during the
night, both he's changing. Hewould wake up in a suit, you
know, go to bed in asuit, pull a suit somehow, taking
back suit. He had a lunchsuit at supperate suit. And that was
beautiful and wonderful to be able toexplore all those costumes and all out wardrobe
(36:00):
and to be able to to letthat sink in because that really helps you
and informs you on the psyche ofthe character and also on the physicality of
the character. And so he wasdefinitely someone of class, or at least
would like to think of himself assuch. And so those suits, man,
they were wonderful. I love thepoint that you said that he had
(36:22):
to show off that he had comeinto money. He had money. I
do necessarily agree, especially during thattime period. I feel that for anyone
that was a minority, who isa minority, I won't say this for
everybody, but I'll say this aboutmyself. So I'm going to put myself
(36:45):
in check here. I necessarily havefelt once upon a time sometimes I still
do that sentiment because I felt thatat one point others could not perceive me
as being someone in the position ofpower. I've experienced it, I lived
it. So that's the reason whyI say that, because I was told
(37:07):
as such to my face. Sofor you to say that, it really
made me think, that's exactly whyI do it, because I, in
essence show off I do have somecash, and I do sit at the
big boy table, and in essenceit makes me feel like you should respect
(37:29):
me as such. But yet italso it also shows to other people that,
oh, you do sit at thebig bull table, and I'm like,
yes, I do, and I'mnot ashamed to say so. So
when you said that, it kindof resonated with me a little bit because
I was like, Yeah, Ilived that that experience once upon a time
in my life. I saw it, went through it, still in essence
(37:52):
going through it. So for youto say that, I was like,
yeah, I felt every aspect ofthat statement. So I get it.
But I appreciate you sharing that,man. Yeah, no, definitely,
I mean, there's we live ina very material world right, and we're
surrounded by we're in a consumer societyand so and it's the case now in
twenty twenty four, was the casein nineteen seventies the United States and city
(38:15):
of Miami as well. So,and definitely one can, especially if one
is one when you're an immigrant,you know the certain aspects that takes,
the conditions under which both mentally andsocially one stands. And nearly when I
(38:35):
started, you know, reading upon them Munity Hotel, and I was
fortunate enough to come across some informationon the real ray immediately when I started
seeing them, saying he had tohave, you know, a quarter of
a million rolex on his wrist,he had to have different suit, silk
suit tailor made, he had todrink Chateau Ralfitte imported from Chile. He
(39:00):
had to draw the rules. Royceand I see all these things. I'm
like, I see you. Iknow what you're doing. I know what
you're doing. Yeah you're not.Just no, you don't. Because other
people that were born with that,they might have it, but they don't
feel the need to show it necessarilyevery single moment. But when you don't
have it from birth and you getit, you really want to make sure
(39:24):
you show it because your position ofwhen you're sitting at a table and it's
a congressman, or you're sitting ata table and it's a Caucasian banker that
comes from banking family, and whenyou're sitting at a table and it's a
CEO or Fortune five hundred company,and here you are, deep down inside,
fully aware that you're just some humanimmigrant that arrived to the country about
(39:46):
ten years ago and is opening upa banking a bank with his father like
he did in real life, andyou're trying to just feel like you belong
You're gonna definitely start showing things,and that's it's like a respond it's like
a defense mechanism that you do inorder for you to feel protected and feel
like I belong here and make sureeverybody around you knows that. So that's
(40:07):
definitely one thing that informed me onthe character, and it opened up many
of the reasons why he reacted acertain way with different people and really inform
me on also the psyche and psychologyof the character, because from there you
can really start extrapolating a lot ofdifferent reactions that he might have under different
(40:29):
circumstances with different individuals, So yeah, I was very informative, but thank
you for sharing that. There wasone point you also just said just a
few moments ago, is that youdon't need to show off to everybody exactly
what you have. You know,learning that was very difficult at the time,
but I learned that, but itwas not. It wasn't an easy
process at the time. But youknow, I have noticed that, you
(40:50):
know, no one needs to knowyou. No one needs to know what
you do, what you have inyour life, what's in your pocket,
no one needs to know any ofthat stuff. You're really for you will
value you for who you are,not what you have. Yeah, absolutely,
valuing you for what you have,don't really care for you. Absolutely,
And I will say this, onceCOVID became the biggest thing in twenty
(41:14):
twenty, that's when you realize thatcomment that you just said. That For
me, it was when they reallyopened that door. So when I experienced
that that, I was really wow. So I know who's riding or dying
for me, and I know who'sactually only here to write the code tales.
So it was it was it wasa very eye opening thing for me.
And yeah, I carry that withme every every every day I wake
(41:37):
up, and I appreciate the factthat I had that, But I also
appreciate the fact that you said thatto make me also realize it again that
by the way, I'm living mybest life and I'm enjoying it no matter
who is in my corner. Sothank you for that. Amen for that,
brother, Amen for sure. Andlisten, I am except for everybody
(42:00):
to see the next episode coming downon Sunday. And you talked about suits.
I still need to get my newestsuit tailored because so yes, thank
you for reminding me of that.That's got to get done. But yeah,
man, I am looking forward toeverybody seeing us on Sunday. But
then I'm also looking forward to oneepisode five hits, So I am excited
(42:22):
to finally watch new episodes with everybody. But it's about to jump off,
man, and I'm so excited yougot to spend some time with me and
talk about the show and Ray andeverything else in between. This was great
and I would love to have youback. Oh it's been my pleasure,
man, It's been the player hasbeen und percent mine and I look forward
to to talking to you again soonand Hopefully you can enjoy the rest of
(42:43):
the season and the world can enjoyit as well as they get a chance
to start seeing it slowly slowly astime passes in the next couple of weeks
and months. But thank you verymuch for having me, Man, It's
been great chat. Great to talkto you, to know a little more
about you, and to talk toRay and about some Hotel Cocaine, about
some fun and absolutely just to havesome more conversations in your future. You
(43:07):
know how to reach me and samefor you. Man. I loved it.
Thank you so much, really appreciateit in my pleasure. Brother all
right, he any thanks to ErnilieAlbayaz for stopping by the show, and
make sure you catch him on HotelCocaine. It airs this Sunday. Now
make sure you note the time changebecause for the first two episodes it dropped
(43:29):
at ten pm Eastern on MGM Plus, but now going forward, all episodes
will be dropping at nine pm Eastern, so make sure you note that change.
But I'm looking forward to seeing hisfirst appearance on the show and what's
going to happen thereafter. And speakingof that surprise guest that I've been hinting
about that's supposed to be stopping byto round out Hotel Cocaine Week. Stay
(43:52):
tuned for that on my Instagram becauseI will be revealing that very very soon.
But that's going to do it forme for right now. I'm the
Belle Jayley. Making sure you keepgetting the latest buzz with Buzzworthy Radio by
logging onto our website at buzzworthyradiocast dotcom. You can also follow us on
x at Buzzworthy Radio and linking uson our Facebook page. We're even on
(44:13):
Instagram, as I said, atbuzznav and at Buzzworthy Radio. And finally,
you can stream our podcasts at AmazonMusic and iHeartRadio. We'll see you
guys next time. Take care,stay in the no catch up on all
the buzz podcasts and videos at buzzworthyradiocastdot com. Keep getting the latest buzz
(44:34):
with Buzzworthyradio now on Amazon Music
Buzz Buzz. The buzz is on. The Buzz is on, the show
that gets you up close and personalwith some of the hottest stars. Now
here's your host, Novelle Jaylee.What's going on, guys. It's Novelle
Jayle with another new buzz cast hereat Buzzworthy Radio. And we are still
continuing our Hotel Cocaine week. Asyou can see, little costume change had
(00:22):
to get into the flavor of ita little bit. But we have Erneil
Bayez joining us. He talks aboutRay Dorado, who appears for the first
time in this upcoming episode that airsthis Sunday on MGM Plus. And I'm
just gonna tell you right now,I have already seen episode four, so
I've already said on this show thatit really kicks into high gear when episode
(00:47):
four drops. But I'm going tobe excited because I've only seen up to
episode four. So I'm gonna beon the ride with you, and i
can't wait because from what everybody's beento talking about, it's about to go
down with the last four episodes remainingof the season. So we got to
talk to Ernilil about Ray and thehistory of Ray Dorado. The backstory to
(01:15):
Ray himself as a real life personas Ernil actually read up about him just
to get a little bit of anidea of the person, the personality and
the character, and even with apotential backstory, like basically hearing about what
can we expect with Ray in theshow. And there's just so much more
(01:36):
that we dove into that I don'twant to give it all the way.
You gotta watch and you got tolisten to it, so here it is
or interview check it out with ernieialBias. We get to talk about your
character, Ray Dorado, and Ibelieve he actually makes his first appearance in
this upcoming episode. For those ofyou who haven't watched Hoseel Cocaine, Ray's
(01:59):
character has been mentioned already, wejust haven't seen him. We actually will
get to see him coming up onthis Sunday's episode and tell us a little
bit about his character. I've alreadyseen episode four, by the way,
so I already know what's coming down. But for those that are getting ready
to see it, believe me,you don't because you've seen before. There's
(02:23):
still a whole lot left to besurprised about. Oh I was told,
Yeah, there is a lot ofsurprises down the line. For Ray Ray,
I mean, Ray is you know, it's a fantastic character. He's
I really have always seen him asthe incarnation of the American dream. You
(02:46):
know, he's cutan American immigrant thatfinds his way to you know, to
the top as far as success isconcerned in the seventies and eighties. He's
a character that's he's a fake.He's fictionalized but in real life, but
in actuality, he was based largelyon a real life character which had the
same first name as him, andwho also frequented the Mutiny Hotel back in
(03:09):
the seventies and eighties. He's abig time banker in the city of Miami
when the story starts in nineteen seventyeight, and in the show, he's
you know, a regular natural clientcustomer of the Mutiny Hotel and Mutiny Club.
And as we're going to see anepisode four, he's gonna start becoming
(03:34):
a crucial part of the story becausehe's gonna start bringing together both the flamboyant
world the Mutney Hotel and he's goingto interconnect it with the underworld of Miami
at that time. So he's reallygoing to serve as an octopus for lack
(03:54):
of a better term, and withall his tentacles, he's going to start
bringing together characters and people into thesame room and into the same situation that
otherwise would not have met or seeneach other or really had any kind of
relationships. So that's I think what'sinteresting about him. And because of that,
he's really fun character and interesting becausehe's very multifaceted, because he deals
(04:15):
with a large range of different charactersand different people from different worlds, from
different walk of life, from differentwalks of life rather and so he's going
to act in a different way dependingon who he's with, like the character
in real life I imagine would havebecause you know, to be a banker,
high end banker that has big affiliationsand friendships with very powerful, economically
(04:41):
wealthy, influential individuals of the legitimateworld, and at the same time,
very much like the real character inreal life, to have connections with the
very the most dangerous criminals of theunderworld. It takes a certain talent.
You have to be a chameleon.You know, you got to know when
to walk a certain way and whento act a certain way, when to
(05:03):
talk way because you can't allow peopleto walk over you. But at the
same time, you can't walk oversome people because they're more dangers than others.
So it's he's a very street smart, very very cunning, very very
charismatic when he needs to be invery dangerous when he has to be individual.
He's a survivor basically is what heis. Yeah, I will say
(05:27):
so caution everybody spoiler alerts. So, first of all, if you haven't
gotten up to episode three as ofyet, Ray's appearance in the show deals
with the fact about how Burton reallygot the club the Mutiny Hotel basically under
false pretenses, and he's doing everythingin his power to make sure he doesn't
(05:48):
lose control of the hotel to hissister, so he needs to basically go
to Ray. And he was warnednot to go to Ray because, as
you just said, he can bea dangerous fan, and of course he
Burton doesn't really listen to what istold to him and goes right on the
(06:12):
opposite cusp of everything and brings inRay to the field. And I'm just
gonna say now, obviously from watchingepisode four and just seeing your portrayal of
the character with Mark's Burton. Ilove the fact that, again, as
you said, he can be ruthlessand he can be charismatic. But it's
just something about this character that hebrings this sadistic humor with him that I
(06:40):
completely enjoy you playing when you wereacting opposite of Mark in those scenes.
I love the fact that we knowhe can be a dangerous fan, we
know that he can bring the streetsmarks to the table. But I love
the fact that you brought some senseof humor. Rather it was a little
bit on the darker side, itwas still humor. I love that aspect
(07:02):
of his character. So I enjoyedseeing that. So I wanted to I
wanted to mention that first foremost foryou, what attracted you to the show
itself as a whole, Not justthe role when you were offered Ray,
but the show itself. What attractedyou to it? Oh? Man,
so many things, I mean,honestly, honestly, honestly mean it might
(07:25):
sound a little cheesy or whatnot,And then if you have an actor gonna
say he liked everything about the showand whatnot, but that's actually the case
for me. I mean, theshow really hit home on multiple aspects.
First, of all the fact thatit's it's a Cuban American actor role,
sorry character rather, and so Ihad never played an actual Cuban American or
(07:47):
Cuban character, despite the fact thatI am Cuban me number two. The
era where the story's taking place soin the seventies and eighty. So I
grew up watching and idolizing films fromthe seventies and eighties, and it's an
era that I hold a particular loveand and and admiration for. So to
(08:11):
be able to portray that kind ofera in Miami immediately thinks Garface, obviously,
and it's one of my favorite films. So it's to be able to
be involved in that world, youknow, the the the Miami seventies music
wardrobe, gangster crime, you know, war. It's like, there's so
(08:31):
many things that that bring us tocertain films that I was like, I
can't wait to dive my teeth intothat. There was obviously the fact to
be able to work with someone that'sas renowned as talented as Chris Broncato.
(08:52):
I had seen Narcos. I absolutelyloved Narcos, both Narcos the Original and
Narcos Max Ago. So to beable to collaborate with something like that was
a fantastic opportunity. To be ableto work alongside an Academy Award winner in
Yiemlarro, I could not wait toget that opportunity as well and see what
(09:13):
that entailed. To be able towork alongside industry grates like Michael Chickliss and
Danny Pino and Yobascuz, cute Americansin their own right, which I know
when I've followed their careers and I'veadmired as I was a kid. I
mean, I remember, in thecase of Michael Chicklis going to the movie
(09:33):
theaters when I was about maybe elevenyears old and watching Fantastic Four, you
know what I mean. So itwas to be able to be in the
same scene with him was something specialand so and so just when I saw
that whole team that had been puttogether in the in the world that it
was going to partake in with thecreator, the showrunner, and the writer
(09:54):
that it had behind it, andthe director that had guiding it, I
and then the top it all off. I mean, if all that doesn't
sound good enough to be able togo and shoot in the Dominican Republic,
which for anybody would be a dream, right because it's you know, it's
like a paradise and you're internet inthe Caribean and whatnot. But for me
it was particularly special because it wasright next to home, so it was
(10:18):
almost like shooting back home for me. And I've always dreamt of being able
to do that. So it checkedall kinds of things off the checklist for
me. And then to finish itoff even more, yeah, there is
more actually, you know, tobe able to play a character that was
That was as I started reading andinforming myself on it, you know,
(10:39):
try to prepare for the character.We started realizing that, wait a minute,
this is based on somebody that actuallyexisted. Yes, fictionalized and whatnot,
but this is based on somebody.And then and this is based on
an actual place which I had neverheard about somehow. I never heard of
the hotel. I had never heardof all the insanities that had gone on
at that time in that particular place, and this character was there. So
(11:01):
when I started getting that information too, it really made it interesting for me
because I've always wanted to try andplay a real life character, and so
that helped me a lot. ThatI'm formula lot for my interpretation. So
yeah, man, all kinds ofthings it the show itself, I mean,
obviously I fell in love with itsince that one, and I told
everybody, once you hit episode three, it's about to jump off very excited
(11:26):
to see where the story is goingto go after episode four, because the
one thing I will say about itis that there is no going back after
what transpires an episode four. Nogoing back because isn't there. I mean,
it just it just starts getting moreand more serious from there, and
it's getting more more interesting from therebecause you know, I episode one and
(11:50):
two is more an introduction to theworld itself than episode three. Four is
more of an introduction and a developmentof the main characters, bring some spiciness
and some you know, some helpthe drama that ensues later on that after
that, from there, it justit's just now where is it all going
to lead up to? So yeah, it's it's I really liked episode three
(12:13):
personally, I because it's, likeI said, it just started making things
for the viewer a little bit moreentertaining in the sense of now you start
seeing more of the action, moreof the drama, and you start starting
to lead, and he's like,Okay, now this is getting interesting,
right, and so hopefully he continuesto go down to that path and people
(12:33):
that have the opportunity to watch itcan enjoy it and be entertained by it.
Listen, we got some slew ofcharacters that are hitting this next episode
besides yours. When you got thecharacter of your Landa coming in and already
I was just interested in her storyas well. She just that character just
came in, guns blazing and apologiesto not getting the actresses, I mean,
(12:54):
but she will see you, thankyou. She was just she's just
fierce, just got this fire.And then and there's a particular scene that's
just really when everybody gets to seeit, you're gonna understand why I keep
telling y'all if you don't have yourair conditioner on, turn it on when
you watch this next episode because ofa particular scene that she's in. So
(13:18):
I looking forward to it. Isthat the one where bot no after that?
Okay, when she meets when shemeets Roman. Oh okay, yeah,
okay, okay, last time yougo in Paris. Yes, I've
(13:39):
already said this to people in aninterview before, So I'm literally you know,
so it is not not known,it is known. So I'm just
gonna keeping y'all you don't understand howmuch you're gonna need to turn on the
air when you see it. I'mjust saying, spy, yes, yes,
man. I mean, just topiggyback off of something that you said
(14:01):
before, where you were learning aboutsome of the facets, not just of
the show, but some of thecharacters that it takes a part of.
Since we all know that of RomanCounty it is based off Maurice Comti's father,
who is the executive producer of theshow. Obviously, some parts of
it are embellished for a dramatic emphasis, which, of course one of which
(14:24):
is the fact that Roman didn't havea brother in real life. This was
added into the show. But whenyou started learning about aspects of like the
mutiny hotel and Roman and everything likethat, did that inspire you to just
learn even more about it? Becauseagain, you were just so interested in
(14:46):
just just from our conversation, justnow, how you were getting all this
information. You just were enthralled ofwhat we're hearing. How much more did
you look into that history after that? Absolutely? Man? I mean,
I first of all, I readthe script and whatnot, and I was
interested by the theme, by thegenre, by the world right off the
bat, because I love crime dramas, always have. But then, as
(15:11):
you said, I started off withmy manager, happened to find online some
pictures in the link to something onit, started seeing it. I started
seeing how the actual Mutiny Hotel wasin Scarface, the movie Scarface that you
find in Scarface is the Mutiny Hotel. I was intrigued. They already had
(15:33):
me hooked. From then on theyhad me. And then I was like,
I had no idea about this,okay. And then I started reading
on it, and then eventually Icame across a couple of books that were
very explicit as far as to thevarious adventures that took place in the Mutiny
Hotels and the various characters that wouldfrequent the Mutiny Hotel and throw the course
(15:54):
of the years, especially throughout thecourse of the eights at the late seventies
and early to midst eighties. Andso I definitely started reading up on it,
and I honestly could not believe thethings that I was reading. I
was like, this actually taking place, Like we're flying around the country to
find the biggest reserves of Dan Perignonin order to fill out bathtubs for chics
(16:18):
and multi billionaires to take baths withgirls and with Dan Perignon just to flex.
I mean, this is insane,you know. And that's just like
the cherry on top. So manycrazy things and so many interesting characters,
and so really the thing that cameoff the page reading all that was well,
I can't wait to be able tobe a part of this because I'm
(16:42):
reading so much story and so muchnarrative and so much so many possibilities of
things that are naturally cinematic that wereactually taking place. That's without thinking or
touching on the fiction, on theimagination of things, just actually so if
they're there, all of this tobe able to help you and guide you
(17:03):
to do to make something interesting.I can't wait to see what a great
writer like Chris Broncato is going tobe able to do and Michael Pains is
going to be able to do onthe page when he can actually start adding
some fictionalized things. So it reallyit informed me on the world and on
the realities that my character and theman that he was based on was surrounded
(17:26):
by. But at the same time, it excited me because it made me
know that I was definitely going tobe a part of something that was hectic
and that was thrilling, and thatwas full of excitement and that and there
was a lot to write about.Basically, you know, there's a lot
to write about. And so that'swhy I think the show hopefully goes on
(17:48):
for a second season and a third, and a fourth and a fifth and
ten season because there's just so muchto write about, and so many different
characters passed through that hotel in reallife, and so many stories actually took
place in that hotel in real lifethe way that definitely a great writer like
Chris Broncottle Michael Payns can can makea lot from it. One thing I
(18:11):
will mention before I get into thisnext question. You just said something that
really was interesting that I brought upbefore, is that there were stories that
we are somewhat seeing on the showthat did take place in the in the
Mutiny hotel, the club mutiny.And a comment that I have made was
that we have characters like the RickJames and the lives of Mannelly's that that
(18:36):
was showcased, and you know,you're you're seeing these I don't want to
say parodies of real life personas.I don't want to say it that way,
but you're seeing these these personas thatwe have grew up with showcased in
in this way. And but theinteresting about it with with Chris and and
(18:59):
Marie said the show is that they'rean integral part to the story, but
they don't take up the story.And I love that that's how they wrote
those those characters, what they wrotefor Rick and in the show. I
love the fact that while the characterRick James did get screen time and was
(19:21):
a part of Burton's story, hedidn't take over Burton's story, let alone
the story of Hotel Cocaine itself.So I love the fact that they're utilizing
these characters that are fleshing out themain characters of the show. Yeah,
it's not taking away from them,and I think I love that aspect of
it. One of the one ofthe things I definitely wanted to mention with
(19:44):
you was I've talked with Danny Pinoabout this multiple times, and I just
love the fact that we have ashow that is showcasing, as you just
said yourself a few moments ago,with Cuban representation with in the show.
I love getting the chance to seethem going back and forth between English and
Spanish language in the show. Ilove the fact that we have leads that
(20:08):
are Cubans in this and I knowthat was one of the things you said
that really did attract you to beinga part of this show. I just
I'm just enthralled by that we weget to have and see that representation and
bringing on actors who also represents thatculture. You yourself just seeing that yourself,
(20:32):
I mean, you already answered it, but it's just when you're just
seeing everybody that's coming on board thathave that that is really a part of
Cuban American and you're now playing youra Cuban role. You've never really done
that before. As you just said, just kind of elaborate a little bit
more, just on the fact thatyou're now part of something that is really
(20:56):
not only has this culture a partof it, but they're also writing it
in such a way where it's notone offensive, but it's also very true
to the actors and actresses that arein these parts. Absolutely, man,
you know, it's it is definitelya wonderful opportunity and a gift to be
(21:17):
able to see your presentation on thescreen for any and all minorities, and
it's is a wonderful thing to seebecause it's a very big world with all
kind of different people in it,and everyone deserves to have a chance to
be seen on the screen, beat the big screen or the small screen.
(21:37):
And unfortunately, you know, therehas been progress done in that area,
but there's always more progress to bemade, and tectically speaking, when
we talk about for example, likelike in the show Cuban, there is
not too many Cuban rules or Cubancharacters. As a matter of fact,
the most famous Cuban character ever portrayedwas portrayed by it talent American and that
(22:02):
was our patina and scarface and evenfrom there. And I'm completely fine with
that, by the way, Iam completely fine, and I think all
actors were actors. We should getan opportunity to be able to interpret different
characters from different nationalities. We shouldnot be bottled up. If you're Hispanic,
only play Hispanic. If you're youknow, if you're Italian, play
Italian. If you're Irish, playIrish. We're actors. We're here to
(22:26):
act. But I think it isbeautiful to be able to have that kind
of representation in characters from a widerange of nationalities that we have on the
show. And I think the beautifulthing about it I'm going to touch on
two bases is that in this show, one of its strengths is the multinationality
aspect that it has because you havenumber one, characters from a large range
(22:51):
of nationalities, but two, youhave actors from those wide range nationalities characters.
So you have Columbia, you haveCubans, you have Mexicans, you
have Spaniards, you have Americans.So that gives it a certain legitimacy and
the interpretations and a certain realness anda certain transparency that you would perhaps not
(23:12):
see would those characters be interpreted bypeople that have that either are not from
those backgrounds or I've never been involvedwith those backgrounds whatsoever. Right, That's
that was incredibly beautiful to see,and obviously as time progressed and we were
all together, it built an evenbigger chemistry because we were you know,
one island for four months together andwe both family like environment, and then
(23:34):
I think you can see that onthe screen. The second aspect is that
you gotta be. You know,we have to all be thankful to mister
Chris Broncott or Michael Pains to writearound the show for their leniency and their
flexibility to be able to give usactors permission to be able to go out
there and explore and to a certainto a certain point if need be,
(24:00):
improvise or talk to him about thescript and how can we turn this into
what we want it to be.You know, from day one, the
first conversation that I ever had,and I am a thousand percent certain it's
gonna be the same thing across theboard with every other actor. From the
first conversation I had with Chris,he told me, listen, this is
your character. You're going to knowhim better than I do. You're gonna
(24:22):
spend more time with him than Ido. And I am completely open for
you to come and talk to meabout him. If you have a doubt,
bring it forward. If you havean idea, bring it forward.
If there's a word or phrase somethingthat you're not comfortable with or that you
feel could be given a certain appmention it, bring it forward, and
we will not just consider it,but we will see how we can apply
(24:45):
it. Because Ultimately, that's whyhe surrounded himself with people that number one
were talented, yes, but numbertwo that he thought could bring to those
respective characters a sense of reality andof naturality. And I think that's why
we see those beautiful scenes, forexample, between Jo Basquez and Danny Pino,
(25:07):
when they speak to Spanish like you'resaying, and they're using actual Cuban
slang and actual Cuban words that youwould hear in the streets of Miami or
even in Cuba. But let's sayin the streets of Miami for the second
story that brings you to a senseof reality had you just have been and
I know for fact many of thosewere just on the day. You know,
(25:29):
Oh, I think we should saythis like this, you know,
and bring some Spanish here like thisor like this phrase. I know what
you're trying to say, but we, we Cubans, would say like this,
okay, perfect, go with it. And that's what me as a
Cuban watching the show, I canthose moments I feel identified with, and
every other Cuban will as well.Whereas had you kept the original version of
that phrase, or had said itin English, or had said it in
(25:52):
a Spanish in a Spanish that isnot usually used by us in our community.
This looks fake for some reason,right, and you have actual Cubans.
So why didn't they say it theway that you know? Because you
know how we are right? Thatis true, No, it is true,
and then immediately you lose us.You would lose us, and you
(26:14):
can't lose your audiences, right,So that's what I think is one of
the strengths of the show. Andthat's all things. So obviously the incredibly
talented cast, but also the incrediblytalented and Chris Broncott or Michael Painton,
their ability to be able to recognizewhat they know and what they can get
better on and hopefully it works outand people I can enjoy it. I
(26:36):
appreciate you saying that because not many, not many feels in this industry,
you have those type of showrunners wherethey give those actors that create a freedom
and you know, just hearing thisstory, I love the fact that was
said because it basically enforces the ideaof Chris and Michael want to have have
(27:00):
character driven stories. They want tohave character driven material, and this falls
in line with that simply because ofthe quote you just said that these actors
are going to know the characters morethan they will. They know how the
character is going to be represented,how they're going to act, whether they're
going to be when they're with theirfamily or their friends, whoever it's whoever
(27:22):
they're acting opposite of on the screen. I love that aspect of it,
so thank you for sharing that,because it really that is one of the
biggest things, at least in mytelevision viewing. I always look for as
character driven stories and I love that, and I think that's also another reason
why I fell in love with HotelCocaine, because you can tell that when
you watch it, you know thatit's it's character driven and not plot driven
(27:44):
material. So right, right,right, the focus is the emotional,
physical, mental, and spiritual transitionthat those characters individually go through the other
course of a series. It's definitelytrue. You notice that even with Roman
and how we how he's trying todeal with the Dea informat, which is
played by Max Chiculus, and thenyou know, dealing with Nestor played by
(28:06):
Yule, and how he is tryingto encompass what is the right thing for
him to do on both fronts aswell. As his own for his family.
So it's it's really great to seein that aspect. That then also
with the other characters on their spectrum, even with Burton, I always say
that Burton is the levity of theshow, but you're also seeing it.
(28:27):
You're also seeing what drives him todo what he's doing and what he's trying
to achieve. So in in retrospect, while he is providing that as far
as the levity is concerned, youare still seeing what is driving him to
do what he does. You're alsoseeing what drives Nestor to do what he
(28:47):
does, and that even comes tothe play when it comes to his family.
You're also seeing what he does toprotect his family. So that's really
one of the biggest things that Ilove about the show. And you just
hit the nail on the head.It's just you get to see it through
their psyche and I love every aspectof that. But yes, absolutely,
(29:08):
But I do need to ask somea selfish question. This is a selfish
question. Okay, so you getonly two, by the way, this
is this is your first so Iactually do have two selfish questions actually,
so this works out well. Thefirst one is, yeah, how was
the premiere because you were at thepremiere, and so what was that like
(29:29):
walking the carpeteat and everybody watching iton the big screen for the first time
for the pilot, what was whatwas that experience like for you? For
me personally, was dream come true. Man. I'm a small Cuban boy
from the city of Gas next toour daturistic point and to be able to
go to Hollywood, you know,and the city of Angels for the first
time in my cage, and tobe able to go to a Hollywood premiere
(29:51):
trying to buy not only the starsof the show obviously, which are stars
in their own right, but tobe able to go and see something that
I was a part of was wasone of those dreams come true for me
and that has definitely checked off offthe bucket list as so many other things
that have come along with this show. So it was a fantastic experience number
one, because we got to seeeach other again, with each other for
(30:14):
a couple of months now, andI was fantastic reunite and reacquaint ourselves with
everybody and see how they were.And unfortunately not everybody was there, but
an important part I was, andthe ones that were not there were definitely
in our thoughts and in our artsevery time it came on on screen or
every time that we talked about something. And hopefully in near future we'll be
able to all gather around and seeeach other again. But the most important
(30:37):
thing about this show, and I'vesaid this everywhere I've went, is Yes,
the experience was fantastic, and theshow is great, and like I
said, all the great people thatwe worked with, But the most important
part of this show was the friendshipsthat were created. Those friendships are really
created because of the conditions under whichwe filmed right on one island, four
(31:00):
months, eating together, working together, working out together, laughing together.
Everything was done together pretty much,so those friendships will last forever. And
to be able to see each otherrequeen with each other again, you know,
and just have a good time andjust just enjoy it and and and
know in the back of your mindthat you know, whatever you did is
done now and now it's it's forthe world to judge. So that was
(31:22):
that was a great, great,great moment, a great uh great,
yeah, great moment. Just leaveit at that, okay, and then
and then and then yeah, andthen for me, you know, I
was something that we're always we're alwaysdreaming of when we're growing up, right,
to be able to uh, togo to Hollywood and to see that
(31:44):
sign, and and and for meto be able to go there for my
first time, and for it notto be for teristic reasons, but for
it to be reasons. It wassort of like the cherry on top of
the cake well circle moment maybe,yeah, exactly. And the second question
is when they got you in theduds for your character thoughts? I love
(32:09):
to know because he raise got alittle swag. He got a little swag.
So what did you think of theof the of the duds that Ray
gets to wear in the show?Because again, one of the things I
never got to talk about was thefashion that they are able to incorporate in
the show. And they have somevery interesting pieces and it just pops so
(32:35):
and raised not Rai's not off thelist on that, So no, he
can't because he was someone who wasvery driven on the materialistic side of things.
And you can tell well, firstof all, I'd be remiss if
I don't mention the great which iswhich was our costume designer, which is
(32:59):
one of the most talented costume designerthat I've ever seen or had the pleasure
to work with. And she's justthe most kind, loving human being on
the face of planet Earth. Sowherever she is, thank you, because
she was really the massive mind behindthe look of not just Ray, but
every other character from you know,from the extra that's standing the furthest away
(33:22):
from the camera, to the mainactor that's in front of the camera.
And I think the wardrobe, alongwith the wonderful set designs and with the
music are what brings this show tolife, because that's what that era was
about, right, seventies and eighties, especially the seventies which were in the
end of and the show we're about, and everybody that got the chance to
(33:44):
live through those years, that's thefirst thing that they think about and that
they talk about whenever they mentioned theseventies, right was commute is the clothing,
is the environment, the world?And the feeling that that brought forth.
So was fantastic because for Ray,the first thing that came ross from
the information that I got started whenI started reading on the character and the
(34:07):
real life character was was was thathe was someone who was very materialistic and
it was very important for him tohave to show bizazz, to show through
what he wore, through what heate, through what he drank, drove,
to show that he had made it, that he was, that he
(34:30):
was legitimate, that he belonged inthe world with the higher ups, you
know, and naturally being you know, just another Cuban American, Cuban immigrant
really integrating Miami at the time,you know, and so and you could
easily be discarded, you know,by the legitimate world, by the people
(34:52):
who actually had money. He actuallyhad power. So when he came to
it, he wanted to make surethat he showed it, you know.
And so those suits were amazing.I mean, number one, me,
I felt identified because another thing thatI felt identified with him was because I
love suits. I just I'm afan of suits, and I've always I've
always had a thought that a manlooks at his finest when he has a
(35:15):
nice tailor made suit and he's cleanshaven and has a proper haircut. Those
are the disagree and so and so. To be able to get an opportunity
to be able to go tailor madehere for every single episode was fantastic.
I mean, he wears probably asuit every single scene. There's probably two
exceptions to that because of continuity,so it seems that takes us immediately right
(35:37):
after. But otherwise every scene that'staking place in a different location, in
a different time zone, even ifit's during the day both or during the
night, both he's changing. Hewould wake up in a suit, you
know, go to bed in asuit, pull a suit somehow, taking
back suit. He had a lunchsuit at supperate suit. And that was
beautiful and wonderful to be able toexplore all those costumes and all out wardrobe
(36:00):
and to be able to to letthat sink in because that really helps you
and informs you on the psyche ofthe character and also on the physicality of
the character. And so he wasdefinitely someone of class, or at least
would like to think of himself assuch. And so those suits, man,
they were wonderful. I love thepoint that you said that he had
(36:22):
to show off that he had comeinto money. He had money. I
do necessarily agree, especially during thattime period. I feel that for anyone
that was a minority, who isa minority, I won't say this for
everybody, but I'll say this aboutmyself. So I'm going to put myself
(36:45):
in check here. I necessarily havefelt once upon a time sometimes I still
do that sentiment because I felt thatat one point others could not perceive me
as being someone in the position ofpower. I've experienced it, I lived
it. So that's the reason whyI say that, because I was told
(37:07):
as such to my face. Sofor you to say that, it really
made me think, that's exactly whyI do it, because I, in
essence show off I do have somecash, and I do sit at the
big boy table, and in essenceit makes me feel like you should respect
(37:29):
me as such. But yet italso it also shows to other people that,
oh, you do sit at thebig bull table, and I'm like,
yes, I do, and I'mnot ashamed to say so. So
when you said that, it kindof resonated with me a little bit because
I was like, Yeah, Ilived that that experience once upon a time
in my life. I saw it, went through it, still in essence
(37:52):
going through it. So for youto say that, I was like,
yeah, I felt every aspect ofthat statement. So I get it.
But I appreciate you sharing that,man. Yeah, no, definitely,
I mean, there's we live ina very material world right, and we're
surrounded by we're in a consumer societyand so and it's the case now in
twenty twenty four, was the casein nineteen seventies the United States and city
(38:15):
of Miami as well. So,and definitely one can, especially if one
is one when you're an immigrant,you know the certain aspects that takes,
the conditions under which both mentally andsocially one stands. And nearly when I
(38:35):
started, you know, reading upon them Munity Hotel, and I was
fortunate enough to come across some informationon the real ray immediately when I started
seeing them, saying he had tohave, you know, a quarter of
a million rolex on his wrist,he had to have different suit, silk
suit tailor made, he had todrink Chateau Ralfitte imported from Chile. He
(39:00):
had to draw the rules. Royceand I see all these things. I'm
like, I see you. Iknow what you're doing. I know what
you're doing. Yeah you're not.Just no, you don't. Because other
people that were born with that,they might have it, but they don't
feel the need to show it necessarilyevery single moment. But when you don't
have it from birth and you getit, you really want to make sure
(39:24):
you show it because your position ofwhen you're sitting at a table and it's
a congressman, or you're sitting ata table and it's a Caucasian banker that
comes from banking family, and whenyou're sitting at a table and it's a
CEO or Fortune five hundred company,and here you are, deep down inside,
fully aware that you're just some humanimmigrant that arrived to the country about
(39:46):
ten years ago and is opening upa banking a bank with his father like
he did in real life, andyou're trying to just feel like you belong
You're gonna definitely start showing things,and that's it's like a respond it's like
a defense mechanism that you do inorder for you to feel protected and feel
like I belong here and make sureeverybody around you knows that. So that's
(40:07):
definitely one thing that informed me onthe character, and it opened up many
of the reasons why he reacted acertain way with different people and really inform
me on also the psyche and psychologyof the character, because from there you
can really start extrapolating a lot ofdifferent reactions that he might have under different
(40:29):
circumstances with different individuals, So yeah, I was very informative, but thank
you for sharing that. There wasone point you also just said just a
few moments ago, is that youdon't need to show off to everybody exactly
what you have. You know,learning that was very difficult at the time,
but I learned that, but itwas not. It wasn't an easy
process at the time. But youknow, I have noticed that, you
(40:50):
know, no one needs to knowyou. No one needs to know what
you do, what you have inyour life, what's in your pocket,
no one needs to know any ofthat stuff. You're really for you will
value you for who you are,not what you have. Yeah, absolutely,
valuing you for what you have,don't really care for you. Absolutely,
And I will say this, onceCOVID became the biggest thing in twenty
(41:14):
twenty, that's when you realize thatcomment that you just said. That For
me, it was when they reallyopened that door. So when I experienced
that that, I was really wow. So I know who's riding or dying
for me, and I know who'sactually only here to write the code tales.
So it was it was it wasa very eye opening thing for me.
And yeah, I carry that withme every every every day I wake
(41:37):
up, and I appreciate the factthat I had that, But I also
appreciate the fact that you said thatto make me also realize it again that
by the way, I'm living mybest life and I'm enjoying it no matter
who is in my corner. Sothank you for that. Amen for that,
brother, Amen for sure. Andlisten, I am except for everybody
(42:00):
to see the next episode coming downon Sunday. And you talked about suits.
I still need to get my newestsuit tailored because so yes, thank
you for reminding me of that.That's got to get done. But yeah,
man, I am looking forward toeverybody seeing us on Sunday. But
then I'm also looking forward to oneepisode five hits, So I am excited
(42:22):
to finally watch new episodes with everybody. But it's about to jump off,
man, and I'm so excited yougot to spend some time with me and
talk about the show and Ray andeverything else in between. This was great
and I would love to have youback. Oh it's been my pleasure,
man, It's been the player hasbeen und percent mine and I look forward
to to talking to you again soonand Hopefully you can enjoy the rest of
(42:43):
the season and the world can enjoyit as well as they get a chance
to start seeing it slowly slowly astime passes in the next couple of weeks
and months. But thank you verymuch for having me, Man, It's
been great chat. Great to talkto you, to know a little more
about you, and to talk toRay and about some Hotel Cocaine, about
some fun and absolutely just to havesome more conversations in your future. You
(43:07):
know how to reach me and samefor you. Man. I loved it.
Thank you so much, really appreciateit in my pleasure. Brother all
right, he any thanks to ErnilieAlbayaz for stopping by the show, and
make sure you catch him on HotelCocaine. It airs this Sunday. Now
make sure you note the time changebecause for the first two episodes it dropped
(43:29):
at ten pm Eastern on MGM Plus, but now going forward, all episodes
will be dropping at nine pm Eastern, so make sure you note that change.
But I'm looking forward to seeing hisfirst appearance on the show and what's
going to happen thereafter. And speakingof that surprise guest that I've been hinting
about that's supposed to be stopping byto round out Hotel Cocaine Week. Stay
(43:52):
tuned for that on my Instagram becauseI will be revealing that very very soon.
But that's going to do it forme for right now. I'm the
Belle Jayley. Making sure you keepgetting the latest buzz with Buzzworthy Radio by
logging onto our website at buzzworthyradiocast dotcom. You can also follow us on
x at Buzzworthy Radio and linking uson our Facebook page. We're even on
(44:13):
Instagram, as I said, atbuzznav and at Buzzworthy Radio. And finally,
you can stream our podcasts at AmazonMusic and iHeartRadio. We'll see you
guys next time. Take care,stay in the no catch up on all
the buzz podcasts and videos at buzzworthyradiocastdot com. Keep getting the latest buzz
(44:34):
with Buzzworthyradio now on Amazon Music
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