Melissa Fumero jumped to fame for her interpretation of the perfectionist, the police officer type A Amy Santiago in the long and long comedy “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”. But in the new NBC drama “Grosse Pointe Garden Society”, Fumero has been given a rare opportunity to let go as a messy socialite that hides his own dark secrets.
Created by the executive producers of “Good Girls”, Jenna Bans and Bill Krebs, the new series is starring Fumero as Birdie Bradley, a supervantic author entitled who, after crashing her car under the influence, is forced to complete the community service forced the court in a gardening club in the Tony Enclave de Tony De Grosse Pointe, Michigan.
Six months after their arrival, the feathers between the Clan of the Garden, Birdie and three other members: the real estate agent Catherine (Aja Naomi King), the candidate for owner of the restoration of Brett cars (Ben Rappaport) and the high school teacher Alice (Annasophia Robb), they find themselves conspiring with the murder on the night Winter. The first season takes place in two timelines: the months before the murder, and then the night in which the mysterious death (and its immediate consequences) takes place.
“He was a little fear of reading for Birdie just because he felt like a character so big that it could easily be a cartoon,” Fumero told NBC News. “But then I did it, and now I could be one of my favorite characters that I have played.”
It is evident how fun I Fumero has had chewing the landscape. While Birdie may seem a bit abrasive and out of contact, Fumero believes that Birdie is a street survivor who has realized that she can use “his appearance, his sass and his energy” to attract the attention of rich men and build their brand.
At the premiere, Birdie tries to repair his public image when he is interested in financially supporting the son who resigned from adoption in high school.
“It has gone through a lot and has fought to get where it is, and now it has become so wrapped in its identity that it is terrified of losing anything,” said Fumero. “She is there with the book, The Big House and The Chanel, and says: ‘Who am I and what do I want in life?’ I think we know her in a really low moment in her life. “
Like Birdie, Fumero has forged his own place at the public care center. The youngest of two children born of Cuban immigrants, Fumero grew dancing and acting, and after being taken to see his first Broadway musicals, caught the insect of action when he was 9 or 10 years old.
While some immigrant parents can establish professional objectives for their children, Fumero said that their mother and dad sacrificed what they could to support her, even if they had not taken their aspirations of acting seriously until she was accepted in the prestigious Nyu drama program. It has only been in recent years that I am, now the mother of two children, has begun to face the same “terrifying” feelings that their parents faced.
“I really expected a nerd academic child, and my children are clearly attracted to creative things, which is exciting. But now I get panic, especially knowing firsthand how difficult this work can be, ”said Fumero. “But I also feel very lucky to do something that I love to do, and I want that for my children. I am very grateful for my parents to raise me as they did. It has been a great example for me of how to love your child unconditionally. “
From ‘Brooklyn’ a ‘Grosse Pointe’
Fumero’s life changed forever when he was chosen in “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”, an innovative situation comedy praised by its diverse cast, but without stereotypical stories around ethnic origin, skin color or the sexual orientation of the characters.
Calling the situation comedy based in a police enclosure “the best chapter of my life,” I began to cry that, in addition to working so hard in a little -known spectacle that would later become part of the cultural spirit, she and many of her distribution partners became parents at the same time. In an emotional position after the death of his former co -star Andre Braugher, Fumero attributed him for encouraging her not to feel guilty when he asked to take a break from work to make time for his family.
Fumero has even begun to see parts of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” with their 8-year-old son, who told him that older children in his school were beginning to ask if his mother was Amy. “I thought, ‘Very good, I should probably know what this is before children in their class are watching him,” he laughed. “He thinks it’s incredible. Is obsessed with Andy [Samberg] and Terry [Crews]. “
As in “Brooklyn”, the new Fumero program “Grosse Pointe” has adopted a similar approach to Birdie to address the breed and ethnicity. “I think it is important that she is Latin, not only because I am playing it, but I think she is a character that we have not necessarily seen before,” said Fumero, referring to her character being a rich and bigger woman who is not afraid of saying what she thinks, and is Latin.
“I am proud that the characters I interpret do not always lead with [their ethnicity]”Said Fumero.” Sometimes it is fine at the time, the right place and context, but it is really important to show the characters of all different origins without that being the center of his character. “
But when they were released for the first time in “Brooklyn” in 2013, Fumero and his co -star Stephanie Beatriz, who is of Colombian and Bolivian ancestry, were convinced that one of them would be fired, because there was rarely a show with two leading Latinos. Then, before filming the pilot, although they looked very different, Fumero and Beatriz agreed to comb their hair differently.
“We didn’t see each other as competition,” said Fumero. “We think, ‘No, we are together in this. How do we keep both? And it was like, “make sure we look really different, make sure our character is really different, make sure everything is different so that they do not get rid of us.”
This initial link has become a friendship of a lifetime, with fumero and Beatriz recently gathering to launch a podcast called “more better.”
“I am really grateful to have her as one of my closest friends and collaborators,” said Fumero. “It’s just another great gift that ‘Brooklyn’ gave me.”
Finding a sense of community has always remained in the center of the spirit of Fumero. When he was 22, he worked with the star of “Jane The Virgin” Gina Rodríguez, who later introduced Beatriz, in a movie that never came out. The two often sympathized on the stereotyped roles for which they were asked to audition.
But through forging more significant connections with other Latinos in Hollywood, Fumero is adopting a practical approach. “We have to try to do more things, more green things,” said Fumero. “Try to bring part of that power in the industry to our community.”
