'Telenovela' Premieres Tonight, Eva Longoria Says Viewers Will 'Fall in Love With Ana Sofia'
When "Telenovela" premieres on NBC on Jan. 4, actress and executive producer Eva Longoria expects viewers to fall in love with the show's protagonist, Ana Sofia Calderon.
In an interview with Parade, Longoria explained that her character, a telenovela actress who secretly can't speak Spanish, will get the attention of viewers who can relate to her struggle to fit into both Latino and American culture.
"She's actually self‑involved in an insecure way. She doesn't mean to be. She just feels like she is not worthy enough...she's always one foot in, one foot out of this culture, which is really my life story," she said.
Longoria is very similar to her character. Like Ana Sofia, the star spent sometime on a soap opera, "The Young and the Restless," is very involved in the production of the show and is Mexican-American.
The 40-year-old, who recently announced her engagement to her boyfriend Jose Antonio Baston, reported E! Online, also revealed that her experience on "The Young and the Restless" helped her when it came to creating "Telenovela" because it is a show about what happens behind-the-scenes on a soap opera.
Regardless of "Telenovela" being a comedy about a telenovela actress, Longoria has stated that she wanted to showcase the very much unrepresented Latino community, but doesn't want to label it a Latino comedy.
"This is not a Latino comedy, this is a comedy that has universal themes of family and friendship and love and workplace. And it's really funny," she said. "I don't set out to do Latino content, but I have tapped into something that I think reflects the changing landscape of America."
The comedy also stars singer Jencarlos Canela as Xavi, Diana-Maria Riva as Mimi, the costume designer, "Prison Break" star Amaury Nolasco as the villain Rodrigo Suarez, Jose Moreno Brooks as Gael Garnica, Aa Sofia's best friend and love interest on "Las Leyes de Pasión," Jadyn Douglas as Roxie Rios, Alex Meneses as Isabela Santamari, Ana Sofia's rival, and "Chuck" star Zachary Levi, as the network president of VivaVision.
In the show's pilot episode, Ana Sofia and Xavi, her ex-husband who was casted on "Las Leyes de Pasión," battle to be the favorite star on the show and struggle to get along.
While "Telenovela" is officially premiering on Jan. 4, the show was previewed on Dec. 7, 2015 and has received fairly positive reviews from critics.
Check out the pilot episode, courtesy of NBC.com, below.
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