A Latino actor has by no means received an Emmy for excellent lead actor in a drama sequence, and “Will Trent” star Ramón Rodríguez hopes he’ll be the one to interrupt that barrier.
“It’s a tragic and unlucky actuality,” the Puerto Rican actor mentioned. “It’s not why I do what I do, clearly. However does it matter? After all it does. As a result of what it does is it offers it a stamp of worth.”
“It form of says, ‘Oh wow, this present is critically acclaimed,’” Rodríguez mentioned. It might point out that Latino actors can lead a tv sequence with “a compelling story and character.”
Within the historical past of the Emmys, solely three Latinos have been nominated in that class: Pedro Pascal, who was nominated in 2023 for his starring function in “The Final of Us;” Jimmy Smits, who was nominated 5 consecutive occasions from 1995 to 1999 for his efficiency in “NYPD Blue”; and Jose Ferrer in 1953, when the class was simply referred to as “finest actor.”
From changing into a number one determine in reinventing police procedurals to beginning his personal manufacturing firm “to inform our tales,” Rodríguez is trying to make a distinction at a time when few Latinos are main TV reveals.
“It’s scary. … I place a whole lot of strain on myself by way of desirous to proceed to raise,” Rodríguez mentioned concerning the “sort of unstated” accountability that comes with being a part of the 4% of on-screen TV expertise who’re Latinos.
“Being Latino and Puerto Rican, there’s little question that’s one thing I’m very acutely aware and conscious of,” Rodríguez mentioned. “I’m standing on shoulders of people that’ve paved that and made it somewhat simpler for me. I’m hoping to make it somewhat bit simpler for many who observe.”
“Will Trent” is predicated on Karin Slaughter’s bestselling books of the identical title. It follows a dyslexic orphan who endured bodily trauma and abuse as he aged out of the foster care system in Atlanta. The character turns into an intuitive detective on the Georgia Bureau of Investigation who solves circumstances others can’t.
“Will is an underdog,” Rodríguez mentioned. “All of these issues are very loaded, heavy, monumental sort of moments in folks’s lives.”
“I shortly fell in love together with his resilience and his coronary heart, that are sort of deeply buried. I like that about him,” Rodríguez mentioned of his character.
Will Trent’s beloved sidekick Betty, a pocket-sized Chihuahua he reluctantly adopted in Season 1, is probably the one character who can at all times faucet into the cruel detective’s delicate aspect.
“There’s such an exquisite story there that form of says a lot about who Will is,” Rodríguez mentioned.
Regardless of combined opinions from critics, audiences have proven up for “Will Trent,” which can begin filming its fourth season later this summer season, in line with Rodríguez.
The sequence, which airs on ABC and streams on Hulu and Disney+, amassed a median of 11.6 million viewers throughout a number of platforms through the 2024-25 season, in line with Nielsen, which places “Will Trent” among the many 10 most watched TV reveals on prime time.
“The writers do a improbable job of balancing comedy and drama,” Rodríguez mentioned. “That’s a tough factor to do.”
Because the actor who performs Will Trent and the present’s government producer, Rodríguez mentioned he’s closely concerned in each side of bringing this character to life.
He recalled shedding his “Nuyorican” accent to create a dialect reflective of his character’s distinctive experiences and creating Will Trent’s signature look: a retro three-piece swimsuit that serves virtually like a protecting armor for a personality who struggles to indicate his weak aspect.
“He’s very totally different than another character I’ve portrayed, which is thrilling,” mentioned Rodríguez, who can be identified for enjoying memorable characters in TV reveals together with “The Wire,” “Day Break” and “The Affair.”
Season 4 of “Will Trent” is predicted to air on ABC early subsequent 12 months, Rodríguez mentioned.
