Andrew Leeds – Cristela

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) “Cristela” takes up most of my time. I just got into The Sunday Company through The Groundlings and I’m just starting that in a couple weeks. I’ll be writing and performing there every Sunday, which is going to be an interesting experience to try to juggle it with the time spent on “Cristela.” I’ve also been working on some other writing projects.

Q) As you mentioned, you will be appearing on the show “Cristela.” What made you want to be a part of it?

A) I love multicamera sitcoms. I love the mix between film and theater that it is. You get to perform in front of a live audience and you get to rehearse during the week, which is not like most shows. I think that was exciting and also during pilot seasons you go on auditions and I remember reading the script for this and thinking it was very funny. I really liked the character, but when I went to the audition and got to meet the people I got twice as excited. The writers and producers are all so wonderful and down to earth and generous people. When the first time I got to read with Cristela [Alonzo] I got really excited. I had seen her standup and thought she was really funny, but then when I got to read with her I saw she was a really great actress, too. That was definitely something that was really appealing about it, doing scenes with her. It has proven to be true that she is fun to work with and she is relaxed, loose, spontaneous. That has been a big bonus of the thing.

Q) How was your character Josh originally described to you?

A) It was “Josh, in his early twenties, Cristela’s fellow intern and confidant at the law firm. Josh has been coddled by his parents his whole life. He can’t help, but admire Cristela’s outlook and resilience. He is whip smart and someone who girls would think is sweet and adorable. He has mapped out his future law career and sees his internship at the law firm as the first step in the process.”

Q) Was there anything you added that wasn’t originally scripted for you?

A) I think as you go and do the pilot, things get rewritten for you as they start to get to know you a bit and see what fits well on you and what doesn’t. I think as we have gone on (we have shot six episodes), things have definitely progressed and changed a little bit. It’s hard to say. I think he is a bit oblivious to things going on around him, which wasn’t necessarily there at the beginning, but is kind of fun. By no means is he stupid, but sometimes he is not quite on the same page as everybody else. In the pilot, Cristela says, “My big sister is probably going to throw me out of the house.” Then, I say to her, “My big sister just bought me this messenger bag.” He is not aware of the connection there. She is going through something really tough and he is just delighted his sister bought him this great messenger bag. He has this fun, oblivious quality to him. He also has no knowledge of sports, which is very much similar to me. Cristela and everybody else on the show are into sports. We actually just shot an episode with Mark Cuban, which was exciting for me not because of his relationship with sports, but because he is on “Shark Tank.”

Q) Many people will recognize you from your intense role on “Bones.” What made you want to venture into a more comedic role?

A) It’s always been something that I wanted to do. The opportunities have not been totally available because there was a period when there were a lot more comedies on television, but then they started to dwindle quite a bit and there were all dramas. Then, I think “Modern Family” started the wave back and “The Big Bang Theory” started the wave back to more comedies. Now, they are just more available. It’s something I always wanted to do. After “Bones,” people saw me as a darker, more twisted character. It’s just taken a little while to get back into it, but it is something that I have always really enjoyed doing. As a kid, I was mostly doing more comedic stuff. It just took a little while to get back to that. I’m thrilled to be doing comedy. It’s fun to do drama and that’s great, but it is a very different atmosphere on set. There are much longer days and all the camera men have cameras on their backs for fourteen to fifteen hours a day. Everybody is getting there at five or six in the morning. On a drama, you’re doing everything that you can to fit everything in the day. On a multicamera comedy you have a little bit more time to breathe and try things and experiment. Everybody is a little less tired because the hours aren’t as bad. It’s a more fun atmosphere and you are trying to laugh. You’re not trying to scare people or solve a crime.

Q) What have been some of your most memorable moments from filming “Cristela?

A) Definitely filming with Mark Cuban was exciting and it was my birthday. He just showed up and he was very, very good at acting. That was definitely a moment I’ll never forget. There was also a taping three weeks ago where the audience was out of control. They were laughing at every single little thing and laughing for like five to ten seconds. It was fun having to do the scenes and having to stop and wait while people applauded and screamed. Cristela has so many fans and so does Gabriel Iglesias (who is also on the show) that fans are super pumped when they see them there. I have never had that experience before where there has been such a rowdy audience. Every day I walk in, I’m so grateful to be here. It’s such a great job, such a great place to go and do what you do. Every day is memorable! Thursday night we shoot and then that night we get the script for the next episode. You are always trying to figure out things so it is never boring. Everything is so memorable, but at the same time it is like one gigantic episode. We are constantly continuing the story.

Q) What do you think it is about the show that will make it a fast fan favorite?

A) I think it’s just really good. It’s just a really good, funny, solid, warm sitcom and I don’t think there are a lot of those. It reminds me of “The Cosby Show” and Roseanne.” It’s something that you can watch with your whole family, but it is also adult enough where if you’re an adult you can watch it by yourself and enjoy it. It is suitable for kids, but I also think she is so winning. You root for her so much. Her real story is incredible. She grew up with immigrant parents and lived in an abandoned diner for the first part of her life. Here she is, as the first Latina writer/producer starring in her own show on network television. It’s kind of incredible. Also, her personality is someone you can root for. You just want her to win because I think deep down she is such a warm, nice person who has such a great sense of humor and she’s just so smart. My experience has been that people love watching her. I’ve seen that time and time again, whether it was the pilot episode where people who didn’t know who she was took to her or going to the TCA’s and watching her talk to television critics. I remember sitting up there thinking, “She’s a magnet! Everybody loves to watch her and hear her talk!” She’s just so winning. I think people just tend to fall in love with her and she is naturally talented and gifted. I think that’s a big deal. It’s also a good ensemble. I love watching everybody do their thing and think they are all so funny in their own way. The characters are really good and the stuff she has with her family on the show feels so relatable to me, even though I didn’t grow up in a Mexican family. It has the specificity of that, but still feels like my own family in a way. I would enjoy watching it because of that since I sort of relate to it. I think those are all reasons people will get on board. It’s just a fun show.