Diana Maria Riva – Telenovela

By: Jamie Steinberg

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

A) In the last year, I’ve had some great stuff come out. I was in McFarland, USA with Kevin Costner. I had an amazing role in it playing the mother of three brothers on the cross country team. It was very impactful to have these boys have their chance at pursuing their dreams. I also had a lovely bio-picture come out called Love & Mercy about Beach Boy’s member Brian Wilson. It was with John Cusack, Elizabeth Banks, Paul Dano and Paul Giamatti. I had an amazing role in it of this woman who was in the mess during the later years of the story. So, those two coupled with wrapping production on “Telenovela” have been great.

Q) How was your character, Mimi, originally described to you?

A) Mimi was described as Ana Sofia’s best friend who is there for her when she needs it and is constantly kind of talking her down off a cliff, but yet still ends up getting trapped up in her stuff. They get into trouble together so she is her partner in crime. She is the voice of reason in this group of crazy characters, but yet she has her own comedy going on. She is the single mother of three unruly boys. She hasn’t gotten out and been social for a long time so Ana Sofia is always trying to get her out and help her get her groove back on.

Q) What made you want to be a part of the show?

A) The script was hilarious and when I read it I laughed out loud! I thought the backdrop of the televnovela and behind the scenes was very fresh and never has it been done. I thought it was an interesting playground. I loved the characters and you could clearly see the arcs they could have and the dynamics between Mimi and Ana Sofia was something that had howls of comedy between them. I knew that Eva was an incredibly talented woman and the opportunity to work opposite her was a grand opportunity. It was solidified for me when I went into the audition room and she called me in to read with her. She got up and asked me to play with her. Our chemistry was amazing and very improvisational. We bantered with complete ease and I thought, “This is the kind of scene partner that you want, especially in a comedy.” So, I was hooked!

Q) Was that chemistry with the cast instant or did you spend some time to bond?

A) That’s a great question because that has been the most interesting thing about this cast. We met before the pilot and hung out, socialized and had some fun. That’s due to Eva. We’re hanging out at her house, having barbeques and wanting to get to know one another. From the time we did the pilot, we had downtime of about four and a half months before we came into production. During that time, we stayed in touch. We chatted almost every day and went to events together. We had game nights over at Eva’s house. We went to concerts together as a group for fun. We just played! It was just a natural connection between us all. It has progressed since then. We have only gotten closer and tighter. It’s not always the case. It’s not always possible because people don’t necessarily have personalities that blend as part of the work place, but we do and it comes through on screen. The banter between everyone is very musical. It’s wonderful.

Q) You have a knack for comedy. Is it a natural ability for you?

A) Thank you! My career has kind of been a wonderful mix between comedy and drama. If you look at something like Love & Mercy, that was a very heavy film and the burden that my character carried was huge. It was completely unlike this character Mimi. So, I love that I have been given the opportunity to go back and forth. Then, if you look at something like McFarland, USA then it is a little bit of a split down the middle. Comedy has always been something that has come across my desk and I have loved being able to do so much. But I’ll tell you there is nothing like stripping down and getting to the meat and bones of a really heavy story that needs to be told by a really special character. So, I love that I have been allowed to do both.

Q) What are some scenes you are most looking forward to fans seeing this season?

A) What is so great is that everybody has got this thing. Although Mimi is kind of the caretaker on set, she is the costume designer so she has to make sure everybody is dressed (even though they are continuously ripping their clothes off). On that note, they keep putting Mimi in bed with these different men. So, Mimi gets some action on the show. There is a reunion of love, a break up of love and there are fights. There is even a kidnapping! It all ends on a glorious celebratory note at the end of the season that comes crashing down. The thing that was really neat about this show was like a telenovela that only lasts stereotypically three months, our telenovela will change every season. So, the backdrop will change and will be called something different. These same actors will be in a different telenovela. At the end of the season, we reveal what season’s telenovela will be, which is very exciting and very funny.

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

A) It’s obviously the trend and the wave of how we are able to get the word out there about our show. The more you can connect and hear from your fans and support groups for the show, the more we are able to bring back to the show. When we see what they like and don’t like, it does fuel the arc of certain things when you are developing a show. And it’s fun to banter back and forth! It’s amazing to get on there and feel the love and support for the show and hear that you have made a big group of people laugh and enjoy an evening. It’s important for the development of the show and the longevity of  the show. And it is also down right fun.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

A) I’m eternally grateful for the positive feedback I have received in this business and with my work. It means so much to me. It brings me a lot of joy to know that I can entertain you. If I can, it’s an honor to do so. So, the positive feedback has meant so much and I hope to continue to entertain.