Elizabeth Grullon – Party of Five

By starrymag | March 4, 2020

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

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

 

A) Right now, I’m in the final stages of post of my directorial debut, a dramatic short entitled ASH. I have a beautiful episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” coming up that I’m actually really excited about “Po5” and “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order” have kept me pretty busy.

 

Q) How was your character on “Party of Five” originally described to you?

 

A) She was described as a passionate and kind activist. I personally practice meditation and study compassionate warriors like Thich Nhat Hanh and Martin Luther King Jr. so I took that and ran with it.

 

Q) Was there anything you added to her that wasn’t in her breakdown?

 

A) I added myself. That may sound silly but that’s the one thing we as actors can really bring to what the writer has developed, all of ourselves, and I think that happens inevitably. I think I brought a grounded-ness, a sense of intellect and inner peace.

 

Q) Were you familiar at all with the series prior to joining the cast?

 

A) I was familiar with the original but not the reboot. I watched the trailer after I found out I was booked on the show and immediately was filled with energy and gratitude because I realized, “Oh I’m working on something that really matters.”

 

Q) Were you looking forward to sharing a scene with anyone(s) in particular?

 

A) All of my stuff is with Emily Tosta for the most part. She’s a powerhouse. I hadn’t seen her work on “Mayans,” but I did a little research on her before meeting her and learned that she is from the Dominican Republic, where my family is from, which is pretty cool. Then when I met her in person it just clicked. We immediately became friends and supporters of each other. When we saw each other in the hair and makeup trailer at 5 am on our first day working together we screamed and jumped up and down! [laughs]

 

Q) What were some of your favorite moments from filming (on screen or off)?

 

A) I loved filming the first time we meet Sully, when she’s confronting an ICE agent in a parking lot. It was so exciting to do a big outdoor scene getting in someone’s face on my first day of work. Off screen, there were so many hilarious moments. One that jumps to mind was when we were shooting the giant fundraiser scene. The wonderful Michael Medicola directed that episode and there were so many cast members and extras and moving pieces, so we were there in to the wee hours of the night and things got pretty giggly and delirious! [laughs]

 

Q) What does it mean to be in a series that features so many lead characters that are LatinX?

 

A) It means a lot. It means diverse representation – not only in the sense of so many LatinX talent from different countries and backgrounds getting work but also diverse characters with different types of personalities, storylines, coping mechanisms, wounds etc. That’s important. The more conversation we spark by bringing empathy building stories like this in to people’s living rooms, the better. The world needs help understanding that we are all more alike than we are different and our differences should be celebrated and marveled at – not ignored and not used to rationalize fear and hate. I’m honored to be part of a series that helps in that way.

 

Q) How does it feeling getting to be a part of such an iconic series?

 

A) It feels amazing!! Such a privilege for me and a point of real pride for my family. It’s awesome to represent afro-Latinas, portray a strong woman who is fiercely protecting her community and be able to speak a little Spanish on screen. It feels really good after, so many years of trying to find my spot in this town and feeling so misunderstood in rooms.

 

Q) What kind of fan feedback have you been receiving to the series?

 

A) It’s been incredible. I believe the Rotten Tomatoes score is something like 95%. It’s such a testament to the gorgeous work of the five main cast and the creators of the show.

 

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

 

A) Oh wow. No one has ever asked me that before – what a beautiful question.  I want to say THANK YOU! Thank you for seeing me in a world where women like me can all too easily be invisible. And I want them to know that they matter, their dreams matter and they belong here. xo