Goya Robles – Get Shorty

By starrymag | April 28, 2020

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) What are other recent projects are you working on?

A) I’m cooking in the kitchen right now!  I have two scripts I’m developing, as well as a fundraising collaboration event I do annually called Paint The Mic. Paint The Mic is a collaboration between visual artists and performing artists who create original work based on a theme. The artists involved teach workshops to a specific community in need and we host an event that raises money and other resources to help accomplish the vision of a non-profit organization we collaborate with.  It’s a really special event.

Q) How did you get the role of Yago for “Get Shorty?”

A) I wasn’t really going out on many auditions. The few I did go out on, I always did my best, but I wasn’t always right for the role.  It’s so frustrating to go on auditions one every couple of months to just hear the word “no” over and over again. It got to a point that I was having trouble just making enough money for rent every month and I was considering letting go of the grind for an acting career. So, when my manager called me up and said that she got me an appointment to be seen for the role of Yago, she said, “You can actually book this.” She never said that to me before. And I figured, I’m gonna have to approach this in a way that I’ve never approached an audition before if I want a chance at a different outcome. And that’s what I did. I reached out to three people that I respected the most and coached with them.  They all had very different contributions to my creative process.  And I worked hard on it.  It paid off because once I arrived at the audition place all I did was relax.  I didn’t try to go over lines.  I just got connected to my body.  And it paid off.  I knocked the audition out the park.

Q) How was Yago from “Get Shorty” originally described to you?

A) As a “hot head” who is out to get Miles, played by Chris O’Dowd.  I think the fun came when I was able to bring a real vulnerability to the role.  I believe bad guys don’t usually know they are bad.  They think they are doing the right thing.  So, that’s how I saw Yago.  I also didn’t know that Yago was written to die at the end of the first season.  No one told me this while I was there, so it was a hell of a gift to be able to stay and become an integral part of the story.

Q) Were there any parts of him that you added that wasn’t in his initial breakdown?

A) In my training, I like to research an animal that feels like the character I’m doing work on.  From studying its habitat, it’s relationship to other animals, climate, etc. – all this allows me to start embodying this info through private rehearsals.  For Yago, I worked on a spotted hyena because it’s a matriarch, the highest-ranking male is still lower than the lowest ranking female.  It was details like this that helped me connect to Yago on more of a primal level.

Q) What continues to challenge you about portraying Yago?”

A) Generally, I tend to be more laid back.  I’m an introvert and when I’m dealing with personal issues, I’m usually the one going inward and being super hard on myself.  Yago is the opposite of that. He still feels very deeply, but it becomes everyone else’s fault why he encounters so many problems.  It’s a character flaw that I tap into which has a lot of robust energy that is always being externalized.  Yago has so much volatile energy, so I have to work in a way that pushes me to get out of my personal comfort zone in order for me to access the core of who Yago is.  It’s a really great challenge for me.

Q) Who were you most looking forward to working with in Season 3?

A) To be honest, working with every single person I did was an incredible journey.  I learned something from everyone, which makes my work feel like I’m a kid in a playground.  Lidia [Porto] feels like my mom. So, working with her didn’t require too much effort.  There was an ease to it.  And Chris and Ray [Romano] are very intelligent artists who know comedy in a way that makes it exciting to be a part of.

Q) What have been some of your favorite episodes to show?

A) In Season One, I love episode 3, The Yips.  The way the writers wrote Yago in this episode really set the bar for how crazy the show was gonna get!  I also loved episode three in Season Two.  Here you really get to see a vulnerable side to both Yago and Lidia Porto, who plays Amara De Escalones.  You start to see the disfunction of their relationship and what paranoia can do to people who love each other.

Q) With such intense material, how did you shake off a long day of shooting?

A) I always try to do something to acknowledge the work I did.  Whether it was an ice cream or a walk or just relax.  Sometimes I’ll write in free form as a way to let go of any judgement or unfinished thought processes that I may have coming out of the scene.  I think it’s important to make time to decompress.  It helps clear my body of any residual emotions from the work.

Q) You are a part of social media. What kind of fan feedback have you received to your time on “Get Shorty?”

A) People genuinely love the show.  I’ve had people reach out and be surprised by the cast.  And I’ve gotten stopped at the most random places.  One time I took my mom on a vacation last year in Grenada.  I was in the supermarket and as I’m picking up a loaf of bread someone says, “Aren’t you that Yago guy? We are visiting from Canada and we love you!” I’ve gotten nothing but love, which makes me happy because being on the show has been such a creative experience and it makes me happy to know that people receive it so well.

Q) What do you think it is about “Get Shorty” that continues to make it such a fan favorite series?

A) I feel like it’s closer to the tone of the book.  It doesn’t try to replicate the feature film, which was also a great movie.  It’s gritty, funny, shocking, and moving all at the same time.  It doesn’t insult the intelligence of the audience.  The story is outrageous without making you think that it’s unrealistic.  Being able to pull that off is a testament to the writing.  The writers are so, so good and I’m honored to be a part of something so good.

Q) What can you tell us about the short film Wonder? 

A) Wonder is about an 11-year old kid from “the hood” who secretly dreams of becoming Wonder Woman for Halloween.  It is a story about the struggle to raise a child who is dealing with the questions that come with one’s search for identity, as well as the inner conflict of a father dealing with what it takes to accept someone you have committed to loving.

Q) What role do you play in this short film?

A) I am the executive producer of the project.  My brother Javier Molina directed the film and my boy Gabriel Furman wrote and starred in the project.  Although I do love being in front of the camera, I also really wanted to be a part of such a heartfelt creative expression of people that I am close to.  As soon as I read the script and knowing personally the capabilities of both these men, I wanted to make sure I did everything in my power to help them succeed.  I know they would do the same for me if they were in my position.

Q) What important message do you want audience members to take away from watching Wonder?

A) That acceptance of something we don’t understand is the responsibility of not only the individual but the community.  And ignorance isn’t a bad word.  If someone doesn’t know something and is open to communicating with you, it’s crucial that we take care of that space so that a teachable moment can take place. We live in a time now where all ignorance is viewed as a threat.  And many times it is.  But if we are to grow as a people, we have to learn the ability to have nuance in how we see things.  It would be a great thing if we could bring patience when ignorance shows up, at least when it’s not a threat.

 

Q) Where can our readers find you on social media?

A) You can find me on Instagram and Twitter: @goyarobles

You can also check on my websites: www.goyarobles.com; www.paintthemic.org