Ivonne Coll – Glee

By: Lisa Steinberg

Q) You are currently starring as a Grandmother on three shows! Are you enjoying playing the triple roles?

A) What a crazy thing because I started on “Switched At Birth” like three years ago as a reoccurring character and then “Glee” came about. Now that I have this series regular role on “Jane The Virgin,” the other shows wanted me to complete my characters with them. They allowed me to do one more episode of each. “Switched at Birth” has not used me yet, but I was on “Teen Wolf,” where I don’t play a grandmother. I play a huntress. On “Glee,” they allowed me to come back for one more episode, but because it was the final season of the show they allowed me to do two final episodes. Looking at the comments from fans, I just realized I am everyone’s grandmother! I also recently did a webseries called “East Los High” that I have been doing for a couple of years, too. There I play another grandmother who worked in a bontanica, read Tarot cards and was a scammer. She’s a witch. What I try to do is play a different preference in my heart and in my soul for each one of those grandmothers. For “Glee,” I play my maternal grandmother who was a racist. So, I modeled my character after her because I lived that experience with her. I saw her throw people out of her house because they were not of her color in Puerto Rico. Then, in “Jane The Virgin,” I try to portray basically my mother with her sense of humor and her curiosity she has for life. Not her Catholicism, because my mother is not Catholic, but her demeanor and her personality. Also, I knew for “Switched at Birth” my mother was a hairstylist so I had pieces of my mother for that one, too. That’s how you make them more defined and specific so you aren’t repeating the same characterization from show to show.

Q) What was it like for you finding out you were asked to come back for two episodes of “Glee,” this final season?

A) I loved it! Are you kidding me?! I was looking forward to it because I felt something was unresolved, even though I acted in such a non-loving manner towards my granddaughter because of my own selfish principles. I wanted to not redeem myself as the character because life is not really like that. We’re not good only or bad only. We’re also grey in between. So, I wanted to bring that shade of grey for her too. I saw her humanity, not her compassion, but her humanity. I’m so glad they gave me the opportunity to really redeem the character, especially when you are going to see the wedding. I have scenes with Jane Lynch, who is wonderful, and Gloria Estefan who plays my daughter. I met her that day and it was like seeing family! We knew the same people because I used to be a nightclub singer in the 1970’s so we knew the same composers and arrangers. So, I thought it was a great opportunity for the character to at least show the face of being human, not being this or that. Just being human. They gave me that and I was so happy, you have no idea. The number that Naya sang to me – Oh my gosh! What a spectacular moment in television! It was like hypnotic! She looked like a goddess singing that “Alfie” song! What a compelling and appropriate song for what was about to take place. Then, when the curtain rises and all of them are back there I was so honored to be a part of that scene, just to be able to witness their talents in full in a private manner for Alma. It was incredible for me to have that experience.

Q) What was going through your  mind when she was performing?

A) I think Alma was thinking about the little girl she saw when she was born, the little girl she had hopes for, all the things she wanted her to be and accomplish, and how she has accomplished them – even though we don’t see eye to eye in terms of the way we see life. My granddaughter is a lesbian and Alma is a misogynist, she is a moralist, she is a racist. She doesn’t know any better though because she comes from a generation where this is this and that is that and you don’t go in between. It’s either this or that. That’s it. She is inflexible in that matter, but I think Alma was thinking that all of those things were going through her heart. That little girl and the hopes I had. The woman she has turned out to be in spite of me and she is an incredible woman. She is so talented. I think Alma was taking all of that in, the regret that she can’t be a part of her life because of different lifestyles. As far as Alma is concerned, it’s lifestyles.

Q) Everyone enjoyed watching “Queso Por Dos.” How was filming that scene and were any of the lines ad-libbed at all?

A) Nothing was ad-libbed. Nothing is ad-libbed there, “Jane The Virgin” or “Switched at Birth.” Writers are very adamant about what they write and they like for you to say those words. They are very careful for you to convey what they have written. With “Queso Por Dos,” I even told them it is not “queso por dos,” it should be “queso para dos.” The writers said, “Oh! Well, this is something we have been doing for seasons now.” I said, “Well, since she is a North American girl then it is okay if she makes a mistake.” So, to me, as a Hispanic person listening to that, I know that “Queso Por Dos” is incorrect. I told them, but it didn’t matter. I think for Brittany’s character if she makes that mistake then why not? The way she spoke Spanish was very cute and also many things that didn’t make any sense what she was saying. That’s okay because it is Brittany’s character who goes off in these diatribes. They asked if I was able to correct her if she needs it and I said, “No, she has to sound exactly how she has to sound. If she makes a mistake, she makes a mistake because she’s American and that’s exactly how she has to sound.” When Americans speak Spanish, we delight in the mistakes that they make. Like Americans delight in the mistakes we make when we are speaking English. “Queso Por Dos” was a delightful experience. I didn’t know what was going on in the beginning. I think Alma didn’t know what the hell was going on either! I think she was a little up in the air. Especially when I say, “Your cats are reading?!” It’s like, “What?!” I think Alma entered that artificial world of crazy, especially when she relays the story of her husband, which was so absurd and funny the way she wrote it.

Q) What was it like getting to work alongside Heather Morris?

A) She is a wonderful, wonderful actress and what an incredible dancer! Oh my gosh! She is so stylized and so beautiful. What a beautiful person! The actors they chose to play her parents are the perfect people.

Q) What can you tell us about what we may be able to see with the upcoming Brittana wedding?

A) Well, there is going to be a surprise added to the wedding and that will be very appealing to the fans of the show. I can’t say too much! There will be an extra surprise besides the wedding that is in the wedding. And there will be numbers galore that are just extraordinary with the dancers and the singers! There is even a special number with the mothers. So, Gloria will be singing with the other mothers. There will kind of be dancing and singing. It’s a great wedding! They chose to do it in a barn and so it was kind of cold. Then, one thing that was so funny for me to see was Dot Marie Jones, as her transgendered character, take Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) out to dance. Jane’s expressions and she is dancing with him…It was so precious! There are precious little moments all over the place in the episode.

Q) Were you familiar with the Brittana fandom at all and their love for this relationship?

A) I was not at all aware ever because I don’t tweet. This is the first time in my life that I have tweeted because for “Jane The Virgin” they kind of made us. So, I am new in this world. Then, all of a sudden, when I saw the explosion of tweets about Brittany and Santana – there were like hundreds! They are from straight people to gay. Everybody! It’s amazing and I appreciate the fact they are tweeting. Someone tweeted that they were appreciative for the LGBT muse. For them to know humans like this, but that there is still love at the end…It’s very interesting. I never thought that my character would effect a community or that my character would be important to have represent in that community – because most gay people go through rejection in their family. Not that all the fans are gay, but many of them are and now all of a sudden I have so many people following me. I had no clue. I had no idea what it means and now I have like 3,000 followers and I think that 1,000 or 2,000 are just from “Glee!” Who knows? I had the opportunity to run into Ryan Murphy at the Golden Globes and I thanked him for my part. He is such an extraordinary producer and director. “Glee,” what a special treat. All those kids are grown now! We have seen them grow.

Q) How does it feel for your character Alma to be getting this redemption, too?

A) I think it is great because I think now Alma is going to be able to live a healthier life. Because my daughter, Maribel (Gloria Estefan), comes up to me at the wedding and we have a wonderful little talk because our characters had a rift between us, too. We make up. So, I think it renews Alma to have a good life now and a healthier, happier life. In spite of the fact she doesn’t understand, she is accepting the reality of what it is and love overcomes any other kind of emotion in her life now. Love for family is more important for her than any religious acquired principles, socially acquired principles or what her friends will say about her. It’s more important to have the love of her family again. And she does after this episode. She regains that love. She needs it because she is alone and she is getting old.

Q) Is there a character you would like to play in the future?

A) I wish I was playing a role like Christine Baranski on “The Good Wife.” She is a professional woman who is in charge of a law firm. I don’t know. I wish at some point that I am also seen in that light. I am an actor who has trained extensively and done other works in the American theater. I have done parts that are not grandmothers at all. This is just a phenomenon that has happened to me over the past few years. I’m everybody’s grandmother and I don’t have children in real life! I am not a mother in real life or grandmother for that matter, but I still take from observing my life around me, my friends and people I know. You absorb from life and just portray it.

Q) Is there anything else you would like to share about all the projects you are working on?

A) My next episode of “Glee” is the wedding. And the fandom is going to love that episode because there is a double surprise in the wedding. With “Jane The Virgin,” my character of Alba is starting to find an attraction to Cheech Marin’s character. He is in her physical therapy group. She is kind of interested in this man and let’s see where that will take us. It’s a new situation for her and also we will be dealing next season with babies on the set! With “Jane,” there are going to be many surprises because her emotional life is kind of like a rollercoaster. She’s trying to find love and do what is best for her child. Jane is still a virgin, but in Alba’s mind this girl is not ready to become a mother. So, all of these things she thinks and feels are still in the realm of a young woman who has not prepared herself for marriage or motherhood. All of these new things are going to be effecting Alba, especially her love life! Let’s see where it takes me… I’m looking forward to that!