Niko Guardado – Party of Five

By starrymag | January 22, 2020

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) Outside of “Party of Five” what have you been busy working on?

 

A) Just myself. Nothing professionally, in a sense. Just auditioning every now and again. I’m actually starting to develop my own sports podcast, which is fun. That’s been taking up some time. Right after we wrapped filming we had Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. Now, we have all of this press with the premiere. So, I’ve just been chilling out with family.

 

Q) What initially made you want to be a part of “Party of Five?”

 

A) When I first received the script from my agent it was the pilot. I remember reading it and halfway through I was like, “This is good!” Every aspect – the timeliness of the topic, the family dynamic and the characters; how the deportation affected them differently. Everything was just great about it. I remembered really wanting this role. It was one of those roles where you’re like, “Okay, I want this.” What first attracted me was the pilot script.

 

Q) How was the role of Beto originally described to you?

 

A) He was a kid that was trying to get through high school. He was a kid in high school who is athletic but was struggling with school and going through that awkward stage of life. In terms of girls and stuff like that and his parents getting deported, he finds out that is who he is meant to be. He’s a father figure to his siblings, takes over his father’s footsteps, carries on the journey of his family and steps up in ways that his older brother wasn’t.

 

Q) Was there something you added to Beto that wasn’t in his initial breakdown?

 

A) No, not really. Obviously you show up to sit with ideas in your head of certain aspects that you want to do, but Amy [Lippman] and the writers did such a good job of describing descriptively with so much detail how they wanted this character’s arc to be and how they wanted this character to go from Point A to Point B that they did the hard work for me. There was definitely a lot of stuff there I could play with in terms of his humor and stuff like that.

 

Q) Did the cast spend much time together before filming to develop a familial bond?

 

A) Instant family history at the chemistry read, which that is what they are for – the chemistry. We read with different actors and they were all extremely talented, but it was the group that we were booked with that it didn’t feel like an audition. It just felt like we were actually able to play. After that we got booked and Emily [Tosta] invited us over for her mom’s cooking. We get together every now and then and then it was really the pilot when we solidified our sibling bond. We are basically held captive in a hotel. [laughs] All we had was us. We were in a hotel and it was a foreign country. It was just us to bond with and talk to and that really helped.

 

Q) What have been some of your favorite moments from filming the show?

 

A) I am a kid who is trying to find his way in life and being able to play that just came second nature. I feel like I’m so similar to Beto in multiple ways. When I was at his stage in life, I feel like we were very similar and I feel like to be able to play a character that would probably be a best friend to you is awesome. Then, behind the scenes there was a different memory every day. We were laughing about something or we pick each other up. We have serious talks about life with Emily and Brandon [Larracuente]. I talk to all about life as well. It’s just a memory I would never take for granted and I will cherish for the rest of my life.

 

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

 

A) It means the world coming from a side of culture that doesn’t speak Spanish. My grandparents came here and they were told they were in America now so not to speak Spanish. They were told you have to speak English. I never got the Spanish-speaking thing down, so never in a million years did I think I would be at the forefront of a project that was representing LatinX asked people and the culture in the community. I never thought I would be at the forefront. That has brought me closer to my culture. I was always proud to be Latino, but now I just want to wear it on my sleeve and tattoo it on me in all sorts of ways. It meant the world.

 

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

 

A) I was not familiar with this show. When I got the audition my mom was like, “Party of Five?! Do you know what that is? I was a fan of it. It was a big show back in the day.” I kind of did a little research but it wasn’t until after I booked it that I realized how much of a big deal it was. And I watched a little bit of it on Netflix – just a couple episodes of it. It’s a great show but I think what took away the pressure was that these are completely different families and completely different circumstances and completely different characters. It took the pressure off it being a reboot and a remake. It means the world to have fans of the original reach out to us to say that they enjoy our take on it, which is awesome.

 

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

 

A) At the beginning, when we first got announced, people were skeptical and rightfully so. People bonded with the Salingers and bonded with these characters like Bailey, Charlie, Claudia and Julia. I get it. But then there are people who are giving us a chance and they are surprised by it. I think they’ve enjoyed it. People also reached out to us who are going through the same thing that the Acostas are going through – with their parents or family member being deported. They are like, “I can finally relate to a show and characters.” It’s really surreal and it’s just very humbling and it grounds you. It grounds you and it’s been an awesome ride that is just starting. For the fans of the show that like the original that like our take and the ones that are new fans that are coming in it means the world that they are watching it and they like it.

 

Q) What do you hope viewers take away from watching “Party of Five?”

 

A) I hope that they take away hope – a sense of hope and comfort. If they are going through it or know people who are going through it (or even if you don’t know anyone going through it) this is just a family. I hope they get a sense of who you turn to when times are getting tough and family doesn’t necessarily mean blood. There are also the family you choose and your friends. Who are you going to turn to when the world knocks you down to lend a hand? This is what the show is about. Deportation is the theme of the show, but the ultimate thing to the show is the family and the dynamic. I think that viewers will be able to relate to that and the characters in many ways.

 

Q) We have loved seeing you on “The Goldbergs” portraying Ruben Amaro, Jr. Are there any upcoming episodes we can look out for you to be in?

 

A) Unfortunately, not. I’ve been so busy with that. I did get to be in an episode of “Schooled” a couple months back, which was so awesome. I wish them all nothing but the best. Great creators, great crew, grew cast…That was my first big thing that I was able to book and be a part of. I’m so glad that I got to do a sliver of such a successful show. I have nothing planned, but would I go back? In a heartbeat, of course. I’m excited to see where they go after this season. I hope they get picked up for many, many more.

 

Q) What was it like for you getting to meet the real Ruben Amaro, Jr.?

 

A) If you’re in the industry of entertainment or you’re in the culinary industry or business industry – you have small worlds. When two industries cross, it makes it like really small. Ruben Amaro, Jr. has gotten hits off my dad! My dad played professional baseball for years and the fact that I’m playing a guy who got a hit off of him is crazy! You can’t write this stuff. When I booked the part, my dad was doing Spring Training (my dad was coaching for The Twins and Ruben was coaching for The Red Sox). They saw each other at Spring Training and talked about how I was playing him. It was amazing! I met him in Boston, finally, and it was so cool! That’s all I can say to describe it. It was such a cool moment between us. Then, he got to come on and play my dad, which was amazing. Adam Goldberg, who wrote the show, just has a special magical way of making things come together and blend reality with entertainment. That’s what it is about! It ultimately is about his reality and his childhood. It was just great. It was awesome!

 

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

 

A) I’d love to say thank you. Thank you for tuning in and for following along this journey because this is what I love to do. I hope you can see that through the screen. Also, it’s been hard in terms of staying true to your dreams. Anybody out there…It’s so cliché to say that everybody’s dreams are valid, but it’s so true. It’s only cliché because it’s so true. Stick to what you want to be in life. Light your dreams on fire because nobody else will for you.