Yara Martinez – Deputy

By starrymag | January 9, 2020

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

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

A) I’m going to do an episode of “Bull,” but I’ve pretty much been focused on “The Deputy.”

Q) How was your character Paula originally described to you?

A) She was described as someone who can stand their own against Bill (Stephen Dorff), who is the main character. She’s very strong, strong-willed, probably a little stubborn and the rock of the family and the strength of the family. Also, she’s the Head County Surgeon at the County Hospital.

Q) What did you find challenging about portraying Paula?

A) For Paula, it’s such a different shift than what I’ve been doing for the past five years playing pretty out there characters. With Luisa from “Jane the Virgin” and Flint on “The Tick,” they were pretty bigger than life and just bigger. It’s just more of a grounded show than those two shows and the two character. So, for me it was challenging to find a way to still be playful and light. In such a heavy, dark drama I just really wanted to bring something – a new dimension – and not just make it all drama, but at the same time keep it realistic. So, that was a challenge for me.

Q) Were you hesitant to take on another doctor role after playing one on “Jane the Virgin” or were they so different characters that It didn’t even matter they were both physicians?

A) They were totally extreme, opposite characters. The only thing they had in common is that I wear a doctor’s coat in like the first episode. [laughs] That’s pretty much it. That wasn’t something that I wasn’t concerned about at all. If anything, I was more concerned about taking on the role of a mother and a wife. That is just so different than anything I’ve been doing for the last five to eight years.

Q) Talk about working with Stephen Dorff.

A) I love working with Stephen. He’s definitely a different lead than the shows that I have been on before, just because of the nature of the work. I really love the chemistry that we’ve found between Paula and Bill and also Valeria [Juaregui], who plays our daughter Maggie. There is something special between the three of us. I really, really enjoy everything that we are doing and playing off of each other. He’s really pleasant and I feel like I can play. If something isn’t working, we can just try something else. I really trust him as an actor. He’s all about the work and really has the best intentions for the character and for the show at all times.

Q) What makes Paula and Bill work so well together as a couple?

A) I think they really love each other. For them family comes first, even though both of them have jobs that keeps them away from home a lot. These characters’ and this world, there is right and wrong. There is a whole bunch of gray, but for them it’s really about family, it’s about doing the right thing, it’s about helping people and it’s about saving lives. And I think that ambition and that passion is something that connects them to each other. And I think the fact they can both lean on each other when one person is having an off day because they both know what’s it like (but in very different ways because their jobs are so different) the common denominator of saving lives and dealing with a part of humanity that most people don’t deal with on a daily basis. Everything that goes on in the hospital and everything that goes on in the streets. So, I think having the strength for each of them on their own to be able to deal with that and then be able to come home and lean on each other is what attracts them and keeps them going.

Q) Obviously you’ve portrayed a doctor before, but did you do any kind of work to prep for stepping into the role of a surgeon?

A) I did, only for the pilot. I spoke with a few doctors and I saw a bunch of documentaries about being a trauma surgeon. I also have a fourteen-year-old daughter on the show so I was paying more attention to relationships I would see on the streets or even the actress that plays her and her mom. I would just be more sensitive and aware without disturbing them to use some tidbits to use for Paula and Maggie. It was pretty light. I didn’t go and shadow a surgeon. I would have, but we just didn’t have time. It was minimal research, but then there is Rosa on set who is our Medic/Doctor who helps us with making sure that everything we are doing is legit on set. I kind of pick her brain all the time, every episode, and look at her after a take to make sure I don’t look like a complete idiot.

Q) What can you tease are some of your upcoming favorite moments from episodes filmed so far?

A) I don’t know how much I can tease, but I will say that I think it is episode four that the actress Paola Nunez comes on as a guest star. There is a lot of tension in that episode that I appreciate, and I really enjoyed working with her. Episode seven is a very Paula heavy episode and a really high stakes. I don’t want to give it away, but it really high stakes. I’ve never done an episode like that. So, I’m curious to see it and how they were able to pull it off. I just hope people love Bill, Paula and Maggie. I hope they really, really like the family dynamic and it can provide a little bit of light for people.

Q) Is that what you think is also what will make the show standout in the current TV landscape?

A) I think, honestly, the actors on the show are phenomenal. If I’m not in a scene, I just sit and watch, and I’m completely blown away and inspired by all of the actors on the show. It’s an extremely strong ensemble and it’s also shot in a way that is not really done on major network television. It feels like a film. Even though it’s cops, deputies and bad guys and all this action, a t the end of the day it’s really a relationship drama between all of these characters. I think that it is going to satisfy people for a really entertaining hour.

Q) You are a part of social media. Are you looking forward to the instant fan feedback you’ll receive to episodes?

A) Yes! Oh my God! I’m so curious! I have a love/hate relationship with social media, but I can’t wait to see what people think of this show. It’s wild. I’m just here in Albuquerque and I’ve been shooting this for months now with no one seeing anything – not even myself! I’ve only seen the pilot and some stuff on the second and third episode. So, I’m just really curious to see what the feedback is. I can’t wait!

Q) We loved seeing you on “Jane the Virgin.” What did you personally take away from your time on the series?

A) I loved “Jane the Virgin.” Personally, the relationships. We all still keep in touch and we’re close friends. Just everyone on that show has really just been a source of inspiration. That’s something that I think we’ve kind of held on to tightly. And I really, really appreciate it. I’m just so grateful to Jennie Urman, the creator of that show, for providing a space where I really felt free to play and at the same time taken care of. Knowing the power that comes with that, to really allow people to shine is something that I can offer to people in the future.

Q) Did you keep any mementos from your time on the show?

A) No, I didn’t. I thought about it while we were shooting, but I was like, “I don’t know…” I didn’t take anything from Marbella. I kind of regret it. I don’t know what I would have taken. I just left it. I just took some memories.

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

A) I’m so grateful for all the support. I really hope to make them proud of my work. Maybe I’m not the best at social media and getting back to people, but I honestly really do think about everyone that watches the work and hopefully provides some kind of love through my work.