By Elia Esparza
One of the most anticipated biographical dramas from Netflix is Selena: The Series, about Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla. It highlights the sacrifices made by the family, the band, and Selena to attain her galaxy of success. And, while Selena’s story has a tragic ending, it is the journey that is being told — no stone left unturned– including the casting by Carla Hool.
Recently we interviewed, Julio Macias (On My Block, Jane The Virgin, S.W.A.T.), who portrays Pete Astudillo in the series, one of Tejano music’s most revered vocalists and composers, who was a member of Selena’s band, Selena y Los Dinos.
Astudillo is credited with singing two duets with the famous songbird: 1989’s Amame, Quiereme, and 1992’s Siempre Estoy Pensando en Ti, both of which were nominated for Vocal Duo of the year at the Tejano Music Awards. He also co-wrote some of Selena’s number one hits such as Bidi Bidi Bom Bom, Amor Prohibido, and the BMI award-winners La Carcacha, Que Creias, and Como la Flor.
Macias is best known for his role as Oscar “Spooky” Diaz on the Netflix series, On My Block, the teen comedy-drama streaming television series, which premiered in 2018. A fan favorite for this role with 1.3 million followers on Instagram, he commands respect for both his talent and his leading man looks. Macias shared his insight about his new role on Selena: The Series:
LATIN HEAT: Welcome, Julio! You are one busy guy — tell us about landing the role of Pete Astudillo.
JULIO MACIAS: I never actually read for Pete but I did read for Chris [Perez] a couple of times. It was just a very long audition process. Carla Hool, the casting director, did her due diligence in meeting and auditioning with a lot of actors. I read for the roles of Chris [Perez, portrayed by Jesse Posey], Joe [Ojeda, portrayed by Carlos Alfredo Jr., and others.
But when I booked Pete, I really didn’t know much about him [so] I started to read up on him. I was blown away– he was not only an accomplished duet vocalist but also a composer with an amazing repertoire. He started co-writing with A.B. [Quintanilla] and Selena, so a lot of songs we now love and remember are because of Pete’s contributions. And, as they say in Mexico, “era una balla” [he was like a bullet] — the guy danced, could sing, compose, so they were big shoes to fill for sure.
LH: How familiar were you with Selena’s songs?
JM: I knew about Selena kind of like how everyone else knew her. I mean these songs are songs that you put on…you can’t help but kind of rock…, even if you’re not a Selena fan, it’s one of those songs…your’re just born to love.
LH: But I hear your singing also convinced the producers you were the guy for the role, right?
JM: I read for one of the executive producers, Rico Martinez, and he asked if I could sing, and I said, yeah what do you want. He says ‘anything in Spanish’. So I said I know some mariachi and boleros and I sang La media Vuelta. The room went silent — then they were like, ‘Spooky” can sing!’”
LH: We heard that Noemi Gonzalez had to learn how to play the drums. Did you have to learn to play any instruments?
JM: Noemi…whew, salute to her. She really learned how to play the drum and she kept the beat for us. But no, no instruments. But I did have to learn how to “cumbia”. I did not know that dance and I actually practiced long and hard at the studio. I was consumed and totally dedicated to mastering the dance–my 2-3-kick, back step..in the grocery store…in the shower…while I was cooking.
LH: Selena has become such an icon. In your own words, what has it been like to work on Selena: The Series?
JM: Daunting at first. And then as soon as the cast clicked, it was a blast. We were given the liberty to perform. It was like forming a new band if you will. There were moments when Christian Serratos (who plays Selena) would twirl and I’d say ‘yo am I on stage performing with Selena. This is crazy?’ It was this euphoric energy.
LH: As excited as we are about Selena: the Series, we are also dying to know about On My Block. It was announced that it got picked up for a 4th season. Can you give us some insight into what to expect?
JM: I know kind of where the 4th season is going and I’m very excited to bring this version of Oscar to the public…but that is about all I got…
LH: OK, we’ll take it! We looking forward to seeing what is in store on the fourth season of On My Block, and binging on Selena: the Series. Thank you so much for talking to us.
the first nine episodes of Selena: The Series are currently straming on Netflix.
Production company and producers: Campanario Entertainment and Q Productions. Executive producers: Moisés Zamora, Suzette Quintanilla, AB Quintanilla, Jr., Rico Martinez, and Hiromi Kamata
Selena: The Series’ main cast consists of: Christian Serratos as Selena, Ricardo Antonio Chavira as Abraham Quintanilla, Seidy Lopez as Marcella Quintanilla , Gabriel Chavarria as AB Quintanilla, Noemi Gonzalez as Suzette Quintanilla, Julio Macias as Pete Astudillo, and Jesse Posey as Chris Perez