With two TV series and a Christmas film under her belt, Diana-Maria Riva has been one busy actress! A series regular the NBC comedy Sunnyside, where she plays the multi-tasking Griselda and working alongside Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Nestor Carbonell, Steve Carell, and Billy Crudup as “Charlene” in two episodes of The Morning Show, she works.

Riva also co-stars in the dark comedy, Dead to Me as Detective Ana Perez, a TV series that has gotten played in over 30 million households worldwide!

Sunnyside, which aired on NBC for four episodes, has been moved to Hulu and NBC.com at 12 PM PT/3 PM ET on Thursdays. As for The Morning Show you can catch Riva on its premiere date, Friday, November 1st on Apple TV.

Also, Riva is set to paly Helen Rojas in the holiday comedy Noelle, a comedy-fantasy, starring Anna Kendrick, Billy Eichner, and Bill Hader, which can be watched on November 12th on Disney +.

To say that Riva has been busy would be an understatement.

Riva hails from Cincinnati, Ohio, where she graduated from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music with a BFA and MFA in Theater Performance. This performing artist with Dominican roots is one heck of an actress!

Early on in her career, Riva started to rack up TV credits with primetime series: Murder One, Party of Five, The X Files, NYPD Blue, The Drew Carey Show, Everybody Loves Raymond, CSI, Less Than Perfect and Castle. She also had recurring roles in Sabrina The Teenage Witch, The West Wing, and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

More recently Riva starred as Lieutenant Ana Ruiz in the 2010 FOX series The Good Guys and she also starred as the mother-in-law of Rob Schneider’s title character in the short-lived CBS sitcom ¡Rob! and worked on Eva Longoria’s short-lived Telenovela. In 2016 she joined the cast of Man with a Plan as Mrs. Rodriguez.

Latin Heat caught up with the hardworking thespian to talk about her work on Sunnyside.

LatinHeat: Since last, we spoke with you (Telenovela & McFarland USA), you have been on a whirlwind! We are super excited about your new sitcom, Sunnyside– can you tell us about your role as the multi-tasking Griselda? 

Diana-Maria Riva: Griselda is an immigrant who holds down somewhere between seven to twelve jobs! And, all the while studying and prepping for her upcoming citizenship test. She’s a whirlwind multitasker and yet still has time to boss her loved ones around. But she’s clearly the maternal figure in the group, and I don’t think there’s anything she thinks she can’t do. Especially obtain the American dream.

LH: Is the fact that Griselda is Dominican, was that by accident or is it because you’re Dominican?

DMR: Matt Murray, the show’s creator, definitely decided to make Griselda “Dominican” when he heard it was my background. The fact that she’s the hardest working woman in Queens, I would say is a character trait that has resonated in women since the beginning of time. Most women are amazing multitaskers, from carrying multiple jobs to caring for children to marriage to social life. We can balance it all AND do a dance while we’re at it!

I love playing a woman who is going for exactly what she wants in this world and works hard to get it. She believes in the dream and I think, even more importantly, she believes in HERSELF. I’ve drawn from a lot of amazing women in my life to bring this character to life…but then again, this kind of woman, mother, has been around since the beginning of time. 

LH:  How is it to work with an ensemble of the extraordinaire array of characters, being led by the fabulous, Kal Penn?

DMR: Kal [Penn] is indeed wonderful and fabulous to work with. He is so very smart, wise and talented and above it all, he’s extremely supportive and uplifting of his castmates. And in this cast of diverse actors, we make each other laugh hysterically on a daily basis. 

LH:  You’ve recently appeared in Netflix’s Dead To Me, is there a difference in how Netflix produces and tapes its shows versus the broadcast TV stations?

DMR: Filming is pretty much the same. The difference is really in being able to stream all episodes on Netflix versus having to wait for one episode a week for network television. They both have their advantages and disadvantages.

LH:   You’ve portrayed many characters – Have you ever turned down a role because it was stereotyped?

DMR: You know, I feel like I’ve had a very blessed career full of a lot of diverse roles. And I’ve never turned down a role due to stereotyping. If anything I think I try and make it my goal as an actor to really tap into and bring out the real human element in the character in a way for the audience to find a reason to connect with that character. I also have a very strong team of smart, fierce and supportive women who represent me in the business, and they have ALWAYS pushed and fought for the roles they believed I should do. Because of that, I’ve had a career full of such a variety of amazing characters that have truly run the spectrum. Those women, my agents, my manager, they’ve thought outside of the box with roles even when I didn’t have to confidence to. 

LH: Have you noticed an improvement? Has the writing evolved to create more realistic Latinx characters?

DMR: I don’t know how much of an improvement I’ve seen with the kinds of Latinx roles. I think the biggest area that has shown very little growth has been shows with Latinx– and in particular Latinas- as the leads of show. Those scripts may be being bought, but not enough are being actually produced and put on the air. I’d like to see substantial growth there. 

LH: What has been the hardest hurdle you’ve encountered in your acting career? If you hadn’t become an actor, what career would you have sought?

DMR: I think the hardest hurdle at times can be the lack of roles. If I hadn’t become an actor I feel I might have become a therapist. And somehow I feel like both careers are related. 

LH:  What advice do you give young Latinas wanting to go into acting?

DMR: I would encourage young Latinas to get their education and pursue a degree in Theater. With a solid foundation in acting training, the avenues are broader. And always remember to fulfill your heart first. This is a career that can take a toll on the human spirit, so a strong sense of self-worth is a wonderful coat of armor.

Thank you Diana-Maria Riva!

Riva is repped by The Kohner Agency, Gateway Management Company, Abrams Artist Agency, and JCPR publicist.

Follow Diana-Maria Riva on Social Media:
Instagram @dianamariariva

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The first time I met Laura Patalano (Alex, Inc., Vida) was in 2017 when by coincidence I ended up working on an indie film where she was one of the lead actresses. I was in awe of her natural ability to embrace her character in full mode– she portrayed a traditional Mexican mom to a modern, rebellious and independent daughter– who had come home for the annual tamalada to reveal a major secret or in the case for this traditional mother, it was more like a nuclear bomb. Since then Patalano has continued to rack up plenty of films, videos, and TV credits that only serve to increase her IMDB STARmeter. Currently, she has a recurring role on Netflix’s Latinx drama series, Gentefied, from Marvin Lemus and Linda Yvette Chavez, and executive produced by America Ferrera.

Check out her impressive acting reel: CLICK HERE

Patalano has continued to steadily build on her acting career as if she’s following a carefully crafted blueprint. No doubt about it, she is on her way up and there is no stopping her. The little girl born in Merida, Yucatan (southeast of Mexico), and raised in Mexico City, has come a long way!

Finally, the interview I’ve wanted to conduct since the day we met!

Latin Heat: At what age did you realize you wanted to be an actress?

Laura Patalano: It was in my teenage years that I knew I wanted to be an actress. From a very young age, I was exposed to many kinds of artistic manifestations from concerts to theatre. My aunt Isabel used to take me to see plays every other weekend, and when I was a child my games were many times related to some kind of performance, but I didn’t know that one day I’d be doing it for a living. In high school, my first acting teacher was Alejandro Bichir, a well-known director. When he saw me in an improvisation class, he approached me and said, ‘You should go to drama school, you are so good.’ Later he sent me the information about El Instituto de Arte Escénico. I was fortunate enough to be the first generation from that school and studied with the best teachers. It is a challenging and prestigious acting school.

LH:  After spending 10 years building up credits in New York City, what inspired you to pick up and move to Los Angeles?

LP: A few factors that inspired me to come to Los Angeles were my professor Jorge Zepeda, the fact that I wanted to be part of a community, and a dream I had one night.  My professor from drama school back in Mexico told me that I would have more opportunities in LA. It’s funny because we were in an improvisation class one day and he cut me off in the middle of a scene and said to me ‘do you speak English? Because if you do, with your look and talent you would be working all the time in Hollywood’. Back then he was living and working as an actor in LA. I guess that stayed with me for many years. Being a Mexican actress in New York, I felt I was part of the minority, while in L.A. I am part of a larger community. And, then there’s that dream– the one in which I was very successful working as an actor in LA.

LH: Tell us about your current role on Gentefied?

LP: I play the role of Beatriz. She is a tough, single mother who is very stubborn, sarcastic and works in a sewing factory in the Fashion District. She is a loving mother who sacrifices so much to keep a roof over her girls’ heads. She is just like many other single mothers out there who for different reasons have to raise their kids on their own. She is pretty much a tough cookie. Unfortunately, Latinas, especially my age and type, don’t have many opportunities to play complex roles in Hollywood as they are constantly typecast. Beatriz, on the other hand, is a multi-dimensional character.

LH: What is it about Gentefied that you hope viewers will most appreciate?

LP: I hope it’s the authenticity of each character and the fact that people will be able to relate to the story and to the characters. Gentrification affects many people in many communities, It is complicated and painful for so many, but most especially for the most vulnerable in communities: low-income, working-class, immigrants, and POC. The show looks at gentrification [displacement] through a lens of humanity, and I really hope that viewers appreciate and learn how the characters deal with gentrification in their community. Gentefied talks about a variety of issues and portrayal of Latinos, and it speaks directly to Latinx communities. Gentefied has a lot of heart and soul, and I am so proud to be part of telling the story.

LH: You’re also currently on the animation Victor & Valentino TV series. How are you enjoying voice-over work? Tell us about Grandma Chata.

LP: Animation is a lot of fun. I love playing Grandma Chata. She is pretty much like my own Grandmother Mamá Grande. She was such a sweet lady and a second mother to me. I tried incorporating all the sweetness from my own Grandmother into Grandma Chata’s character. Victor and Valentino is a cartoon-like no other and it’s not only for a young audience but for adults as well. I’m really excited that Cartoon Network just renewed Victor and Valentino for Season 2. 

LH:  You’ve worked on so many important TV series — Mayans MC, Shameless, Alex Inc., Dexter, The Bridge, and you were even on Jimmy Kimmel playing Guillermo’s mother-in-law, which of these has been most rewarding and, why?

LP:  Each role that I played was important in one way or another. One of the most rewarding roles I played was Rosalba in Alex, Inc. The fact that I was given the opportunity to be part of the show, for such a big network like ABC as a guest star gave me the opportunity to show that I am able to do it, handle it and be good at it. Often times we are not given enough opportunities to show our talent, but I feel like that is changing. I also loved that I was part of the full episode rather than a single scene. Being on set with Zach Braff and Michael Imperioli was such a great and fun experience!

LH: What is more challenging for you—a comedic or dramatic role? 

LP: When I was young and I was studying at drama school, my teachers would give me comedic parts and I used to hate those roles. I wanted to be a dramatic actress. I didn’t know back then that comedy is one of the hardest things to play. Most of the actors can play dramatic roles but not everybody can do comedy. But I am happy [and blessed] that so far, both have come easy for me. 

LH: The late Lupe Ontiveros left a void… Is there anything in the way she worked interpreting her characters that is relatable to you?  Tell us about your own style of comedic timing. I know you’ve been compared to her, yet you’re different–

LP: Lupe Ontiveros was a very talented actress, so it’s always an honor to be compared to her. Sadly, I wasn’t lucky enough to meet her in person. I can relate to her because I have a strong personality just like she did and because she played complex characters just like I do. I believe that comedic timing is something innate and in my personal opinion,­ you either have the timing or you don’t. I feel like this is not something that can be easily learned.

LH: Where do you hope you’ll be in 5 years?

LP: I hope that in five years I will continue to be working a lot and inspiring other women through the characters I portray. Even though acting is my passion, I have an idea for a movie I want to direct about something that happened to my family related to my brother’s death back when I was a teenager. I also have a couple of scripts in mind that I would love to turn into movies as well. 

LH: What advice do you give to younger actresses who get frustrated because work isn’t coming soon enough or consistently?

LP: My best advice for future generations is going to school, learn all you can, do lots of networking and support each other. This is not an easy career. It’s not a marathon, it’s a journey, so enjoy the ride! And most important of all, if this is what you really want:  Never, ever give up!

LH: What is the most gratifying memory or experience you’ve ever had in your acting career that most definitely help reshape how you viewed the future?

LP: The movie Mosquita y Mari marked my life in a very special way. I was cast from my demo reel three days before they started shooting. When the movie screened at Outfest there was a party after the screening and a young fellow approached me and asked, ‘May I hug you? You look a lot like my mother, she passed away three years ago and she never accepted the fact that I was gay.’ That broke my heart. I am a mother of twin daughters and I can’t imagine not having them in my life. I told him, ‘I do believe that we come to this world to be happy. Your mom was raised in a very traditional household. That’s probably why she was unable to understand you. The important thing is that you are here, somebody loves you, embrace who you are!’ We said goodbye and the next day he commented on the film’s Facebook page giving thanks to the movie, and that he had the opportunity to speak to me and that he was able to have closure on his mom’s passing.

After reading his post, I realized work as an actor is very important. We are healers and with the characters that we play, we can touch people’s lives in a very special way. I guess that is what really made me look at the future in a different way.

Thank you, Laura!

Laura Patalano is repped by Daniel Rojo Management. Follow her on social media:

Instagram: @lpatalano 
Twitter: @LPatalano
Facebook: Laura Patalano
Website: www.laurapatalano.com

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