A Latino actor has by no means received an Emmy for excellent lead actor in a drama collection, and “Will Trent” star Ramón Rodríguez hopes he’ll be the one to interrupt that barrier.
“It’s a tragic and unlucky actuality,” the Puerto Rican actor mentioned. “It’s not why I do what I do, clearly. However does it matter? In fact it does. As a result of what it does is it offers it a stamp of worth.”
“It type of says, ‘Oh wow, this present is critically acclaimed,’” Rodríguez mentioned. It might point out that Latino actors can lead a tv collection with “a compelling story and character.”
Within the historical past of the Emmys, solely three Latinos have been nominated in that class: Pedro Pascal, who was nominated in 2023 for his starring function in “The Final of Us;” Jimmy Smits, who was nominated 5 consecutive instances from 1995 to 1999 for his efficiency in “NYPD Blue”; and Jose Ferrer in 1953, when the class was simply referred to as “finest actor.”
From turning into a number one determine in reinventing police procedurals to beginning his personal manufacturing firm “to inform our tales,” Rodríguez is seeking to make a distinction at a time when few Latinos are main TV exhibits.
“It’s scary. … I place a variety of stress on myself when it comes to eager to proceed to raise,” Rodríguez mentioned in regards to the “sort of unstated” accountability that comes with being a part of the 4% of on-screen TV expertise who’re Latinos.
“Being Latino and Puerto Rican, there’s little doubt that’s one thing I’m very aware and conscious of,” Rodríguez mentioned. “I’m standing on shoulders of people that’ve paved that and made it slightly simpler for me. I’m hoping to make it slightly bit simpler for individuals who observe.”
“Will Trent” relies on Karin Slaughter’s bestselling books of the identical identify. It follows a dyslexic orphan who endured bodily trauma and abuse as he aged out of the foster care system in Atlanta. The character turns into an intuitive detective on the Georgia Bureau of Investigation who solves circumstances others can’t.
“Will is an underdog,” Rodríguez mentioned. “All of these issues are very loaded, heavy, monumental sort of moments in folks’s lives.”
“I rapidly fell in love along with his resilience and his coronary heart, that are sort of deeply buried. I really like that about him,” Rodríguez mentioned of his character.
Will Trent’s beloved sidekick Betty, a pocket-sized Chihuahua he reluctantly adopted in Season 1, is probably the one character who can all the time faucet into the cruel detective’s mushy aspect.
“There’s such a good looking story there that type of says a lot about who Will is,” Rodríguez mentioned.
Regardless of combined opinions from critics, audiences have proven up for “Will Trent,” which is able to begin filming its fourth season later this summer season, in keeping with Rodríguez.
The collection, which airs on ABC and streams on Hulu and Disney+, amassed a median of 11.6 million viewers throughout a number of platforms in the course of the 2024-25 season, in keeping with Nielsen, which places “Will Trent” among the many 10 most watched TV exhibits on prime time.
“The writers do a improbable job of balancing comedy and drama,” Rodríguez mentioned. “That’s a tough factor to do.”
Because the actor who performs Will Trent and the present’s govt producer, Rodríguez mentioned he’s closely concerned in each facet of bringing this character to life.
He recalled shedding his “Nuyorican” accent to create a dialect reflective of his character’s distinctive experiences and growing Will Trent’s signature look: a retro three-piece swimsuit that serves nearly like a protecting armor for a personality who struggles to point out his weak aspect.
“He’s very completely different than another character I’ve portrayed, which is thrilling,” mentioned Rodríguez, who can also be recognized for taking part in memorable characters in TV exhibits together with “The Wire,” “Day Break” and “The Affair.”
Season 4 of “Will Trent” is anticipated to air on ABC early subsequent yr, Rodríguez mentioned.
