Isabella Gomez, who plays Elena Alvarez the Netflix show, 'One Day at a Time," is proud that her role as a nerdy, gay and enarg teen is ronatg and reprentg.
Contents:
- ISABELLA GOMEZ’ BGRAPHY: GAY, BOYIEND, SISTER, HEIGHT, WIKI
- ONE DAY AT A TIME: WHAT PLAYG ELENA TGHT ISABELLA GOMEZIN A S-DOWN WH V.F., THE ACTRS REVEALS WHAT MAK HER CHARACTER, ELENA, SO IMPORTANT—BOTH TO HER AND TO THE QUEER MUNY—AND WHAT ’S LIKE TO GOSSIP ABOUT ELVIS WH RA MORENO.BY LRA BRADLEYFEBARY 2, 2018PHOTOGRAPH BY LREN MARG JON.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEWHEN ISABELLA GOMEZ WAS VED TO DN FOR ONE DAY AT A TIME, THE LL ME WH AN UNUAL STCTN: DON’T WEAR MAKP.THE DIRECTIVE MAK SENSE TO THOSE WHO KNOW AND LOVE GOMEZ’S CHARACTER ON THE SERI. ELENA IS AN ACTIVIST WHO R LTLE ABOUT HER APPEARANCE—MUCH TO THE CHAGR OF HER VA ABUELA, LYDIA (RA MORENO). “WHAT REALLY STOOD OUT TO ME IS THAT SHE WAS SUCH A REAL, LAYERED CHARACTER,” SHE SAYS. “WHEN YOU’RE 18, [AND A] GIRL, A LOT OF THE CHARACTERS YOU GO OUT FOR IS ‘CHEERLEAR,’ ‘PRETTY GIRL THE HALLWAY.’” ELENA, ON THE OTHER HAND, IS FED MORE BY HER TELLECT THAN HER LOOKS—AN APPEALG CHANGE OF PACE FOR 19-YEAR-OLD, COLOMBIA-BORN GOMEZ, WHO HAS BEEN ACTG SCE SHE WAS 5 YEARS OLD.THOUGH SHE NEVER SAW HERSELF VENTURG OUT OF DRAMATIC WORK, SHE‘S NOW GOT A PRETTY CENT EDY MENTOR ON SET. MORENO, GOMEZ RAV, IS “JT SO BRILLIANT; SHE KNOWS EVERYTHG ABOUT EVERYTHG. SHE WILL SUALLY TALK ABOUT DATG ELVIS LIKE ‘S NOT A BIG AL.” AND SHE‘S TGHT GOMEZ SEVERAL VALUABLE NEW SKILLS. “COMEDY WAS NEVER MY STRONG SU,” THE ACTRS EXPLAS. “IT WAS NEVER WHAT I THOUGHT I WOULD DO. SO TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A EDIC GENI ON YOUR SI, AND BE ABLE TO GO KNOCK ON AN E.G.O.T.’S DOOR AND BE LIKE, ‘HEY, N YOU HELP ME WH THIS JOKE?’ IT’S AMAZG!”THE SHOW AS A WHOLE HAS OPENED HER EY TO THE POSSIBILY OF BEG AN ACTRS WHO JUGGL BOTH EDY AND DRAMA. “SO I NEVER WANT TO SAY NO TO ANYTHG NOW,” SHE SAYS. “I WOULD TRY ANYTHG ONCE, AT LEAST.”ONE DAY AT A TIME DO GIVE GOMEZ’S DRAMATIC CHOPS PLENTY OF MOMENTS TO SHE AS WELL. LAST SEASON, ELENA’S G-OUT STORY WAS A PARTICULARLY RONANT ARC—PERHAPS BEE, AS GOMEZ NOT, THE STORY OM AN THENTIC PLACE; ELENA IS BASED ON -SHOW-NNER MIKE ROYCE’S DGHTER, WHO ME OUT JT A FEW MONTHS BEFORE THE SERI STARTED PRODUCTN. THIS SEASON, THE FALLOUT OM THAT REVELATN NTU—AND TO A HEAD WHEN ELENA TEARFULLY TELLS HER FATHER THAT SHE’LL BE FE REGARDLS OF WHETHER HE’S HER LIFE. GOMEZ’S PREP PROCS WAS SIMPLE: “WHAT I DID WAS, I STOOD OUTSI OF THE DOOR AND LISTENED TO THEIR NVERSATN AS IF ELENA WAS TRYG TO GATHER UP THE URAGE TO GO THERE,” SHE SAYS. SHE’S ALSO SO VTED ELENA THAT SHE GOT ANGRY JT THKG ABOUT ANYONE DARG TO HURT HER LIKE THIS.SOMETIM, ELENA’S STGGL H CLOSER TO HOME. THERE’S A THREAD NNG THROUGH ONE DAY AT A TIME ABOUT THE CHARACTER’S PLITED RELATNSHIP WH HER HERAGE—CLUDG THE FACT THAT, AS ELENA DISVERS THE SEASON PREMIERE, SHE IS WHE-PASSG, WHICH MEANS THAT STRANGERS OFTEN DON’T EVEN KNOW SHE’S LATA. THAT STORY LE LED GOMEZ TO HER OWN EPIPHANY. “ARIELA BARER, WHO PLAYS CARMEN THE FIRST SEASON, AND I ARE REALLY GOOD IENDS, AND WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT THE DTRY, AND SHE’S TOLD ME HORROR STORI ABOUT THE RACISM THAT SHE’S ENUNTERED BEE SHE’S LATX,” GOMEZ SAID. “I WAS LIKE, ‘THAT’S FUNNY! I’VE NEVER ENUNTERED THAT.’ AND THEN I GOT THIS SCRIPT, AND I WAS LIKE, ‘OH MY GOD. THIS MAK SO MUCH SENSE.’ . . . IT’S SO GOOD TO BE AWARE OF YOUR PRIVILEGE THAT WAY, AND I ABSOLUTELY INTIFIED WH ELENA.”THAT MOMENT WAS TYPIL FOR ONE DAY AT A TIME, WHICH OFFERS ONE OF THE MOST HYPER-SPECIFIC REPRENTATNS OF LATX LIFE ON TV—A FACT GOMEZ IS PARTICULARLY PROUD OF. MUCH LIKE JANE THE VIRG—THE FIRST SERI WH WHICH GOMEZ REALLY INTIFIED PERSONALLY—ONE DAY AT A TIME FEELS DISTCTLY RATHER THAN GENERILLY HISPANIC. “IT MAK YOU NNECT WH THE CHARACTERS A WAY THAT YOU WOULDN’T OTHERWISE, IF THEY DIDN’T HAVE THOSE VERY SPECIFIC THGS,” GOMEZ SAYS. “AND WAS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT TO GLORIA [CALRóN KELLETT], WHO’S ONE OF OUR SHOW-NNERS—SHE’S CUBAN, AND SO THAT’S WHY THE FAY’S CUBAN. SHE’S WRG ABOUT HER FAY, AND SHE WANTED TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE FELT INTIFIED.”MOST POPULARAND JT LIKE THAT… PREPAR FOR ITS LAST SUPPERBY CHRIS MURPHYRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHTHE TV MOVIE IS MAKG A WEIRD, WONRFUL COMEBACKBY DAVID CANFIELDTHE L.G.B.T.Q. MUNY HAS ALSO FOUND A HOME ON ONE DAY AT A TIME—PARTICULARLY THOSE WHO HAVEN’T SEEN THEMSELV REPRENTED ON TELEVISN MUCH BEFORE. THIS SEASON TRODUCED SYD, ELENA’S ROMANTIC PARTNER, WHO INTIFI AS NON-BARY AND “THEY/THEM” PRONOUNS. AND WHILE SYD’S INTY NF MOST OF ELENA’S FAY, THEIR NVERSATNS UNFOLD AN ANIC, GENUELY KD WAY THAT AVOIDS MAKG SYD OR THEIR INTY A PUNCH LE. GOMEZ SAID SHE OFTEN FDS HERSELF DOG REARCH TO KEEP UP WH HER OWN CHARACTER’S LEVEL OF AWARENS: “ELENA KNOWS EVERYTHG, AND SO I SHOULD IF I WANT TO PLAY HER RIGHT.” SOME OF HER STMAT, PARTICULARLY THOSE OF PREV GENERATNS, FOUND DIFFICULT AT FIRST TO GRASP THE NCEPT OF GENR-NTRAL PRONOUNS; GOMEZ REMEMBERS JT THKG TO HERSELF, “OH MY GOD, I JT REALLY DON’T WANT TO FUCK THIS UP.”THE SHOW’S QUEER FAN BASE, SHE NTU, IS “FIERCELY LOYAL, AND THEY’RE SO PASSNATE ABOUT BEE THEY LACK REPRENTATN. AND THE REPRENTATN THEY DO GET IS SO SHALLOW—WE ALWAYS SEE THE GAY MAN STORY LE, AND WE NEVER SEE YOUNG LBIANS. AND WHEN WE DO, WE SEE FOR THE BENEF OF MEN AND WE SEXUALIZE THEM,” GOMEZ SAYS, SOUNDG EVERY B LIKE THE CHARACTER SHE PLAYS. SHE’S RECEIVED AN OUTPOURG OF POSIVE FEEDBACK OM FANS, WHO SAY THGS LIKE, “IF I HAD HAD ELENA WHEN I WAS 15, MY LIFE WOULD HAVE BEEN EASIER.” IT’S A LOT OF RPONSIBILY—BUT GOMEZ IS UP FOR THE CHALLENGE. “IT IS SO OL TO BE A VSEL FOR ELENA,” SHE SAYS. “AND ’S SO MD-BLOWG THAT ME HAVG FUN AND GETTG TO DO THIS CHARACTER THAT I LOVE N DO THAT FOR SOMEBODY.“22 MOVI AND TV SHOWS THAT WILL SAVE US 20181 / 15CHEVRONCHEVRONBY JOHN P. JOHNSON/HBO.WTWORLD (SEASON 2)HBO IS ONCE AGA HOPG YOU’LL IGNORE THE BIG GAME OF THRON-SHAPED HOLE S SCHLE AND TURN YOUR ATTENTN BACK TO THE SCI-FI MD GAME THAT IS WTWORLD. THE EMMY-NOMATED SERI, STARRG EVAN RACHEL WOOD AND THANDIE NEWTON, IS READY TO NFOUND YOU ONCE AGA S SEND SEASON. UNTIL S SPRG 2018 PREMIERE, TAKE A TRIP BACK TIME AND REVIS NE BURNG QUTNS WE STILL HAVE ABOUT THE FALE.LRA BRADLEY
ISABELLA GOMEZ’ BGRAPHY: GAY, BOYIEND, SISTER, HEIGHT, WIKI
— It's hard enough playg an thentic teenager, but try playg a nerdy, awkwardly funny Lata teen who mak the tough cisn to tell her fay she's gay — as they're also preparg for her "quceañera" party. “Elena Alvarez is the first time they have felt seen and they have felt normal, and they have felt that their experience was accurately reprented, ’ she told NBC is not gay but intifi as Latx, a word that is gag populary as an alternative to Lato or Lata.
ONE DAY AT A TIME: WHAT PLAYG ELENA TGHT ISABELLA GOMEZIN A S-DOWN WH V.F., THE ACTRS REVEALS WHAT MAK HER CHARACTER, ELENA, SO IMPORTANT—BOTH TO HER AND TO THE QUEER MUNY—AND WHAT ’S LIKE TO GOSSIP ABOUT ELVIS WH RA MORENO.BY LRA BRADLEYFEBARY 2, 2018PHOTOGRAPH BY LREN MARG JON.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEWHEN ISABELLA GOMEZ WAS VED TO DN FOR ONE DAY AT A TIME, THE LL ME WH AN UNUAL STCTN: DON’T WEAR MAKP.THE DIRECTIVE MAK SENSE TO THOSE WHO KNOW AND LOVE GOMEZ’S CHARACTER ON THE SERI. ELENA IS AN ACTIVIST WHO R LTLE ABOUT HER APPEARANCE—MUCH TO THE CHAGR OF HER VA ABUELA, LYDIA (RA MORENO). “WHAT REALLY STOOD OUT TO ME IS THAT SHE WAS SUCH A REAL, LAYERED CHARACTER,” SHE SAYS. “WHEN YOU’RE 18, [AND A] GIRL, A LOT OF THE CHARACTERS YOU GO OUT FOR IS ‘CHEERLEAR,’ ‘PRETTY GIRL THE HALLWAY.’” ELENA, ON THE OTHER HAND, IS FED MORE BY HER TELLECT THAN HER LOOKS—AN APPEALG CHANGE OF PACE FOR 19-YEAR-OLD, COLOMBIA-BORN GOMEZ, WHO HAS BEEN ACTG SCE SHE WAS 5 YEARS OLD.THOUGH SHE NEVER SAW HERSELF VENTURG OUT OF DRAMATIC WORK, SHE‘S NOW GOT A PRETTY CENT EDY MENTOR ON SET. MORENO, GOMEZ RAV, IS “JT SO BRILLIANT; SHE KNOWS EVERYTHG ABOUT EVERYTHG. SHE WILL SUALLY TALK ABOUT DATG ELVIS LIKE ‘S NOT A BIG AL.” AND SHE‘S TGHT GOMEZ SEVERAL VALUABLE NEW SKILLS. “COMEDY WAS NEVER MY STRONG SU,” THE ACTRS EXPLAS. “IT WAS NEVER WHAT I THOUGHT I WOULD DO. SO TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A EDIC GENI ON YOUR SI, AND BE ABLE TO GO KNOCK ON AN E.G.O.T.’S DOOR AND BE LIKE, ‘HEY, N YOU HELP ME WH THIS JOKE?’ IT’S AMAZG!”THE SHOW AS A WHOLE HAS OPENED HER EY TO THE POSSIBILY OF BEG AN ACTRS WHO JUGGL BOTH EDY AND DRAMA. “SO I NEVER WANT TO SAY NO TO ANYTHG NOW,” SHE SAYS. “I WOULD TRY ANYTHG ONCE, AT LEAST.”ONE DAY AT A TIME DO GIVE GOMEZ’S DRAMATIC CHOPS PLENTY OF MOMENTS TO SHE AS WELL. LAST SEASON, ELENA’S G-OUT STORY WAS A PARTICULARLY RONANT ARC—PERHAPS BEE, AS GOMEZ NOT, THE STORY OM AN THENTIC PLACE; ELENA IS BASED ON -SHOW-NNER MIKE ROYCE’S DGHTER, WHO ME OUT JT A FEW MONTHS BEFORE THE SERI STARTED PRODUCTN. THIS SEASON, THE FALLOUT OM THAT REVELATN NTU—AND TO A HEAD WHEN ELENA TEARFULLY TELLS HER FATHER THAT SHE’LL BE FE REGARDLS OF WHETHER HE’S HER LIFE. GOMEZ’S PREP PROCS WAS SIMPLE: “WHAT I DID WAS, I STOOD OUTSI OF THE DOOR AND LISTENED TO THEIR NVERSATN AS IF ELENA WAS TRYG TO GATHER UP THE URAGE TO GO THERE,” SHE SAYS. SHE’S ALSO SO VTED ELENA THAT SHE GOT ANGRY JT THKG ABOUT ANYONE DARG TO HURT HER LIKE THIS.SOMETIM, ELENA’S STGGL H CLOSER TO HOME. THERE’S A THREAD NNG THROUGH ONE DAY AT A TIME ABOUT THE CHARACTER’S PLITED RELATNSHIP WH HER HERAGE—CLUDG THE FACT THAT, AS ELENA DISVERS THE SEASON PREMIERE, SHE IS WHE-PASSG, WHICH MEANS THAT STRANGERS OFTEN DON’T EVEN KNOW SHE’S LATA. THAT STORY LE LED GOMEZ TO HER OWN EPIPHANY. “ARIELA BARER, WHO PLAYS CARMEN THE FIRST SEASON, AND I ARE REALLY GOOD IENDS, AND WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT THE DTRY, AND SHE’S TOLD ME HORROR STORI ABOUT THE RACISM THAT SHE’S ENUNTERED BEE SHE’S LATX,” GOMEZ SAID. “I WAS LIKE, ‘THAT’S FUNNY! I’VE NEVER ENUNTERED THAT.’ AND THEN I GOT THIS SCRIPT, AND I WAS LIKE, ‘OH MY GOD. THIS MAK SO MUCH SENSE.’ . . . IT’S SO GOOD TO BE AWARE OF YOUR PRIVILEGE THAT WAY, AND I ABSOLUTELY INTIFIED WH ELENA.”THAT MOMENT WAS TYPIL FOR ONE DAY AT A TIME, WHICH OFFERS ONE OF THE MOST HYPER-SPECIFIC REPRENTATNS OF LATX LIFE ON TV—A FACT GOMEZ IS PARTICULARLY PROUD OF. MUCH LIKE JANE THE VIRG—THE FIRST SERI WH WHICH GOMEZ REALLY INTIFIED PERSONALLY—ONE DAY AT A TIME FEELS DISTCTLY RATHER THAN GENERILLY HISPANIC. “IT MAK YOU NNECT WH THE CHARACTERS A WAY THAT YOU WOULDN’T OTHERWISE, IF THEY DIDN’T HAVE THOSE VERY SPECIFIC THGS,” GOMEZ SAYS. “AND WAS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT TO GLORIA [CALRóN KELLETT], WHO’S ONE OF OUR SHOW-NNERS—SHE’S CUBAN, AND SO THAT’S WHY THE FAY’S CUBAN. SHE’S WRG ABOUT HER FAY, AND SHE WANTED TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE FELT INTIFIED.”MOST POPULARAND JT LIKE THAT… PREPAR FOR ITS LAST SUPPERBY CHRIS MURPHYRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHTHE TV MOVIE IS MAKG A WEIRD, WONRFUL COMEBACKBY DAVID CANFIELDTHE L.G.B.T.Q. MUNY HAS ALSO FOUND A HOME ON ONE DAY AT A TIME—PARTICULARLY THOSE WHO HAVEN’T SEEN THEMSELV REPRENTED ON TELEVISN MUCH BEFORE. THIS SEASON TRODUCED SYD, ELENA’S ROMANTIC PARTNER, WHO INTIFI AS NON-BARY AND “THEY/THEM” PRONOUNS. AND WHILE SYD’S INTY NF MOST OF ELENA’S FAY, THEIR NVERSATNS UNFOLD AN ANIC, GENUELY KD WAY THAT AVOIDS MAKG SYD OR THEIR INTY A PUNCH LE. GOMEZ SAID SHE OFTEN FDS HERSELF DOG REARCH TO KEEP UP WH HER OWN CHARACTER’S LEVEL OF AWARENS: “ELENA KNOWS EVERYTHG, AND SO I SHOULD IF I WANT TO PLAY HER RIGHT.” SOME OF HER STMAT, PARTICULARLY THOSE OF PREV GENERATNS, FOUND DIFFICULT AT FIRST TO GRASP THE NCEPT OF GENR-NTRAL PRONOUNS; GOMEZ REMEMBERS JT THKG TO HERSELF, “OH MY GOD, I JT REALLY DON’T WANT TO FUCK THIS UP.”THE SHOW’S QUEER FAN BASE, SHE NTU, IS “FIERCELY LOYAL, AND THEY’RE SO PASSNATE ABOUT BEE THEY LACK REPRENTATN. AND THE REPRENTATN THEY DO GET IS SO SHALLOW—WE ALWAYS SEE THE GAY MAN STORY LE, AND WE NEVER SEE YOUNG LBIANS. AND WHEN WE DO, WE SEE FOR THE BENEF OF MEN AND WE SEXUALIZE THEM,” GOMEZ SAYS, SOUNDG EVERY B LIKE THE CHARACTER SHE PLAYS. SHE’S RECEIVED AN OUTPOURG OF POSIVE FEEDBACK OM FANS, WHO SAY THGS LIKE, “IF I HAD HAD ELENA WHEN I WAS 15, MY LIFE WOULD HAVE BEEN EASIER.” IT’S A LOT OF RPONSIBILY—BUT GOMEZ IS UP FOR THE CHALLENGE. “IT IS SO OL TO BE A VSEL FOR ELENA,” SHE SAYS. “AND ’S SO MD-BLOWG THAT ME HAVG FUN AND GETTG TO DO THIS CHARACTER THAT I LOVE N DO THAT FOR SOMEBODY.“22 MOVI AND TV SHOWS THAT WILL SAVE US 20181 / 15CHEVRONCHEVRONBY JOHN P. JOHNSON/HBO.WTWORLD (SEASON 2)HBO IS ONCE AGA HOPG YOU’LL IGNORE THE BIG GAME OF THRON-SHAPED HOLE S SCHLE AND TURN YOUR ATTENTN BACK TO THE SCI-FI MD GAME THAT IS WTWORLD. THE EMMY-NOMATED SERI, STARRG EVAN RACHEL WOOD AND THANDIE NEWTON, IS READY TO NFOUND YOU ONCE AGA S SEND SEASON. UNTIL S SPRG 2018 PREMIERE, TAKE A TRIP BACK TIME AND REVIS NE BURNG QUTNS WE STILL HAVE ABOUT THE FALE.LRA BRADLEY
"In 2017, Gomez beme a breakout star for her portrayal of Elena Alvarez, a gay, Lata teenager on the reboot of the s "One Day at a Time.