Carlos Gómez as Rafael Garcia
The first time I met Carlos Gómez, it was on the set of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, where he was playing the role of Father Carlos. Over the years we would bump into each other at Latino Hollywood events; we would talk about the projects he was working on or going to be on. He’s been in this business for about thirty years, from Broadway (In the Heights) to Hollywood. All of his hard working ethics and talent have brought him great success, and will continue to take him to greater heights as he continues his career. Carlos is of Cuban descent, fluent in English and Spanish, and resides in LA, NY and Miami.
L-r: Alex Meneses, Carlos Gómez
and Jane Seymour on the set of
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, ©1997.
For me, he’s played some memorable characters, like medical examiner Carlos Sanchez on The Glades, and Miguel Salazar on Gang Related and of course many others. But I think, the father figure of Rafael Garcia on ABC’s new romcom The Baker and the Beauty was made for him. From what I’ve seen, he’s just wonderful in it.
We got a chance to talk with Carlos weeks before the shutdown and I think it’s it a very thoughtful interview that you can watch here.
Angela Ortíz and Carlos Gómez
During our interview, he was asked about following in the footsteps of trailblazers like Desi Arnaz…and since he is a trailblazer himself, if he felt any responsibility for being a good role model. He said, “Completely, completely. I was doing an interview and I was asked, ‘When was the last Cuban on national TV?’ and I said it was Desi in 1960 or 50-something. It’s amazing that it has taken this long to have a Cuban or Latin family like this on a network television show. So I feel immense responsibility. There’s so many, over 15 million Latinos in this country and we are such a power. As a Latino, I’ve been in this industry for so long and I have seen the ups and downs and the little bumps in the road.”
The Baker and the Beauty is giving Carlos and his culture other opportunities to share their experiences as well. “This is an opportunity for us for to show my Cuban culture in the light, and to show that Latino immigrants have different problems. We all come in different colors; Mexican immigrants are different from the Cuban immigrants, different from the Puerto Ricans and Dominicans, but we’re all immigrants and once we get to United States, we’re all here. We’re all together. It doesn’t matter. Yeah, you could have your tamales from Mexico; I can bring my rice and beans; but we’re all haciendo un sancocho in the United States. So to me, it’s a huge responsibility to show it, to portray it…and to portray it right. (sancocho is a South American and Caribbean food, a thick soup made from meat and root vegetables—a tasty stew!)
The Baker and the Beauty tells the story of the unlikely love of Noah Hamilton (Nathalie Kelley) and Daniel Garcia (Victor Rasuk), who works in the family bakery alongside his loving Cuban family. The show also stars Dan Bucatinsky as Lewis, Lisa Vidal as Mari Garcia, David Del Rio as Mateo Garcia, Belissa Escobedo as Natalie, and Michelle Veintimilla as Vanessa. It premieres on April 13 at 10P. — A.O.
