Natalie Morales to Appear on Season 20 of ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy”

Natalie Morales is taking the Hippocratic Oath.

The 38-year-old Cuban American actress has joined the cast of Grey’s Anatomy for the ABC medical drama series’ 20th season.

Natalie MoralesMorales will head to Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital as a guest star.

She’ll appear as Monica Beltran, a pediatric surgeon whose pragmatism and level-headedness have made her one of the best in her field. Her willingness to push boundaries can be admirable and aggravating, but it’s always aimed at providing top-quality care to her patients.

But Morales isn’t the only Latinx artist set to appear on Season 20.

Freddy Miyares has also joined the cast.

The Latino actors will appear in a recurring role as Dorian, an intelligent, warm and likable patient who is involved in a serious accident and is struggling with his future.

Grey’s Anatomy Season 20 premieres on ABC on March 14 at 9:00 pm ET/PT with next day streaming on Hulu.

Morales’ previous credits include White Collar, Dead to Me, Parks and Recreation and The Grinder.

Miyares’ previous credits include When They See Us, DMZ and The L Word: Generation Q.

Jharrel Jerome to Star as Anthony Robles in “Unstoppable”

Jharrel Jerome is unstoppable

The 25-year-old Afro-Dominican American actor, an Emmy winner and EP/star of the upcoming Prime Video series I’m a Virgo that just premiered at SXSW, has signed on to star in Unstoppable, the film starring Jennifer Lopez and directed by Billy Goldenberg.

Jharrel Jerome The film follows the true story of Anthony Robles, a three-time All-American wrestler born with one leg who won a national championship at Arizona State.

Robles will reportedly be heavily involved in the project, which Amazon Studios is in talks to acquire.

The second big project from Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity and Amazon is coming together rather quickly before the April 5 opening of their first movie, Airwhich is getting a theatrical release and debuted at SXSW on Saturday. Artists Equity is co-founded by RedBird Capital.

Robles was born without a right leg. At the age of 14, he tried wrestling for the first time, at a mere 90 pounds. His first year he went 5-8, but remained determined that he could be a champion in the sport one day. Robles is also an inspirational speaker.

In 2019 he broke the Guinness world record for most pull-ups in a minute with 62 reps.

Jerome won an Emmy for Outstanding Actor in a Limited Series for the Ava DuVernay Netflix series When They See Us. His other credits include the film Concrete Cowboy and the Stephen King series Mr. Mercedes. He’ll soon be seen co-starring in HBO Max’s Steven Soderbergh series Full Circle.

Jerome is an EP on the Boots Riley Amazon series I’m a Virgo. The darkly comedic, fantastical coming-of-age joyride center son Cootie (Jerome), a 13-foot-tall young Black man in Oakland, CA. Having grown up hidden away, passing time on a diet of comic books and TV shows, he escapes to experience the beauty and contradictions of the real world. He forms friendships, finds love, navigates awkward situations, and encounters his idol, a real-life superhero named The Hero, played by Walton Goggins. I’m A Virgo is a mythical odyssey that questions the purpose of the mythical odyssey.

Netflix Orders Reggaeton-Themed Comedy Series “Neon,” Starring Tyler Dean Flores

Tyler Dean Flores is bringing a little reggaeton to Netflix

Netflix has given a series order to Neon, a comedy series starring the Puerto Rican actor.

Tyler Dean FloresThe project is set in the world of the musical genre that birthed the song “Despacito,” the second-most-viewed video ever on YouTube.

Flores, Emma FerreiraJordan Mendoza and Courtney Taylor star in the series, which hails from creator Shea Serrano with Max Searle set as showrunner.

Serrano, the author of The Rap Year Book, is behind Amazon Freevee series Primo with Mike Schur and Searle is co-showrunner of the second season of Chad and co-exec producer of Dave.

The eight-part series focuses on three friends who move from a small town in Florida to Miami with the hopes of making it big in the world of reggaeton. The show chronicles not only their larger than life dreams but the harsh comic realities of attempting to make it in the music industry.

Flores (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) plays Santi, a budding reggaeton artist who, with the help of his friends, Ness, played by (Ferreira) and Felix, (Mendoza) and A&R rep, Mia (Taylor) hopes to become the biggest reggaeton star in the world. Or at least make rent.

The series is executive produced by Serrano and Searle. It comes from Scooter Braun’s SB Projects with Braun executive-producing alongside Scott Manson and James Shin. Kyle Vinuya is co-executive producer. Mendoza also serves as consulting producer.

Flores’ previous credits include The Dark Knight Rises, When They See Us and Chicago Fire.

Marquis Rodriguez to Star on Season Two of Amazon’s Anthology Series “Modern Love”

Marquis Rodriguez has found a new love

The Latino actor has been cast in Season 2 of Amazon’s anthology series Modern Love.

Marquis Rodriguez

In addition to Rodriguez, Season 2 of the series will feature episodes starring: Minnie Driver, as previously announced, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Susan Blackwell, Lucy Boynton, Tom Burke, Zoe Chao, Maria Dizzia, newcomer Grace Edwards, Dominique Fishback, Kathryn Gallagher, Kit Harington, Garrett Hedlund, Telci Huynh, Nikki M. James, Aparna Nancherla, Larry Owens, Zane Pais, Anna Paquin, Isaac Powell, Ben Rappaport, Milan Ray, Jack Reynor, Miranda Richardson, James Scully, Zuzanna Szadkowski, Lulu Wilson, Don Wycherley, and Jeena Yi.

“We’re so excited to bring a second season of this series to life, and give an opportunity to really shine a light on what matters most,” said series showrunner John Carney. “With so much uncertainty in our current world, these stories bring truth and love to people everywhere, and I’m so appreciative to be a part of making that happen.”

Carney also serves as writer, director and executive producer. John Crowley, Marta Cunningham, Jesse Peretz, and Andrew Rannells will also direct episodes of this season, with Celine Held and Logan George co-directing an episode. The episode Rannells will direct is based upon a personal essay that he penned for the New York Times column.

The series is produced by Amazon Studios, Storied Media Group, Likely Story, and The New York Times.

Rodriguez’s previous credits include When They See Us, Chicago Fire and Definitely, Maybe.

Dascha Polanco to Star in Fox’s Forensic Genealogy-Themed Crime Drama Pilot “Blood Relative”

It’s all relative for Dascha Polanco

The 37-year-old Dominican actress will star opposite Tate Donovan and Melissa Leo in the Fox pilot Blood Relative.

Dascha Polanco

The forensic genealogy-themed crime drama hails from writer-producer Chris Levinson and producer Liza Chasin

Blood Relative is based on James Renner’s 2018 article “Beyond the Jungle of Bad: The True Story of Two Women from California Who Are Solving All the Mysteries,” about Dr. Colleen Fitzpatrick and Dr. Margaret Press, who combined their genealogy expertise to push the boundaries of forensic science and helped law enforcement identify Joe and Jane Does and track down serial killers.

Written by Levinson and Renner and to be directed by Phillip NoyceBlood Relativecenters on genetic genealogy, the best new tool in crime scene forensics, and nobody knows it like Louise Kelly (Leo). Too bad she’s impossible to deal with.

Polanco will play Maria Alvarez, a woman making lemonade out of lemons. She and her hearing-impaired 8-year-old son Sam live with her home psychic mother while Maria goes to night school to get her Ph.D. in psychology (she will eventually go to work at the same Parish Precinct as John (Donovan). Maria’s reason for wanting to work with cops? She’s spent her entire life in their world. Twenty years ago, her father Diego was convicted of murder. Maria is stunned to learn that the police have discovered the body of Gary Northrup – the very man her father is accused of killing. Lou’s DNA genius might prove her father’s innocence. Maria’s life will be changed by this new science and this oh so unique woman. She’ll also prove to be one of the only people alive who speaks “Lou,” making her an invaluable asset. 

Paramount Television Studios and Anonymous Content co-produce with Fox Entertainment.

Polanco rose to acclaim as Dayanara Diaz on all seven seasons of Netflix’s Orange is the New BlackShe’ll next co-star in Lin Manuel-Miranda’s In the Heights and as the female lead alongside Sylvester Stallone in Samaritan.

Polanco’s other credits include Netflix’s When They See UsThe Irishman and FX’s The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.

Polanco was high on Fox’s wish list of talent for pilots this season. Her deal for Blood Relativewas in negotiations when pilot season ground to a halt in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Freddy Miyares to Star in the HBO Max Pilot “DMZ”

Freddy Miyaresis getting comic-al

The 25-year-old Latino actor has been cast in Ava DuVernay’s upcoming HBO Max pilot DMZ, an adaptation of the DC comic book series.

Freddy Miyares

Miyares will star opposite Rosario Dawsonand Benjamin Brattin the project.

DMZ is set in the near future where Americais embroiled in a bitter civil war, leaving Manhattana demilitarized zone — hence the title of the seriesThe show chronicles the journey of fierce medic Alma Ortega (Dawson), who saves lives while desperately searching for her lost son. As she contends with the gangs, militias, demagogues and warlords that control this lawless no man’s land, she becomes the unlikely source of hope.

Miyares will be a series regular and play the character of Skel, the ruthless triggerman of one of the DMZ’s most powerful gangs, led by Parco Delgado (Bratt). He’s also a talented graffiti artist with a profound passion for art, which serves as his lasting connection to his humanity in a world where survival is predicated on power.

Miyares previously worked with DuVernay on the Emmy-winning Netflix series When They See Us, playing the adult Raymond Santana, one of the Exonerated Five

He recently appeared in the Showtime drama series The L Word: Generation Q. His other credits include appearances on Elementaryand The Code.

The project will be written and executive produced by showrunner Roberto Patino. DuVernay is set to direct and executive produce. The pilot is produced by ARRAY Filmworksin association with Warner Bros. Television.

Dascha Polanco to Star in the Superhero Thriller “Samaritan”

Dascha Polanco is a good Samaritan…

The 37-year-old Dominican actress is set to star in MGM’s superhero thriller movie Samaritan

Dascha Polanco

Polanco joins a cast that includes Javon ‘Wanna’ WaltonSylvester StalloneMartin StarrPilou Asbækand Moises Arias.

Walton will play a young boy who’s out to discover if a mythic superhero, who vanished 20 years earlier following a tragic event, is still alive.

Julius Avery is directing from a screenplay by Bragi F. Schut, with additional writing by Mark L. SmithZak Penn, and Chuck MacLean

The story is based on Schut’s original idea. 

The film is scheduled for release on December 11 via United Artists Releasingwith Universal handling foreign. 

Polanco portrayed Dayanara Diaz on Netflix’s Orange is the New Blackfor seven-seasons and starred in Ava DuVernay’s 2019 Netflix limited series When They See Us. She’ll soon be seen in her first lead film role in Adrian Martinez’s indie dark comedy iCreep, and Warner Brothers’ adaption of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In The Heightsthis summer. Her additional credits include the FXanthology series The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Storyand films including JoyThe Perfect MatchThe Cobblerand Gimme Shelter

Arias first made a name for himself as series regular on the Disney Channel hit original series Hannah Montana, and has since gone on to appear in several Sundance films including Kings of Summer, The Land and Stanford Prison Experiment. Last year, he appeared in CBS Films’ Five Feet Apart as well as the Sundance World Dramatic Competition Special Jury Award winner Monos and the SXSW opening weekend film The Wall of Mexico

Jharrel Jerome Makes History with Emmy Win

Jharrel Jerome has etched his name in the Emmy history books…

The 21-year-old Dominican American actor’s Emmy Awards win has earned him two places in the record books. 

Jharrel Jerome

The star of Netflix’s When They See Usmade history as the youngest person to win an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie as well as the first Afro-Latino to win for acting.

“It’s a blessing and I hope this is a step forward for Dominicans, for Latinos, for Afro Latinos. It’s about time we’re here,” said Jerome backstage reflecting on his win. After learning that he was also the youngest to win in history backstage, “well damn, that’s incredible.. kids are smart too,” he quipped.

Jerome earned the trophy for his portrayal of exonerated five member Korey Wise, who, as an adolescent, was wrongfully convicted of a crime, which led to a 14-year incarnation stint.

On the Academy continuing to recognize dark narratives in regards to Black stories, “Unfortunately, I think our strongest stories are the stories of pain considering that’s what we go through on a daily basis. It is unfortunate that comedies or light pieces of work aren’t as praised and aren’t sent to the award season,” said Jerome. “The truth is our pain needs to be told. So if it has to be for the next 20 years where we are just painfully telling our stories until we can move on then I guess it has to be.”

Benicio del Toro Earns First-Ever Emmy Awards Nomination

Benicio del Toro is celebrating a special first…

Nominations for the 71st annual Primetime Emmy Awards have been revealed, with the 52-year-old Puerto Rican Oscar-winning actor earning his first-ever nod.

Benicio del Toro

del Toro is nominated in the Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Series or Movie category for his role as convicted murderer in Showtime’s seven-episode series Escape At Dannemora.

The show is based on a real-life 2015 prison break and explores the dynamics between convicts Richard Matt (del Toro) and David Sweat (Paul Dano) and prison worker Joyce “Tilly” Mitchell (Patricia Arquette), who ultimately helped them escape. 

John Leguizamo, an Emmy winner in 1998 for his semi-autobiographical HBO one-man show Freak, has earned his second consecutive Emmy nod in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie category.

The 54-year-old Colombian actor and stand0-up comedian, a nominee last year for his role in the limited television series Waco, is nominated for his role in the Netflixminiseries When They See Us.

Anthony Mendez has picked up his third nomination in the Outstanding Narrator category.

The bilingual Latino voice actor, who earned two Emmy nods his narrating the CW’s Jane the Virgin, is nominated in the Outstanding Narrator category for narrating USA’s documentary series Wonders of Mexico.

Emmy-winner Tessandra Chavez has earned a nod in the Outstanding Choreography For Variety or Reality Programming category for her work with the contemporary dance company she founded Unity LA, and their routines on NBC’s World of Dance. She’s up against fellow Latino choreographers and World of Dancechoreographers Melvin “Timtim” Rogador and Karen ForcanoRicardo Vega.

Other Latino nominees include Hanna cinematographer Dana Gonzales in the Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series (One Hour) category and RGB editor Carla Gutierrez in theOutstanding Picture Editing For A Nonfiction Program category.

The 2019 Emmy Awards will air on September 22 on Fox.

Here’s the list of some of the high-profile Latino nominees and their competition:

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Series Or Movie 
Jared Harris as Valery Legasov, Chernobyl 
Benicio del Toro as Richard Matt, Escape At Dannemora 
Sam Rockwell as Bob Fosse, Fosse/Verdon 
Mahershala Ali as Wayne Hays, True Detective 
Hugh Grant as Jeremy Thorpe, A Very English Scandal 
Jharrel Jerome as Korey Wise, When They See Us 

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Limited Series Or Movie 
Stellan Skarsgård as Boris Shcherbina, Chernobyl 
Paul Dano as David Sweat, Escape At Dannemora 
Ben Whishaw as Norman, A Very English Scandal 
Asante Blackk as Kevin Richardson, When They See Us 
John Leguizamo as Raymond Santana, Sr., When They See Us 
Michael K. Williams as Bobby McCray, When They See Us 

Outstanding Narrator
Angela Bassett, Narrator, The Flood 
Liev Schreiber, Narrator, The Many Lives of Nick Buoniconti 
Sir David Attenborough, Narrator, Our Planet
Juliet Stevenson, Narrator, Queens Of Mystery 
Charles Dance, Narrator, Savage Kingdom 
Anthony Mendez, Narrator, Wonders Of Mexico 

Outstanding Choreography For Variety Or Reality Programming
Travis Wall, Choreographer,  So You Think You Can Dance
Luther Brown, Choreographer, So You Think You Can Dance 
Melvin “Timtim” Rogador, Choreographer, World Of Dance 
Suresh Mukund, Choreographer, World Of Dance 
Karen Forcano, Choreographer & Ricardo Vega, Choreographer, World Of Dance 
Tessandra Chavez, Choreographer, World Of Dance 

Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series (One Hour)
Jonathan Freeman, ASC, Director of Photography, Game Of Thrones 
Zoë White, Director of Photography, The Handmaid’s Tale 
Colin Watkinson, Director of Photography, The Handmaid’s Tale 
Dana Gonzales, ASC, Director of Photography
Gonzalo Amat, Director of Photography, The Man In The High Castle 
M. David Mullen, ASC, Director of Photography, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel 
Robert McLachlan, ASC, Director of Photography, Ray Donovan 

Outstanding Picture Editing For A Nonfiction Program 
Tom Patterson, Editor, Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown 
Bob Eisenhardt, ACE, Editor, Free Solo 
Jules Cornell, Editor, Leaving Neverland 
Carla Gutierrez, ACE, Editor, RBG 
Michael Harte, Editor, Three Identical Strangers 

Marquis Rodriguez Joins the Ensemble Cast of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” Prequel Pilot

Marquis Rodriguez is upping his Game

The Latino actor has joined the ensemble cast ofHBO’s Game of Thrones prequel pilot.

Marquis Rodriguez

Rodriguez joins a new list of series regular additions that includes John SimmRichard McCabe, John Heffernanand Dixie Egerickx.

The drama pilot hails from writer Jane Goldmanand author/GOT co-executive producer George R.R. Martin.

Created by Goldman and Martin and written by Goldman based on a story by her and Martin, the untitled prequel takes place thousands of years before the events of Game of Thrones. It chronicles the world’s descent from the Golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour. And only one thing is for sure: From the horrifying secrets of Westeros’ history to the true origin of the white walkers, the mysteries of the East to the Starks of legend — it’s not the story we think we know.

The five join previously announced series regulars Naomi WattsJosh WhitehouseNaomi AckieDenise GoughJamie Campbell BowerSheila Atim, Ivanno Jeremiah,Georgie HenleyAlex Sharp,Toby Regboand Miranda Richardson.

Rodriguez will next be seen in the Netflix miniseries, When They See Us, from director Ava DuVernay. He most recently guest-starred on NBC’s Manifest and appeared in recurring arcs on NBC’s Chicago Fire, andMarvel Studios/Netflix’s Luke Cage and Iron Fist crossover episode. His film credits include Saturday ChurchLandlineand 3 Generations.