Noah Rico is an actor in “Gordita Chronicles”. “Gordita Chronicles” is a television show that can be streamed on HBOMax. The show follows A Latina reporter looking back on her childhood as a chubby, willful and reluctant Dominican immigrant growing up with her eccentric family in 1980s Miami. Noah portrays the character of Yoshy Hernandez. YEM was able to speak with Noah about his most helpful and supportive person on your acting journey thus far, his favorite scene in “Gordita Chronicles” that he was a part of, and what is next for him.
Young Entertainment Mag: What about “Gordita Chronicles” made you want to audition?
Noah Rico: “Auditioning for Gordita Chronicles was so much fun. As soon as I got the audition my mom and I were instantly attracted to the fact that the show is not only based in Miami (In the 80s) but I was to play a latino boy as well! All of these components just added to the excitement I had for this role.”
YEM: What was the audition process like?
Noah: “So I began with a self-tape I sent from Miami and about a week later I was flying out to a commercial I had booked. At the same time, I got a callback for Gordita over zoom. It was so much fun getting to meet Eva Longoria who was to direct the pilot as well as Claudia Forestieri and Brigitte Muñoz who are just crazy talented.
YEM: Do you have any tips for aspiring young actors on how to ace their own auditions?
Noah: “I believe it’s so important to have an authentic audition. I always try to put a little bit of myself into every audition I have to add a little bit of charm and personality. Casting Directors get tons of auditions that tend to be structured the same so you have to try to wow them with the material you’ve been given.”
YEM: Who has been the most helpful and supportive person on your acting journey thus far?
Noah: “My Mom! My amazing mama has been with me throughout my entire journey as an aspiring actor. She took me out to LA the first chance we got and stuck with me through thick and thin.”
YEM: You play the main character’s first friend after coming to the US in “Gordita Chronicles.” How did you get that on-screen bond to seem authentic?
Noah: “Meeting the cast for the first time is always so nerve-wracking. Right before filming the pilot, I had realized that Olivia and I were in the same hotel. It was around 7 o’clock in LA and we decided to go eat ice cream. It was freezing cold so we were all huddled next to each other outside the store just getting to know each other. Took “breaking the ice” to the next level.”
YEM: Without spoiling too much, was there a favorite scene in “Gordita Chronicles” that you were a part of?
Noah: “Every scene was so much fun with Olivia and Cosette. If I had to choose a scene I had the most fun filming it would definitely have to be the whole dancing montage in episode 7. We had like 5 minutes to finish filming the scene and they quite literally said “We’re going to play some music, Dance!” and Olivia and I just started going all out. They had us recreate this one dance from “The breakfast Club” which was really fun.
YEM: What do you hope audiences will get out of watching “Gordita Chronicles”?
Noah: It’s so important that people really soak in how important family is. Especially in the latino community, Family is all we have for the majority of our lives. Our families are there from day 1 lifting us up and supporting us and It’s beautiful to watch as the Castelli family stick together even through the hardest moments.
YEM: What are different pieces of advice that you’ve learned from each character you’ve played?
Noah: “That’s a great question. I think almost all of the roles I’ve done in film have been connected to the fact that I’m Latino. Yoshy and my past roles have taught me to stay connected with my roots and with who I am. I’m eternally grateful to my parents for keeping the traditions and culture alive in our family.”
YEM: You’ve been acting from a young age. If your life took a different direction, where do you think you’d be right now?
Noah: “I’ve thought about this a lot actually! I always tell my Mom that if I hadn’t decided to pursue acting I would definitely be involved in some sort of criminal Science. I’ve always been very interested in science!”
YEM: What was your very first role? How has it impacted your acting today, if at all?
Noah: “I remember my first booking vividly. It was my first audition and I had booked a commercial for FPL (Florida Power & Light). I don’t think I learned too much from that experience but booking the job definitely gave me that confidence boost to fully pursue this career. My acting has definitely evolved over time. I’ve learned so much over the course of 7 years worth of acting classes. I can’t wait to explore different types of roles in more projects.”
YEM: You’ve entered into already established casts (HSMTMTS), what was it like starting off fresh on a new project? Any differences (how you interact with your co-stars, varying levels of pressure, etc)?
Noah: “Luckily, I did get to meet most of the cast from HSMTMTS! They were all so nice and welcoming. Getting involved with the Gordita cast was a whole different ball game. I had time to fully connect with my co-stars. The pressure was less intense because I didn’t have these big shoes to fill.”
YEM: How nervous do you get when a show or episode you’re in premiers? How do you overcome those jitters?
Noah: “It’s really funny because you never really adjust to the nerves. Instead of trying to push down my jitters I let them out and embrace them. On June 23rd (Our official release date), I was up at 4 AM watching the show. I just had to be the first person to lay eyes on all our hard work and It’s safe to say I’m really proud with what we do. We all worked our butts off for 3 months and it paid off.”
YEM: What’s next for you?
Noah: “My all time biggest dream is to be a part of a Marvel movie. I am a HUUUGE MCU geek so being a part of that superhero world would be so incredible. Aside from that, Horror is one of the genres I’m gaining more interest in so being in a Slasher Film would be so much fun. For now though, You can catch me on all 10 episodes of “Gordita Chronicles” which is now streaming on HBOMax!”
