One Day at a Time Stars on Balancing Comedy with Serious Topics

What's going on, guys? Hanging with me right now. I have Isabella Gomez and Marcel Ruiz. Hey guys, how are you?

Good. How are you?

Good, so excited. This is your first time here, so welcome.

Thank you.

First impressions?

It's stunning and I want to move in.

Oh, okay. I think we can work out some like some rent maybe.

I'm amazing. Let's do it.

Yeah. Well, honestly, welcome. This is this is so cool that you guys are here. I do actually want to point out before we go, you missed the turtleneck memo, Isabella.

Oh, my god. Listen, nobody sent it to me or I would have been in dress code. No, and it's like raining today, you know, it's kind of cold. But it's kind of hot.

Is it hot? I haven't been outside today so I'm not sure.

It's a little hot to me, but whatever. No, I'm wearing a hoodie.

Well, you both look amazing.

Thank you.

Thank you for coming. Congratulations on the show, One Day at a Time on Netflix. You guys are a couple seasons in, so, how does it feel? Having a sitcom go for three seasons on Netflix is pretty incredible.

Yeah. So we're super excited and we also really love our job. It's been a lot of work but at the same time I feel like it has gone by fast. Like when you think we're right here right now and we think of like, wow, we've done three seasons already.

Something I really love about your show specifically is you guys touch on really important topics. And like, for example, like female empowerment, assault, labeling, like stuff like that. Like, I think that's so cool because you guys somehow found the balance to educate audiences while being hilarious. So I kind of want to know like how do you guys, how do you find that balance? Like what's it like?

It's the magic of the Norman Lear sitcom. I think topics that are hard to talk about are much easier to talk about through laughter. And it's a balance that I think comes from the writers. We have genius writers. So, thank God because it is a very fine balance. I feel like it's also hard, I mean, for me, it's pretty hard because sometimes you know, you're laughing in one scene and then then the next scene you're just full-on crying. Yeah. So that makes it really hard for us and for the audience too. But we've found the balance of laughing and crying. Uh, there's a lot of it. Yeah. Yep.

I'm sure that's it's actually pretty fun because you guys play siblings for people watching who don't know. What's your favorite part about, you know, transitioning from like the happiness to the sadness like with each other? Because you guys seem so close. Yeah. in real life. So, is it easy or is it you guys are kind of like a lot of outtakes like set the scene for me.

I mean, both in the sense of we all like love our job and go to have fun. So we there's always people crack cracking up. Uh, especially with like Rita Moreno and Todd Grinnell who are hilarious. We have created this environment on set where we get to be artistically free and collaborate with each other. So if there's ever like something that's hard happening, other actors are very sensitive to it especially with our more serious scenes. Yeah, man. I feel like we both have a relationship where it's like you're an only child, I'm an only child. So it's like the first time that, you know, we have a sibling. Yeah. And we're all like a real family, honestly. So sometimes we'll have fun like a real family and fight like a real family.

What do you guys fight about?

Stupid things. Very stupid. It's always a waste of time. But in the moment it's so enraging. It's so important too, like in the moment. Oh. Like who takes my phone and like my phone's like my lifeline. Like I am that typical like millennial and I'm like, where what are you? Why where is it? Just give it back to me. He's like, I didn't take it. What do you mean? And I get so angry. Because I didn't. Like I don't know what she's talking about. Shut up. See what these are the things that happen like the point is that we have a lot of fun together. That we love each other. Right? We we love each other. This is really Anyone who hasn't watched it this is literally what happens. They're either giggly, they kind of go through a little tiff and they say but you know at the end of the day, we love each other. I feel like it helps to get into characters. I mean, we're really just having fun every day.

I love it. Well, you guys are clearly like super hilarious people. I was watching the show and honestly, not a lot of shows make me like laugh out loud. Like actually like, you know, laugh and you guys did that. So I want to know, can you guys

She's like good. Thank you so much. We're doing the job.

Yes. Um, do you guys have any like go-to jokes?

No. Really? I didn't think I was funny. I thought I was a dramatic actress. And then I booked a sitcom and I was like, What am I going to do? Yeah, I don't have a joke. No. Maybe it's the delivery. Maybe.

You guys have been funny so far. Or not, I guess maybe not trying to be but maybe

It's not like jokey. It's just and I think that also comes very much from like the sitcom environment like our showrunner Gloria Calderon Kellett, she'll always come up and be like, I'm a quick and a lie. It's just so funny. And it's yeah, I think it's just more an attitude. No. Yeah, we're all just just like having fun and it's just like going with the flow and like. Yeah. Especially Rita. She makes anything fun. She makes anything funny. There are lines that are not supposed to be jokes. That she gets a house laughter. Can I make this funny? And then she'll just make it funny.

I love it. Well, before you go because it is your first time in studio. We want to play a little game of first with you. I'm just going to ask you about your first whatever it is and you just answer. It's pretty simple.

Great.

Okay, here we go. First one. First celeb crush.

John Stamos. Oh, good one. Uncle Jesse all the way. Yes, every time. Emily Ratajkowski.

Oh, both good ones. Okay. First time you were starstruck.

John Stamos. I have a story. You have all the answers for this. Please. Yeah, tell us. Here's the thing. He was the first celebrity that I really saw. I had already done a season of the show. We went to this Norman Lear thing. And Rita goes, come here. drags me to him. John is like, oh my God, I'm getting to meet Rita Moreno, right? Because she's an icon. He's like, hi Rita. I'm John. So nice to meet you. She's like, yeah, yeah, yeah. This is Isabella Gomez. And I was just mortified. I didn't know what to do. I was like crying in his face and after that I've decided I can't do that anymore. Can't do that anymore. We've seen him more a couple of times. I mean the other day we were right next to him. We were like hey. Oh my God.

I'm sure that's such a crazy adjustment now. Yeah. What about you? First time you were starstruck.

Uh, actually the other day Steph Curry. Oh. So yeah. The other day I met him. I was so excited to meet him. And it was just an amazing experience because I've looked up to him like for a long, long time.

I like that one. Okay. Last one. First paranormal experience if you've ever had one.

I remember very distinctly walking into a room one time. And getting like chills in like the back of my neck and I got like really cold and I was like, and I walked out and I told somebody about it and you're like, yeah, somebody like died there a few years ago. And I was like, nope, I'm out. Never went back in. I was like, I don't need it. I don't need it in my life. Thank you.

But it felt like evil or

It didn't feel evil. I didn't get all the details. But even just like have like I it didn't feel evil but it was very scary. Okay. I didn't like it. Fair enough. Oh. No. Yeah. No. I'm going to no. Um one day it was like dark and my dog just started barking at the wall. Nope. Nope. And he just kept barking. And like after I tell him like stop. He stops usually. But he just kept barking. Like if there was someone right there. And I did not sleep. I just went Netflix the whole night. Just watch. That was before the show. It was before the show.

Amazing. Well, you guys are so fun. I think we're all out of time but congratulations on the show. You're welcome back anytime.

Thank you so much.