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When Stephanie Beatriz first auditioned forBrooklyn Nine-Nine, she read for the part of Amy Santiago.
But as fate would have it, there could be two.
I think my Amy would have been a lot more irritating to people.
And I was like, Absolutely.
It was like, tens, tens, tens across the board.
I saw you were at the GLAAD Awards.
How was it?It was amazing.
At the after-party, all these teenagers kept coming up to me.
One girl was like, Im genderqueer, and I just love your show.
Ive never seen anyone come out on a show I love before.
And then Ellen after that, and then it was a desert for a long time.
Unless you countWill and Grace, which I do, but I dont, you know?
I loved watching the development of [Wills character], but for me, I didnt see myself.
As a Latina bisexual person, I still dont quite identify.
I can sort of claim it, but also I cant.
And all I did was stare at the boobs.
There were boobs everywhere.
Was that yourroot?Kind of, which is real fucked-up because those paintings are wack.
Theyre all like, torn spine and lots of blood.
Thanks, mom, for my art education/investigation into the world of bisexuality!
No, were really not supposed to, but everyone was like, Isnt it beautiful?
Boobies, boobies, boobies.
When did you come out?I came out slowly.
Heres the thing: Some of the time, Im in a couple that passes as straight.
Did they find out through Twitter?No.
They found out through the internet because my dad likes the internet.
My mom called me, and was like, Dads worried about you.
Thats how she puts it first.
And then we talked through things.
Its difficult because so much of the Latin-American community connects so deeply with their religious roots.
Because of many reasons.
You could go back to the colonization of South America.
But, it is this foundation of faith and family.
It can be the beginning of your community.
When my familys home burned down, the church helped them get back on their feet.
I just have to wait for that, because theyre doing their best.
Shes not going to talk about her personal life.
Rosa probably dabbles in polyamory, too.
I dont think shes like, This is the one person, except for Pimento.
So I had always played her with that in the back of my mind.
Would you be open to us exploring a story where Rosa comes out as bisexual?
and I was like, Absolutely.
So it was like, Tens, tens, tens across the board.
Because Fox was going to publicize those episodes anyway.
Talk about things I wanted to see in an episode.
Like the phrase, Bisexualitys not really a thing.
Youll grow out of it.
Its just a phase.
Well, you could still marry men, so theres still a chance.
Which is really fucking exhausting.
Get ready for that conversation for the rest of your life, right?
Because youre engaged to be married to man.
No, thats not it.
Just like when you marry someone, your sexual desire for other people just doesnt drop away and disappear.
You still see people, and youre like, Damn!
even though youre committed to one person.
Theyre often villains, and their sexuality is almost seen as amoral.Yeah.
Most of the time theyre hypersexualized villains who get murdered.
Because where do you get your truth?
You get it from television and media.
So if your truth is not reflected anywhere, then do you exist?
Or do you matter?
Will you be able to have a happy life?
Thats who gets to be happy and successful.
Maybe some black people also.
You guys dont exist really.
And that gets in your head.
You dont realize how deep that shit gets in your head.
But it gets in there.
Almost like you have to pick one.
Did you ever go through something like that?Which fight are you going to fight.
I definitely feel like many times in my life.
Ill use this as an example.
They dont want me around.
The American Dream is not for me.
A lot of times when I was a kid, I just straight up wished I was white.
I wished that I was white because it looked so easy and fun.
They didnt have the same problems.
They didnt eat weird fucking food.
Their moms that werent unable to be understood by the woman at the cash register.
The answer is maybe.
My partners straight, and he also felt like shit that morning.
That people who identify with two things see me and feel like they are represented.
Sometimes, its one of the two things, and sometimes its both.
And I love that.
He told most of the cast about the events the day before he went public with it.
He was talking to us about it and was asking us what we thought.
Of course, we all rallied around him and were like, That is in-fucking-sane.
We cannot believe that happened to you.
What would the story be like now?
Im amazed he came forward with that story.
Im going to be okay no matter what.
He has such faith in God.
He has such faith in his marriage and in his family and in himself.
Lets see what happens.
And he was like, All right, sweetie.
And then I stopped and said, No.
I am actually serious.
I am not sweetie.
My name is Stephanie, and Id like you to call me by my actual name.
But that was our show.
It was really great that I felt really supported in that.
You did the right thing.
Thank you for speaking up and making sure that you felt comfortable in your work environment.
In that way, Im a really good advocate for myself.
you could say no all day long.
You might get fired, but you’re free to say no.
What were some of those?I definitely felt stereotyped, like the spicy Latina kind of thing.
I feel like the emoji in the fucking salsa dress.
And that doesnt feel great.
I can do that accent all day long because I grew up around that accent.
My mom actually has that accent.
Its not the accent thats the problem.Its not.
One of the most complex roles I ever played was a maid, Lydia.
Its a beautiful fucking play by Octavio Solis.
This woman is an undocumented immigrant.
So, Ill never say I wont play a maid because maids are fucking amazing.
Nannies are amazing human beings.
Did that casting happen because of Twitter, too?Mm-hmm.
It was calledSuper Chica, and its never been released.
Its just like a lab.
I was like, you know who would be great for this casting?
And I gave them multiple names, people that were dreamy dreams, and Gina was one of them.
Hollywood is crazy because if youre working, youre constantly working.
Youve got a photo shoot or whatever.
But she happened to be free in this time period and it worked out.
You dont kiss in the episode!No.
I was mad, too, but listen.
[Next] season, I am going to hard-core push for that.
Even if its not Gina, we need to see Rosa kiss a girl.
I want to see the circle get completed.
Weve seen her in a male and female relationship.
Weve seen her be really involved in that relationship.
I want to see the other side of bisexuality, which is someone who identifies as her gender.
But for storytelling purposes and for presentation purposes, its important to wrap up the circle.
In season six, I would like to see her kiss a girl on that screen.
