Wilmer Valderrama pays homage to the life and legacy of famed Cuban American actor Desi Arnaz in a new podcast, “Starring: Desi Arnaz & Wilmer Valderrama.”
The first three episodes of the 10-part series dropped Oct. 15, which coincided with the 74th anniversary of the premiere of “I Love Lucy.” The beloved sitcom, which ran for six seasons between 1951 and 1957, starred real-life couple Arnaz and Lucille Ball as the charming comic duo Ricky and Lucy Ricardo.
The popular TV show not only revolutionized industry standards by pioneering a multicamera setup and taping with a live audience — but it showcased Ricky, a Cuban man, as a loving partner. Though his accent was often teased on the show (usually by his on- and off-screen wife), Arnaz was able to bring forth elements of his Cuban identity that were never before seen on national television, including his musical abilities as a bandleader.
Arnaz’s contributions to American television as a Cuban refugee left an impression on Valderrama, who credits watching episodes of “I Love Lucy” with helping him learn English after immigrating back to the U.S. from Venezuela in his teen years. (Valderrama was born in Miami, then immigrated to Venezuela before moving back to the U.S.) Such personal anecdotes are the most defining features in “Starring: Desi Arnaz & Wilmer Valderrama,” as the “That ‘70s Show” star draws parallels between his own life and Arnaz’s Hollywood career.
“I’m pretty sure if it weren’t for Desi, I would have stopped trying a long time ago,” said Valderrama in the first episode, “The Man Who Invented Hollywood,” about his own attempts to break into television.
The “NCIS” actor also argues that Arnaz’s contributions to the entertainment industry have gone largely unrecognized by the mainstream public. For example, Arnaz’s Desilu Productions gave rise to the practice of off-network syndication, thanks to the fact that “I Love Lucy” was shot on a high-quality film — making reruns possible and profitable. This laid the groundwork for a model that has since been adopted by streaming platforms.
Such stories are weaved into the podcast the Valderrama describes as a “love letter” to the late actor, who passed away in 1986.
“In a world that didn’t quite get him or the richness of his culture, Desi Arnaz carved out a space, not just for himself, but for all of us that felt like outsiders,” said Valderrama in the first episode. “He didn’t just fit in, he redefined what it meant to belong.”
The podcast is co-produced by Valderrama’s audio production company WV. It is also part of iHeart Media’s My Cultura Podcast Network, an initiative that elevates Latino storytellers in audio — and of which Valderrama is also a prominent shareholder. New episodes of “Starring: Desi Arnaz & Wilmer Valderrama” air Wednesdays on the iHeartRadio app and other streaming platforms.
De Los spoke to Valderrama about Arnaz and the parallels between their journeys as Latinos in Hollywood. This interview has been shortened and edited for clarity.
When did you get that “aha moment” — when you decided to tell the story of Desi Arnaz?When I was growing up in Venezuela, I was watching “I Love Lucy.” But in Venezuela it was dubbed in Spanish, so to me, everyone spoke Spanish. Then, when I came to the United States, I started learning how to speak English and people suggested I should watch television to see what they were talking about.
At age 14, I started watching “I Love Lucy” again — and [that’s when] I realized that [Desi Arnaz] had an accent. I was like, “Wait a minute!” I started identifying with him in many ways, because as I was learning how to speak English, I had a very strong accent at the beginning. I felt so connected to someone that sounded like me and looked like me.
He became a bit of a beacon [of hope] to me, among a few others, Anthony Quinn, Antonio Banderas, Jimmy Smits … I just followed that beacon and started realizing that [Arnaz] was much more than his character on TV. It [spoke] to my passion for entrepreneurship, building a company and producing.
When I started writing my book, “An American Story: Everyone’s Invited,” I started diving into who really inspired me, who sacrificed for me to have the shot that I have today. I started realizing how much he had contributed to Hollywood and how much he expanded the industry, and made it global. Some of these shows could be re-run for revenue that fueled the growth of Hollywood tremendously. He launched Desilu productions and I always had dreams of launching my own production company.
I started thinking to myself, I don’t know if anybody had been told the story of what his hustle was able to achieve and even more changing the industry completely. I felt that [Latinos] kind of forgot as a culture that we had contributed so much to the world and this country.
Why is now the right time to highlight Desi Arnaz’s cultural impact? Especially given how Latinos have been portrayed in the media? If we don’t continue to allow those stories to echo in our present day, into the future, the images that once inspired the generation we are today will not be available for the next generation to appreciate. We have been here the entire time, [and] we have also been part of the making of this country.
At a time where our culture has been paraphrased, now more than ever, the few of us who have a platform [must] showcase our capabilities, our passions, our artistry and our contributions. If we don’t amplify those, [they] can drift. They can be banned like books have been banned.
There are a lot of parallels between you and Arnaz: You both fled your respective countries of origin, but you both were famed for your accents — Ricky has a thick accent in “I Love Lucy,” and in “That ‘70s Show,” your character Fez also has a heavy accent. Sometimes these accents were the butt of the joke. Were there moments where you felt like the role of Fez was taking one step back for how Latinos were portrayed in Hollywood? What I loved about Desi Arnaz is that he was a successful entertainer. He was a bandleader, always elegant, very smart. Even though there were a lot of jokes that were lost in translation, in the end Ricky was always portrayed as a successful man who knew all the artists and movers and shakers in Hollywood. I felt like that was groundbreaking.
While portraying Fez, I fought a lot of friendly battles on the fun ways we could make [his parts] feel cohesive. Because everyone on the show [would] bust each other’s chops, no one was safe. That’s important because it couldn’t just be that Fez was being bullied the entire time by the rest of the cast — that was not something I was gonna stand for. But the fact that we could have a sense of humor about things being lost in translation, sure.
I [chose] to just make people laugh. I wanted people to really enjoy it. I will say, I spoke up — and a lot of jokes were rewritten — but I [was] also met with enthusiasm and opportunities. I feel like I was the only Latino on the Fox network with a leading role for years, and you bear a little bit of responsibility in making sure the content was up to par.
There’s some tension in the podcast regarding the subject of Lucille Ball, Arnaz’s then-wife, whose shadow he seemed to live under. What is something that you think Hollywood got wrong about him?A lot of it was almost by design. It was like “We’ll buy it that you guys are married, we’ll let you be on the show together, but it has to be about her.”
At that time [in] pop culture, [they] were probably following what was popular, what was hot and what was safe for a mainstream audience. You had tens of millions of people watching live. Those numbers are no longer around. The responsibility they had at the time to appeal [to audiences] probably led to stereotypical [depictions]. What I think they got wrong about him is that he was really the man who made “I Love Lucy” possible. He made it comprehensible, he structurally created a blueprint that the industry could get behind.
I also think about how much he loved his culture and how much he appreciated America. [Latinos] have a level of pride over their heritage. [There’s] the color that comes with being Latino but there is a passion for the American possibility. I think he really idolized that and brought it to the forefront of every speech he gave, every letter he wrote. I think he appreciated the fact that this country gave him a new start. I share that passion. I love the possibilities that this country has provided for us.
The first three episodes are setting up the groundwork for who Arnaz was as a Cuban refugee. What can audiences expect in the episodes to come? We are gonna really dive into this emotional roller coaster [in which] he encounters adversity. The conversations he had to have with himself in order to continue to move forward. I also intertwine my own personal struggles and my family’s upbringing. [It’s] to say in a metaphorical way that his story doesn’t just mirror my story but also the story of millions of people who move anywhere to start from scratch.
The post New podcast by Wilmer Valderrama is a love letter to actor Desi Arnaz appeared first on Los Angeles Times.
