Interview: Johnny Rey Diaz on ‘Primo’, flexing his comedy skills and why the show is connecting with viewers – Entertainment Focus

Phoenix, Arizona native Johnny Rey Diaz is one of the stars of Amazon Freevee’s breakout new comedy series ‘Primo’, which debuted its 8-episode first season in May.

After years of playing dramatic roles in the likes of ‘SWAT’, ‘Bosch’, ‘CSI: Vegas’ and ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, Diaz is now showing off his comedy skills as Rollie, one of five uncles that surrounds their sister Drea (Christina Vidal) and her son Rafa (Ignacio Diaz-Silverio) in ‘Primo’. The show is an irresistibly feel-good series that delivers a lot of laughs and plenty of heart.

I caught up with Johnny to talk about the show, find out his take on Rollie and to discuss why he feels the show is connecting with viewers…

I absolutely adore ‘Primo’ and it’s my favourite series this year. What was it about the show that made you want get involved?

Well, first off, I really appreciate the kind words. Thank you so much, I’m happy that you’re enjoying the show. Honestly, it’s really opportunity. As an actor, you get auditions and you’re obviously hoping to book a job. When this pilot came in, I remember reading (it) and I just thought how well written it was; it was funny, it was charming and it had a lot of heart. When I read (the part of Rollie), I just immediately had this vision of what this character was like. Thankfully I put this on tape and it paid off. What I’ve heard from conversations with Shea and Mike Schur is that the character of Rollie was supposed to be something completely different. He was supposed to be this big biker guy and I brought this sort of goofiness and silliness to the character that they had never even envisioned. Every actor will get something and we all interpret the material differently. It was a really cool project. I typically do a lot more dramatic work but I think I’m great at comedy, I just don’t get a lot of those opportunities. It was definitely a handful of opportunity on this part.

I discovered you when you recurred as Noah on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ in Season 18 and I’ve been a fan ever since. ‘Primo’ is the first time I’ve seen you doing comedy and it’s so great to see a different side of what you can. What is it like for you as an actor to showcase your range?

I love it. As an actor, I have had this conversation with lots of actor friends before, a lot of times actors will get put into a category or pigeon-holed into a specific type. A lot of times casting directors don’t realize we have range and I do pride myself on being an actor that does have a lot of range. When I first moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting, I mostly did comedy. I was part of a comedic troupe doing comedic improv at a theater every week. We were doing monthly shows at The Comedy Store. I started doing a lot of comedic improv and people, for whatever reason, really saw me more as a dramatic actor so I started really honing in my skills in the drama space. I got a lot more opportunity with that so I’ve focused more on that. Anytime a comedic part would come in, I would of course audition for it, but I feel like the comedy stuff, especially in television hasn’t really picked up for me until more recently. How funny is it that I started off coming here doing comedy and the biggest role I land to this day happens to be a comedic show with Mike Schur, one of the greatest producers and comedic writers of our time, and Shea Serrano, another fantastic and brilliant writer. It’s funny how it all works out.

One of the things that I think is so fantastic about ‘Primo’ is all of the uncles are so well fleshed out so well. There’s so much more to every single one of the characters than you expect, particularly your character. You mentioned that he’s a bit goofy and we know very early on in the season that he likes to get into trouble, either by accident or sometimes on purpose, but he has such a big heart and really cares for his nephew. What’s your take on that aspect of Rollie?

I think that’s what’s so special about Rollie. Huge credit to Shea, Mike and Lisa (Muse Bryant) and Peter (Murrieta), and all the writers on the show. I think it would have been very easy to make Rollie, or the other uncles for that matter, very two-dimensional but they’ve really spent a lot of time crafting each uncle and a backstory about them. What’s really great about the show is Rollie is this guy who is goofy and silly and he’s quick to throw a fist, but there’s always reasons behind it. It’s because he’s protecting his family and he’s sort of the caretaker in some ways, or maybe the enforcer. As the show progresses, we get to see this other side of him where he’s actually very sentimental and he’s trying to impart wisdom to Rafa based on his life experiences and what hasn’t worked for him. I’m so happy that Shea put those moments in the show and into the character because it really breathes life into him. I think we really get to see that he is this very complex character. There’s times where he says something really ridiculous but then in another scene he might be having a very heartfelt moment with Rafa where you’re like, ‘oh wow, this guy actually isn’t just a goofy, silly guy that doesn’t really understand things that are going on’. There’s a lot more to him than meets the eye.

One of my favourite scenes in season 1 is when Rollie helps Mondo on his stall at the market, selling Mondo’s interesting products, and they get into a fight with the stall owner next to them. How on earth do you manage to keep a straight face in scenes like that?

Not well (laughs) I’m sure if you were to ask all the cast who broke the most on set, I think unanimously it would be me. I hate to admit it but there’s a lot of funny moments in the show and there’s a lot of really funny, hilarious actors on the show. When you’re acting opposite them, it is sometimes really (hard to) keep a straight face. I was the notorious one that definitely broke many, many times. Specifically talking about that scene you’re mentioning, there was the scene where he’s urinating on leather man’s goods. That whole setup was a hose that was shooting out water and just the absurdity of the situation when we were shooting that and they were shooting my reaction, there were certain times where I couldn’t contain it. I definitely broke for sure, many times. If you do look closely on specific wide shots when there is all of us there, there are moments where there’s a little bit of a smile there and that’s probably more of a Johnny smile. That’s kind of like, ‘you guys got me with that one’ so it’s there in the show.

I’m going to have to rewatch the show and see if I can spot that…

Easter eggs for the fans! (laughs)

It’s clear that as a cast you really gelled while making the show and that chemistry is so clear on screen. What was it like working with this ensemble?

Honestly, I can’t speak enough about it. It was one of the most beautiful and amazing times I’ve ever had on a set. I can’t fan enough about it, it was so wonderful. From the very first day, everyone was so welcoming. The producers and the writers were so nurturing and the cast was so giving. It’s kind of crazy. I had never met any of the other actors prior to shooting this, I had heard of some of them, but I’d never actually met them in person. For a show like this to work, you really have to believe that we are a family. I think we all understood that, that it was important to get close to each other and to learn about each other. We were also just so grateful to be there and I think that was a big part of it too, having that gratitude and also realizing that this is something that could be special. I think because we’re all on board with that it just made everyone gel so well. All the things that you see on camera I think are evident to that.

The way the cast is reminds me of ‘Friends’. I remember during their reunion show they talked about how they realised early on they had to work together as a unit to preserve each other’s best interests and make the show successful, which as we know ended up with a 10 season run. I feel that genuine love and fondness watching ‘Primo’ so do you think that might happen for you guys?

Well, I hope we go 10 seasons. You said it first Pip. I’m going to put it out there that Pip said we’re going 10 seasons. Just kidding (laughs). I think that that’s very accurate. I do hope it goes for several seasons and I think that’ll only bring us all together and make our relationships stronger. I think a big part of it too was that we were all in a town that many of us had never been before. We were shooting in Albuquerque, New Mexico and in some ways that forces you to bond with each other. Off set we would also do things. I remember we went whitewater rafting, hiking… just different things like that; always meeting up with people and exploring the city. That also helped us get closer with each other and it shows on set. When you have such a big ensemble like this, if somebody isn’t getting along with somebody it does make it really difficult. Thankfully, we never had that issue on set and I really hope that it continues moving forward.

‘Primo’ is available on Amazon Freevee, which is a relatively new service. The reaction to the show has been unlike anything else I’ve seen on the platform and the buzz just keeps building. How does that feel?

It definitely feels great. There was a show called ‘Jury Duty’ that blew up on Amazon Freevee and that started getting eyes on it. It came out right before ‘Primo’ did. I have seen some of the reviews (of ‘Primo’) and Shea keeps us on a text message thread and he’ll send us articles and reviews. It’s been an amazing feeling. I don’t want to say I’m shocked but because there’s been such a positive acclaim about it, I’m like, ‘there’s gotta be some negative ones out there? I gotta find these, we need some constructive criticism’. I’m just so happy that people are really enjoying it, and friends are enjoying it and not just telling me that they are. There are families watching it. I think a lot of people can relate to it. It’s just a story about family at the end of the day, a crazy family at times that has a lot of drama, and I think people can relate to that. They have different voices in their family that possibly are telling them what to do, especially an early age, and I think that’s why a lot of people are connecting to it. I’ve heard some people say that when they watch the show, it makes them feel like home. That’s really special when I hear things like that because it means that it’s really resonating with people and it’s really digging in deep.

This show is a great example of the importance of representation too. These kinds of stories about Mexican-American families just aren’t told all that often. The only other show I can bring to mind is ‘Love, Victor’. How do you feel about that aspect of the show?

It’s amazing. Finally I feel like (in) Hollywood we’re getting more opportunities. We’re starting to see faces that look like us on screen. When I was a kid there really wasn’t much, there was really nobody on screen that looked like me. I didn’t really even know that acting was a profession until much later in life. I think it’s important for us to tell different stories because there are so many people from different walks of life, and it only makes sense. What I do like about the show is while this show is specifically a Latino family growing up in San Antonio, Texas, it’s not something that’s forced on the audience. I think that’s why it’s also working so well with every market and I think this show is for everybody. If you have a family, this show is for you, literally, and that’s what makes it so special.

There are a lot of Latino shows that sometimes will make it a focal point and are shouting it proudly, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but I think why (this show will) stand out is that it just happens to be a family living in Texas that happens to be Latino. That’s it. It’s not something that’s a focal point of the story or what’s happening. It’s really just about relationships, family, a coming-of-age story of this kid just trying to figure out his figure out who he is, and does he want to go to college and what does he want to do with his life. That’s something that everyone can relate to. It is amazing to see that finally a lot of different faces are getting opportunities, and especially people of colour, to tell their stories, and I’m so happy to be part of it.

Season 1 of ‘Primo’ is available to watch on Amazon Freevee now. Watch the trailer for the series below: