(soft music)
- I am such a huge fan of the original 'Penny Dreadful,'
and now we're getting 'Penny Dreadful: City of Angels.'
Can you tell me a little bit about it?
The city's burgeoning,
it's really coming into its own,
and when things like that happen,
there's always a power struggle.
- [Raul] No matter the color of our skin,
we will not be moved.
- Then you will be pushed!
(crowd yelling)
- Then the blood will be on your hands.
- Don't threaten me with your god damn--
- This is our home!
- I play a union leader and a community organizer
and my younger brother who the story is centered around,
he's the first Chicano LAPD detective. And so
I'm a man of the people
and as far as I'm concerned, my brother
is going to work for the man.
- Detective Santiago Vega, I guess congratulations.
Hell, you'll be a gringo before you know it.
- And then the overarching story
and what makes it 'Penny Dreadful'
is that the supernatural element that exists,
are these two angels.
They're sisters and they
are essentially fighting for control of mankind.
- Was there anything from the story
that thoroughly, like, creeped you out?
There's a scene where my mother, played
by Adriana Barraza,
where she's praying to her patron saint for help
and there's a moment in there that is so startling,
(in foreign language)
(roaring)
(shudders)
- I love horror, like so much.
Are you a big fan of the genre?
- Horror when it's done well,
is amazing, because I think, you know,
And horror is one of those genres where,
if you can create horror and then deliver a message
at the same time, and I think it's the same
with comedy, you know, you can really deliver a message
with a laugh or with a scream,
but just leave people with something to walk away
and think about when they're done watching the story.
I think it's, you know, horror as a genre
is a wonderful device.
- There's no shortage of material
from everything you've just told me.
But I do really think it's really important
and really interesting, that there's really
this sort of political element
that is shining light on, you know, marginalized
and under-represented communities.
- Without a doubt, I mean, this is
the thing that when I read it gripped me so tightly
and made me want so badly to be a part of telling the story,
was the fact that,
What we're illustrating
by going back in the past and telling the story,
and what we hope people garner from it is that
- No matter what you think,
no matter what you hope, you can't stop this.
- [Adam] We have this desire
to separate ourselves from each other, you know,
and I really think that when we get too caught up
in doing that, we miss the point
of what America is all about,
which is we are all here to be Americans.
- How often do projects like this come around?
- Rarely.
These projects like this, I've been waiting
for a role like this
That's why when I read the first episode,
I mean, I just absolutely fell in love
with my character Raul,
I felt so connected to what he had
an opportunity to say and to represent.
- [Raul] If we let them push us out here,
where does it end?
When we're back in Mexico?
- That's done, no one's talking
about deporting anyone, Raul.
- This is how it starts!
- Come on.
- It was sort of the fight that I've been looking
to jump into for forever.
- And you know, right now we are kind of living
in a horror movie, unfortunately,
with the Coronavirus pandemic.
And I know amidst all of this chaos, you
have a new addition to the family.
So how has that been?
- Our birth plan was to have the baby at home
and so he was born on the day
that the quarantine was initiated.
I'll tell you the truth,
I am certainly going
to be celebratory when we get to a point
where life can return
to whatever the new normal is going to be.
But I am going to miss this time too, I mean,
I work my ass off to take care of the people in my home
and they are my life.
And for those people not having children, and home,
and wondering what to do,
Use this time to think about how we have
to approach life differently in the future and do it better.
Do it better for ourselves, do it better for each other,
so that we don't find ourselves in a position
like this again because something like this
is a big wake-up call
to realize that as much as we think we dominate life
on this earth, we do not.
- So everyone lift your glass to--
sorry mama,
Detective 'Tiago (beep) Vega!
- [Together] Detective Tiago Vega!
(upbeat music)