Exclusive Interview: Cricket Wampler, Tisha Custodio, and Tiana Le Talk Big Shot 2

Cricket Wampler, Tisha Custodio, and Tiana Le are three of the stars of Disney+’s Big Shot.

In Season 2 of Big Shot, Marvyn Korn (Stamos) returns to Westbrook with a new fire, ready to show that his basketball team belongs in D2 and that he’s still the championship-winning, powerhouse coach he was in the NCAA. Marvyn’s latest plan toward relevance is to get his team broadcast on ESPN and his method is to recruit an unlikely player: Ava (Echeagaray), a gutsy beach volleyball phenom whose public tantrum got her ousted from her own sport. Between losing their assistant coach Holly Barrett (Gilsig) to a rival school, new friction amongst teammates, a sudden and unexpected proximity to boys, and off-the-court disasters that no one could’ve predicted, this season, the Westbrook Sirens have even more to prove.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to chat with Cricket, Tisha, and Tiana about Season 2.

PC: Cricket, Samantha has such an important arc in Season 2 that’s not often depicted in mainstream media. You handled that with so much nuance. What was your reaction when you learned where her arc was heading for the season and how did you prepare?
Cricket: Thank you. I’m so grateful that she gets to show that side and spread awareness. I really was very grateful to have that depth. In Season 1, I was like, “She’s so happy-go-lucky.” When I found out about her other side, I was really excited to be able to lean into that. All these girls have gotten to show so much amazing, dramatic acting. I hadn’t really had that chance yet.

To prep, I listened to a lot of sad music. When I was about to do scenes, I was like, “Nobody speak to me.” My shattered playlist is on because my heart is shattered. Music really helped me get in the zone.

PC: Speaking of music, Tisha, in addition to the incredible work that you’ve done on screen, you’re also a singer-songwriter. If you had to write a song about Mouse’s arc in Season 2, what would it be and what would you call it?
Tisha: Oh my gosh. I would call it “House” because that’s one of the ship names. It would be a folk song about how Harper has made Mouse more confident in who she is and her stepping into her own.

PC: One of the central themes of this show is about discovering your voice. Tiana, you’ve said in the past that one of your purposes as a creative is to be the representation that you didn’t get to see on screen. What has it meant to you to know that you’re paving the way for future generations where they won’t have to experience something similar? How rewarding is it to see the response on social media?
Tiana: It’s definitely not something that I take lightly. I do talk about it all the time. Growing up, I didn’t see myself on screen. I’m biracial. I’m half Black and half Vietnamese. I either saw only my Black side or my Vietnamese side, if I even saw that!

It’s an amazing opportunity to portray my heritage and hopefully reach some little biracial girls out there in the world. This is such a strong character who sets such a good example for them. I love that we see these strong female characters who love each other and aren’t pitted against one another. To do that alongside all of these girls who I consider my best friends is an absolute treat.

PC: These characters are so complex and layered. If you could play another character on this show, who would it be and why?
Tiana: I’m playing Coach Korn because I want to throw a chair. Period. Done, done, done, done, done, done.

Tisha: I feel like I’d play Samantha because I’ve personally had experiences with anxiety and depression. That’s something near and dear to my heart. I want to portray that for the world too.

Cricket: This is hard. That’s a really, really good question. I want to go off the wall. Maybe I would play Sherilyn because I want to be the authority, honestly. I want to be behind that desk that nobody steps behind unless you’re Miss Yvette [Nicole Brown], and I want to just have the power.

Make sure to follow Cricket (Twitter/Instagram), Tisha (Twitter/Instagram), and Tiana (Twitter/Instagram). Watch Season 2 of Big Shot today on Disney+.