Pop-Culturalist.com

Isis King and Todd Grinnell are two of the stars of Prime Video’s With Love.

With Love is a romantic dramedy centered on siblings Lily and Jorge Diaz as they navigate big life changes and rely on their equally big family to get them through. Following her whirlwind romance with Santiago, Lily decides to focus all her energy on a personal journey of self-love by growing her makeup styling business and looking into homeownership. But when both Santiago and Nick profess their feelings for her, Lily wrestles with what is best for her future. Meanwhile, Jorge begins to question whether he and Henry are truly compatible. When he meets Henry’s proud Texan parents, he can’t decide whether the relationship is a fairy tale or a nightmare.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to chat with Isis and Todd about Season 2 of With Love, collaborating with showrunner Gloria Calderón Kellett, and bringing much-needed representation to the screen.

PC: Isis, representation is such an essential aspect of media and storytelling. You’ve said in the past that you’ve rarely seen a trans or non-binary character in a role like this and in a story like this. What does it mean to you to know that you and Gloria are ensuring that future generations won’t have to experience something similar?
Isis: That’s a beautiful question, thank you. It’s beautiful to be a part of this for a trans, non-binary character who has a career, family, friendship, and love. It’s beautiful because it’s possible for all of us. We live in a world where our rights have been stripped away. So, it’s important to highlight more of our possibilities and who we are. I’ve had a trans doctor. It’s possible. It’s important for everyone to see that too.

PC: Todd, you’ve worked with Gloria in the past. Is the filming experience different when the creator and showrunner also has experience in front of the camera? How has that collaboration and trust that you’ve built with her allowed you to take agency over your character throughout the two seasons?
Todd: Great question. I’ve been lucky enough to know Gloria for a long time, just as a friend. Then also we’ve been collaborating together forever. I’m the luckiest actor in the world. I’ve told her I would like to sign a holding deal with her for the rest of my life. I’ll show up wherever I’m lucky enough to be asked to show up. But she does it all. She showruns, she writes with her team, she directs, she acts, she does it all.

Isis: She’s the funniest character. Wait til you see her this season!

Todd: Wait til you see Gladys this season. It’s a blast. It’s a dream that I get to be in scenes with her. I feel an immediate comfort. Like from day one, I knew that as an actor I would be taken care of, that everyone would be taken care of, that these stories would be real, authentic, incredibly deep, representative, and done right. And groundbreaking! That’s why I will go wherever she asks me to go.

PC: Isis, there’s a moment in Season 2 where Sol and Jorge are talking about the realities of being a minority within a minority. You’ve both brought so much nuance to that scene. As a storyteller, how did you prepare for that moment?
Isis: Mark and I are so close. We’re so close. I feel like this is a conversation that we’ve had. We both got our starts on TV when we were younger: Mark on Ugly Betty as a kid and me on Top Model at twenty-one, twenty-two. It’s a real conversation.

We were ridiculed so much at the beginning when we were at the forefront of our sectors. So how did I prepare? It was natural because it’s a conversation that we’ve had. It’s a conversation that we’ve had when we would go out and someone would recognize both of us and tell us how we’ve affected their lives when we were younger.

Also on set, we would be in his trailer, eating and talking about all of this. It was beautiful when I read it. I was like, “I can’t wait for this.” I was like, “I’m going to get emotional. I’m a crybaby.” Mark was like, “Oh, girl. You’re going to cry.” I was like, “Yeah. This is so real. Gloria and the team picked up on certain things and I’m so grateful for that. That conversation transcends just us at that moment. It’s a real conversation between queer family members, queer friends, and people who are trying to survive in this day and age.

Make sure to follow Isis (Twitter/Instagram) and Todd (Twitter/Instagram). Watch With Love on Prime Video today.