Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Party of Five’s Emily Tosta

Emily Tosta is captivating audiences in her starring role as Lucia Acosta in Freeform’s Party of Five. The must-see reimagining of the ’90s family drama follows the five Acosta children—Emilio, Lucia, Beto, Valentina, and Rafa—as they navigate life after their parents are suddenly deported to Mexico.

It’s a breakout role for the talented young actress, who’s delivering a commanding yet vulnerable performance with heart and authenticity. Pop Culturalist caught up with Emily to chat about the series, Lucia’s journey, and the responsibility she and the cast feel in bringing this timely story to life.

Career

PC: How did you discover your passion for acting?
Emily: I discovered my passion for acting when I was a little girl. One of my earliest memories from that time was getting my family together in our living room to watch me perform a play or show that I would make up. I would play all the characters. It was a one-woman show. [laughs]

As I grew and started doing it professionally, the passion only got stronger. One of my favorite things is as actors we get to dive into other people’s lives. We get to tell their stories and put ourselves into their shoes. That’s really cool.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Emily: My mom. She’s always been so supportive of everything that I’ve done. When we first came to the United States when I was twelve, it was to pursue this dream that I had as a little girl. She’s always been by my side, and she’s had the biggest influence in my life.

PC: In previous interviews that you’ve done, you’ve said that your mission is to leave this world in a better place than when you found it. Have you always known you wanted to use your platform for social good?
Emily: Absolutely! I’ve always known, even before I had a platform per se. I’ve had those values instilled in me since I was little by my family. My mom and I have always volunteered. We’ve always had a passion for helping others. As my platform and audience has grown, we’ve had more opportunities to reach out to certain organizations and work with them on a larger scale.

Party of Five

PC: You’re currently starring in the reboot of Party of Five, which is tackling a lot of important topics, including immigration, family, and self-discovery. Is there a different weight/pressure to a project that’s so timely and currently affecting so many families in this country?
Emily: I don’t think it’s pressure. I think we all feel a responsibility to carry this story with respect to the families that are going through this. We want to make sure that we’re educated and informed so we can pay respect to these stories. Like you said, this is happening in real life. This is sadly something that’s happening in our current political and social climate. We feel that responsibility to carry these stories with truth and authenticity.

PC: In the series, we get to see each of the kids and how they’re affected after their parents are deported. Can you tell us about Lucia’s journey throughout the first season?
Emily: Of course! She has an interesting journey throughout the first season. In the first two episodes, you see that she becomes this rebellious girl. Before this happens to her and her family, she was only focused on school. She didn’t have to worry about anything except excelling at school and getting good grades. Once her parents’ deportation happens, it changes her entire perspective and it shakes her whole world.

The way that she deals with it at first is by hanging out with the wrong crowd. In the first episode, she throws this massive party, which is something that she would have never done in a million years. It’s intense for her to deal with.

There’s a character that will come into Lucia’s life in the next episode that will bring a new perspective. Lucia becomes involved with political activism and helping others. She starts to learn about immigration and starts working with this organization, which teaches her a lot.

She has a very complex road throughout this season. She goes through a lot of things. Even at the end of the season, the last two episodes, you’ll see her struggle with something really important about her identity that she’s trying to grow into. People will find out soon what that is. She’s trying to grow in the midst of this chaos.

PC: What’s been your favorite part about playing Lucia? What’s been the most challenging?
Emily: I’ve loved being able to play this story on screen. One of my favorite parts about this project is that the creators have put such a strong emphasis on casting Latin actors to play these Latin characters. Representation and diversity on screen is something that this industry needs more of. I think that’s been my favorite part about playing Lucia. The writers wrote her to stay true to her culture and her roots.

The most challenging thing is telling the story overall. We always want to make sure that we’re doing it in the right way. We’re dealing with a lot of sensitive topics like immigration and, later in the season, sexuality and other sensitive topics. We want to make sure we’re portraying these ideas and plot lines in the best way possible.

PC: There’s a powerful scene in the pilot where the family is saying their goodbyes. Many of the extras on set that day had gone through that experience. As an actress, how do you prepare for a scene like that?
Emily: That was a very, very dark scene. I don’t even know another word to describe it. There were so many emotions happening in that scene and you felt it in the room. Fernanda Urrejola, who plays my mother in the series, is absolutely incredible. Throughout that scene, we couldn’t keep it together. We just kept crying, even in between takes.

With a scene like that, like any other scene, you have to prepare. You have to get into your character’s shoes and analyze how they would react in that moment. You have to take your mark and tell that truth.

Photo Credit: Freeform/Mitch Haaseth<

PC: Which of Lucia’s relationships has been your favorite to explore and why?
Emily: I can’t say too much, but it’s one that you’ll see in the coming episodes. The character is already known. Her name is Sully. She impacts Lucia’s life in such a strong way. She impacts who Lucia think she is. She impacts Lucia’s likes and passions. She impacts Lucia in a way that makes her want to be a stronger woman. This woman comes into Lucia’s life and shakes it up. That was one of my favorite relationships to explore this season.

PC: That’s a great teaser! On and off set, you can tell that there’s a natural chemistry that comes off the screen between the Acosta kids. Is there a surprising fact about the cast that fans don’t know?
Emily: I don’t think it’s a surprising fact, but I don’t think people understand how incredibly close we are off screen. Niko [Guardado] is literally like my twin brother in real life. Brandon [Larracuente] is like my older brother. Elle [Paris Legaspi] is like my little sister. Our dynamic off screen is the same dynamic on screen. Actually, I would say that it’s even more powerful.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Emily: How to Get Away with Murder. I feel like I’m continuously binge-watching it. [laughs]

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Emily: Shawshank Redemption! I’ve watched that movie over ten times in my life, and I could watch it ten more times.

PC: Favorite book?
Emily: The Alchemist

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Emily: I just watched Hamilton. It was my first Broadway show, and I cried thirty million times, so I’m going to pick that one.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Emily: LANY

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Emily: I’m going to go big! I’m going to say Salma Hayek.

To keep up with Emily, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Catch new episodes of Party of Five every Wednesday at 9/8c.

Photo Credit: Freeform/Nino Munoz