"Charmed" Actor Melonie Diaz on the Supernatural Show's Reflection of the Real World and Latinx Representation
When the creators of the new Charmed reboot approached Melonie Diaz about starring in the lead role, the actor felt supernatural forces at play.
“The movie The Craft is one of my favorite movies of all time,” Melonie tells Teen Vogue. “I watch it every Halloween. I think I manifested this part through this movie.”
She’s a perfect fit for the role of Melanie “Mel” Vera, the middle sister in a trio of young witches, in more ways than one. Just like her character, Melonie is Latinx (her parents are of Puerto Rican descent), has a strong bond with her offscreen sister, and harbors a lifelong love of witches, magic, and fantasy.
In the show, Mel and and her sister Maggie’s lives are turned upside down by the sudden and mysterious death of their mother. Soon, they learn that they have magical powers — Mel has the ability to freeze time and Maggie can read minds. Oh yeah, and the siblings find out that they have a third sister, the telekinetic Macy, whom they never knew about. With the help of Harry Greenwood (Rupert Evans), an advisor to witches, the trio begins to accept their new reality and grapple with their responsibility to protect the world from demons.
But, while Charmed mainly focuses on the supernatural, the reboot is firmly set in the reality of our time. The sisters live in a college town where students, including Mel, participate in protests and the #MeToo movement is in full effect. And like many campuses, the characters are firmly attached to their smartphones, constantly texting, taking selfies, and perusing social media. The fact that the sisters are Latinx is also meaningful to Melonie.
“Latinos, we’re not a minority anymore, and our entertainment and TV should reflect that,” she says, noting that it’s no coincidence that movies like Black Panther and Crazy Rich Asians are breaking box-office records. “People are thirsty to see themselves and for something different. … So I am happy to be part of a show that’s taking it in a different direction and trying to cover the bases of inclusivity.”
And the show doesn’t shy away from commenting on today’s political climate. When a professor is charged with sexual assault in the first episode, his defenders call it a “witch hunt.” And, at one point, Harry notes that the “current president” is a sign of the apocalypse.
Melonie notes: “We’re very aware that [Trump] being in office isn’t a good thing for the world.”
Let This Mother Out
Beyond making the Charmed sisters Latinx, the reboot also better reflects the diversity of today's world by making Melanie queer. While Melonie isn't herself, she's looking forward to portraying her character in a way where her sexuality doesn't define her.
“I am really excited to be playing this character, and the way we are talking about her is that Mel is not a token lesbian,” she says. “We never make a big deal out of it because it’s important that the audience sees she’s a sister, she’s a human being, she’s a witch – and, yes, she likes girls. It’s never talked about. We just see her with her girlfriend, and it’s great.”
Fans of the original Charmed, which ran from 1998 to 2006, will recall that the show was rife with behind-the-scenes drama. However, Melonie says the off-screen dynamic between the three actors on the reboot couldn’t be better.
“It’s freaking great. We spend so much time with each other, and we still laugh. We laugh so much,” she says. “And we’re having a really good time. We are working long hours, and we still hang out sometimes on the weekends. So it’s good. They did a really good job [casting them] because I think we all fill different spaces. We’re all very different. We’re all really loving people, so I think that’s important. I think they knew that the show doesn’t work if we don’t work, so it's good.”
We spoke with Melonie a few days before the Charmed premiere. And when asked what she would do if she could utilize her character’s ability to freeze time at that moment, her answer wasn’t surprising, considering her hectic schedule: “If I could freeze time right now, I would take a four-hour nap. I would make a good dinner for myself, organize myself, write some emails, and just relax before I have to go to work.”
In the show, Mel the firebrand social justice warrior can only use her magic power when she’s not angry. And Melonie thinks that’s a universal truth.
“We have to be in control of ourselves to be able to affect change,” she says. “Anger is a really important emotion, and she’s grieving her mother. Once she learns to calm down and breathe, she can really access her power. I think that makes sense for a lot of things. If you’re in a state of anger, you can’t think clearly, and if you can’t think clearly, you can’t do things correctly. … I think that extends to everybody. If you’re bugging out, you’re not helping anybody.”
The ability to slow things down comes quite in handy when the sisters face off against demons, especially the one from the first episode that hurls an icicle at them. But if Melonie could choose one magic power to possess in real life, she’d likely swap the time-freezing ability for something a bit more practical.
“I love Macy’s power, telekinesis – that would be awesome,” she says. “Or teleportation. Teleportation is really good. Because you can just go somewhere and come back. I love that. No airplanes.”
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