The 'Selena: The Series' Supporting Cast Details Their Beautiful Ties to Selena Quintanilla
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
When Selena Quintanilla tragically died 26 years ago, she left behind much more than hit songs. The Queen of Tejano Music inspired many to pursue their dreams as fearlessly as she once did.
Among the lives she touched are several actors from the cast of Netflix's Selena: The Series. In part 2 of the show, which hits the streamer on May 4, actors Julio Macias, Carlos Alfredo Jr. and Hunter Reese Peña transform into the talented musicians of Selena y Los Dinos. For the performers, the experience of creating the series and reliving Selena’s legacy has been just as fulfilling for them as it has been for the fans. Ahead of the part 2 premiere, Good Housekeeping talked to the actors and musician Joe Ojeda, who was Selena's keyboard player, about what the show has meant to them personally.
Julio Macias
Role: Pete Astudillo
Best known for playing Oscar “Spooky” Diaz on Netflix’s hit Latinx comedy On My Block, Julio admits that he didn’t know who Pete Astudillo was before being offered to play him in Selena: The Series. The actor recalls initially auditioning for the parts of guitarist Chris Pérez and keyboard player Joe Ojeda before being asked if he could sing. The Mexican native grew up listening to mariachi songs and was versed in heartfelt melodies.
He quickly began connecting to Pete through their shared passion of songwriting. But playing the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter had its own challenges. While Julio could sing Selena’s greatest hits like “Como La Flor,” he had to fully commit himself to learning how to dance cumbia like Pete. With every step, Julio got closer and closer to a part of himself that he once tried pushing away.
“Now, when I hear cumbia, I feel that sense of Mexican pride steaming up and I'm super happy and grateful for [Selena]. It's continuing to add and to restore a lot of the cultural aspects of who I am that I might have suppressed when I was younger for wanting to fit in,” he says. “Instead of embracing the cumbia and the mariachi when I was younger, I would sort of put it to the side.”
While filming Selena: The Series, Julio found himself relating to Selena’s experience as a Mexican American. “Even though I was born in Mexico, I grew up between L.A. and Mexico City,” he says. “So, I feel very Chicano in my upbringing.”
Despite not knowing the details of Selena's life before, Julio is grateful he's had the opportunity to fully understand her impact.
“I learned more about Selena on this project than I'd ever known,” he says. “Growing up, I knew who she was and then when she passed away, she became synonymous with Mexican and Mexican-American culture. But I didn't really know the intricacies.”
Playing Pete has brought Julio closer to his roots and seeing the beauty in owning who you are.
"Pete's a fantastic singer and dancer. If the tragedy with Selena hadn't happened, who knows what would have happened. I still haven't spoken to [the real Pete], but just looking at his interviews and his music, he's fantastic. You compare his music and his [singing] to some other people’s. He's better, he's Mexican [and he owns] it.”
Carlos Alfredo Jr.
Role: Joe Ojeda
The actor of Mexican and Ecuadorian descent remembers being only seven and listening to Selena’s 1994 hit song "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" on a jukebox at his family’s restaurant. Ever since, he's been a huge fan.
Upon hearing about the Netflix project, the California native and guitarist immediately asked his manager to help him get an audition. After not hearing from casting for months, he decided to give it one last shot and sent in a video of himself playing Selena’s songs. Just like that, he was in.
When learning that he had scored the role of Selena's keyboard player, Carlos wasted no time studying his real-life counterpart. He messaged Joe on Instagram to let him know that he would be playing him on Selena: The Series. Not expecting a response, Carlos was surprised when he heard back. The two began going back and forth about what the show was trying to accomplish.
Initially, Joe, who didn't immediately watch the series when it premiered on Netflix, thought someone portraying him on the small screen was "kind of weird." But it grew on him as he and Carlos became friends.
"I was very, very, very flattered. Wow. I mean, I lived it and just watching it all over again, them tell the story, it's very touching," Joe explains.
From Carlos's perspective, it was important for his performance to get in sync with Joe musically. And so, Carlos began learning songs the way Joe did: by ear.
“I became a better musician through learning to play in Joe's style,” he says. “I would play a melody with one hand, but then I would watch Joe play it with two hands and make it look super smooth. I wanted to play it exactly like Joe."
Through his portrayal of Joe, Carlos gained more than just a new skillset. He formed a strong friendship with his real-life counterpart. Joe later introduced Carlos to Pete, as well as Selena’s husband, Chris Pérez. Together, they’ve begun creating music dedicated to Selena’s memory.
“As a Selena fan and as someone who has loved her my entire life, it was a dream come true to meet these guys and become friends with them,” Carlos says. “[It was] the most important part of doing the series, and I'm in the family now.”
As for Joe, working with Carlos on the series has allowed him to revisit the best parts of his past.
“It’s been a roller-coaster ride. Mixed emotions big time,” Joe concludes. “I love that it took me back to my favorite moments of my life. Her singing, her smile, it made me miss performing on stage. It’s priceless.”
Hunter Reese Peña
Role: Ricky Vela
As a child, Hunter had all of Selena's CDs. He remembers listening to them on repeat, just as he remembers the day news broke that the beloved singer had died. “It was the first time I remember mourning somebody's death. I remember crying and being really traumatized by her death. It was devastating.”
More than two decades later, the California native unexpectedly reconnected with these memories when he was given the chance to audition for the part of songwriter and keyboard player Ricky Vela in Selena: The Series.
“I didn't think in my wildest dreams that I would be involved with it,” he says. “It felt like a very meaningful moment. Whether I got the part or not, auditioning for a role in the show, based on this woman who meant so much to me was an honor.”
While researching and preparing for the auditions, Hunter learned that Ricky wrote his favorite Selena song, “No Me Queda Más.”
“I'll never be able to articulate how special that was for me to be a part of it,” he says. “Given how painful truly this death was to me as a child, being a part of the show was kind of healing in a way.”
He continued: “I couldn't listen to her songs. And when the show came, I just kept playing them until I reframed it in my mind to something more positive. Then being on the set and playing those songs with my band and with [Christian Serratos as] Selena, that was so healing. I'm so grateful. This felt like a gift from God to heal old wounds.”
Now having finished Selena: The Series, Hunter is leaving with more than just closure. "This experience taught me not to leave things unsaid," Hunter explains. "It taught me that I can take difficult emotions and I can put them towards my art, my singing and songwriting and make something positive out of something negative.”
And for that, there's only pure gratitude.
“Sometimes as a Latinx actor, you feel very forgotten," Hunter says. "I've been in L.A. since 2011, and I got my first major role on Selena in 2019. And it’s just because the roles don't exist. We need more Latinx representation, and we finally got a Latinx show that isn't stereotypical, thanks to the legacy of Selena."
You Might Also Like
