East Los High 3 Premieres July 15th on HULU
Andrea Sixtos PC: Anand Vinayagam
By Elia Esparza
Hulu returns July 15th with a new and a more sizzling third season of the hugely popular and addictive drama, East Los High (ELH). While new characters are being introduced, one of my favorites, Andrea Sixtos is back in her recurring role as Jocelyn, a student who confronts all that comes with being a Latina teen and gay.
Jocelyn deals with the dynamics of being gay from a conservative Latino family. “It’s a conversation, that is long overdue,” said the actress. “I’m thrilled to be the one who brings this topic to the forefront.”
Andrea also has to overcome the teen issues of falling in love with a complicated, complex and very dysfunctional girlfriend Camila brilliantly portrayed by Vannessa Vasquez.
When asked what it was like to be cast as a young lady whose lifestyle is vastly different from her own reality, she said, “It wasn’t hard for me to slip into her skin when the camera was rolling because at that point Jocelyn and I were one entity. I’m not sure I have a better understanding of what it is like to be a gay Latino teenager. But if I were to speak for Jocelyn,” Andrea added, “and what she went through… well it was really tough for me emotionally, especially when she came out as a lesbian.”
“Jocelyn & Camila”
According to the Human Rights Campaign, gay teens are 8.4 times more likely to report having attempted suicide and 5.9 times more likely to report high levels of depression compared to peers that reported no or low levels of family rejection.
“She was bullied,” Andrea said about her character, “talked about in a negative way, loses her best friend and is disowned by her grandfather throughout the season. Not fun. But the admirable thing about Jocelyn is she is such a strong and confident girl and somehow moves past all of the ridicule and pain because she believes in herself and who she is as a person.”
“I really enjoy working with Andrea. She is an intelligent, extremely talented young actress with a bright future. Fearless on set she absorbs the tough challenges her character faces, giving the role depth integrity and honesty.
“Its fun playing the stern no-nonsense grandfather Jose. The grandparents serve as a moral compass where family, culture and principle are everything. This multigenerational approach serves as guidance where the young can’t find answers through their peers.” –Veteran Actor Miguel Najera, Jocelyn’s grandfather in ELH 2&3
Andrea, who was born into a culturally diverse entertainment family has three sisters who are also actors steadily making their way on film and TV shows. Older sister Alicia Sixtos starred in the first and second season of ELH and returns again as “Maya” in a supporting role. She also has a recurring role in ABC Family’s The Fosters. Younger sister, Veronica Sixtos, stars in her first indie, Pocha, an award-winning film currently making the film festival circuit.
The new season premieres on July 15, 2015 and along with many of your favorite characters, new ones are introduced portrayed by reality star Christina Milian, Oscar-nominated actress Catalna Sandino Moreno and Revolution star D Pardo.
So what’s all the hoopla about East Los High? It’s just a teen drama like so many others, right? Wrong! It is a teen drama but this one showcases an all-Latino cast, and focuses on “the lives of teenagers growing up in East Los Angeles from the American-Latino perspective.”
An interesting and insightful interview is one where Andrea Sixtos, Vannessa Vasquez and Carlos Portugal (ELH creator) sit down for a one-on-one with Rick Najera during one of his Oxnard College presentations. Check it out:
And, best of all, the East Los High introduces us to spectacular new talent like Andrea Sixtos!
Follow Andrea Sixtos on social media: Facebook: Andrea Sixtos Twitter: @AndreaSixtos Instagram: dresix52
East Los High 3 Premieres: July 15, 2015 Network: Hulu Original Series Language: English Genres: Soap Opera, Drama Cast: Vannessa Vasquez, Andrea Sixtos, Christina Milian, Catalina Sandino Moreno, D Pardo, Alicia Marie Sixtos, Danielle Vega, Ray Diaz Jr., Rene Alvarado, Gabriel Chavarria, Alejandro Rodriguez, Vivia Lamolli, Chachi Gonzales, Robert Paul Taylor
Comments