Adam Rodriguez on the Heart of ‘A Xmas Proposal’ and ‘Finding Magic Mike’

In A Xmas Proposal (premiering December 12), CBS’s initially initial holiday break movie in much more than a 10 years, community favourite Adam Rodriguez (Prison Minds, CSI: Miami) sales opportunities a Latinx cast as Seattle bachelor Julian Diaz. With a marketing to handling spouse at his family’s regulation business on the line, he strikes a offer with his experience-share driver—an aspiring chef named Maria (All Increase’s Jessica Camacho)—to pose as his girlfriend and aid make him a a lot more “mature” prospect in his father’s eyes. Watch an distinctive sneak peek previously mentioned to see their figures get to know each individual other.

Here, the actor dishes on the fun of filming a Xmas film in the summer months, his mother’s inner thoughts about Bobby Diaz, the philandering politician he performs on NBC’s Regular Joe, and web hosting the new HBO Max actuality collection Getting Magic Mike (premiering December 16).

What did you appreciate about the tale of A Christmas Proposal?

Adam Rodriguez: Julian is like so lots of folks who get tunnel vision: We turn out to be immune to other matters all-around us. This lady arrives into his everyday living by probability and awakens him and his family members to what’s genuinely important. Essentially, it is a passionate comedy set in the course of Xmas time.

I assumed I observed a number of intelligent nods to Pretty Woman, no matter if or not they had been intentional.

Effectively, I’d be lying if I informed you that when I to start with examine the script that movie did not cross my head. That’s one of my most loved intimate comedies. Even my character, just as an archetype, there are parallels to Richard Gere’s, for certain: two fellas who are completely targeted on operate and considering that lifetime is only about one particular thing, not even realizing what they are missing out on until eventually any individual who looks like they have a complete ton considerably less will come alongside and [shows them]. Unquestionably in Very Female, he woke up in time, and in A Xmas Proposal, he wakes up in time.

Dean Buscher/CBS

You are also an government producer on the film. What variety of enter did you have driving-the-scenes?

The script was written for an Anglo loved ones at first, and CBS experienced the foresight to want to make it about a Latin relatives. There was some do the job that experienced to be finished to just make that authentic. [Director Martin Wood] and I dug in on the script and had conversations with the cast, and most people really manufactured some excellent contributions, especially Jessica.

We centered on being away from accents. Not that there is something erroneous with that, but that’s just so significantly of what is introduced [on TV] that I believed it was essential to clearly show anything distinct. So many Latin people in the nation are not to start with technology family members. Plenty of folks in my very own loved ones have accents, but I’m fourth era on my mother’s side, and third on my father’s. It was just vital to also clearly show that there are Latin families that have existed in this region for generations. A distinctly American spouse and children that was of Latin descent, the similar way you would observe any other family that was American, who could have German descent, or Scandinavian descent, regardless of what it is, and you are not expecting to hear an accent.

Also warmth amongst the relatives. We tried out to uncover destinations to include things like that obviously, although nonetheless building an effort and hard work to hold the conflict that existed, this divide involving the two brothers and the father that they couldn’t pretty get near to.

Dean Buscher/CBS

Maria and Julian shell out a day creating their dating “history.” You went snowshoeing for the initial time!

We filmed in summer [in Vancouver], so we experienced to go fairly higher up a mountain to get some serious snow. It is not as hard as we had to fake it was—but it is doable to stumble. It is uncomfortable going for walks with, like, a measurement 32 shoe attached to your boot.

Fernando Decillis/NBC

Let’s switch gears from Julian Diaz to Bobby Diaz for a minute. Your Normal Joe costar Elizabeth Lail not too long ago informed us about a teamster driving her to set who had some views to share about her character, Jenny. Bobby is shady. Have you gotten sturdy reactions from teamsters, enthusiasts or any individual else?

How about from my mother? [Laughs] Yeah. I received a phone from my mother and she is like, “I really don’t really feel superior about you proper now. I never like what you’re performing,” as the character, of course. It is always funny to me how invested people today get. It is a testament to how good the storytelling is. If which is occurring, you’re accomplishing a superior position.

Effectively, I come to feel like your mom is heading to like A Xmas Proposal, for the reason that Bobby turns out to be a really excellent man.

I assume my mom’s heading to appreciate A Xmas Proposal. [She] was big a lover of Jessica Camacho in advance of we started out. We’re in a time now where by everyone could use a minimal smile and some come to feel-great, and I have to redeem Bobby Diaz. [Laughs] So with any luck , Julian Diaz will redeem Bobby Diaz. And if that does not operate, then go enjoy Adam Rodriguez on Obtaining Magic Mike.

https://www.youtube.com/view?v=0wLUZRCuxdA

Sure, you’re also a host/mentor on that competitors collection, encouraged by the Magic Mike films. Why was that critical to you?

I desired to share the brotherhood we felt on established when we had been making individuals motion pictures. I definitely uncovered so a great deal about the restrictions that I could thrust my overall body to, the pleasure of dancing. I’d never accomplished choreographed routines prior to, and I experienced to dance in front of, properly, basically hundreds of thousands of individuals, but 1000’s in a area in very little but a G-string. These things seem seriously amusing and they are, but they are also frightening. When you drive by them and you notice the freedom that you discover, they are revelatory times. I just wished to make absolutely sure that the spirit of that lived within the demonstrate, because I know that that is genuinely the heart and soul of that brand—being the greatest man that you can be.

You consider it is heading to be about observing naked gentlemen dance, but in fact, it’s about development, about remaining stuck in this environment that genuinely appears to be at the base of toxic masculinity, and, in truth, it’s the entire opposite: It was all these fellas that are making an attempt to obtain that way to be greater, and supporting every other together the way. Getting Magic Mike is about these guys that actually have kind of possibly shed their way in daily life, or had it at a single time and are attempting to circle again to it, or never ever experienced it and are trying to obtain it. And they’re eager to choose a huge likelihood and set them selves on countrywide tv and be truly susceptible in a good deal of strategies that are heading to be humorous and heart-wrenching and heartwarming. I just believe people are really likely to be stunned by how significantly heart the exhibit has. There’s so a lot coronary heart and soul.

Will we see a Xmas number?

No. You’ll have to observe A Xmas Proposal to get your Christmas fix, Finding Magic Mike to improve your existence. [Laughs]

A Christmas Proposal, Motion picture Premiere, Sunday, December 12, 8:30/7:30c, CBS