Fernando Carsa Talks ‘Acapulco,’ Body Positivity, & More
From appearing on stage in internationally renowned theater productions to playing heartfelt characters on-screen, Fernando Carsa is quickly establishing himself as one-to-watch in the entertainment industry.
Born and raised in Colima Mexico to actor parents, Carsa found his passion for the arts at a young age and eventually moved to the U.S. to pursue musical theater at UCLA. Six months following graduation, he made his television debut as Memo in Apple TV+’s hit bilingual comedy series Acapulco, which premiered its second season on Oct. 21.
Funny and full of heart, the show follows Maximo (Enrique Arrizon), a young Mexican man whose dream comes true when he gets the job of a lifetime at the city’s hottest resort. Acapulco picked up a handful of award nominations at the 2022 Imagen Awards, including “Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy” for Fernando.
In film, the rising star will appear in Paramount+’s feature film At Midnight alongside Monica Barbaro and Diego Boneta. Slated for release in early 2023, the romantic comedy tells the story of two people who have made the “safe” choice not to fall in love.
OFM caught up with Fernando to talk more about Acapulco and playing Memo, as well as his journey as an immigrant, and spreading a message of body positivity, especially for the plus-size community.
First off, how excited are you for Season 2 of Acapulco?
I’m so excited! I feel like the fans of the show and the new audiences that we hopefully get with the second season are going to be very pleased because not only are they going to have a bunch of laughs and a lot of heartfelt, funny moments, but I feel like we’re going to be able to touch them on a deeper level.
For those who have not yet watched, what makes Acapulco worth checking out?
It’s a funny and pretty great show, but I also love that it’s authentic. It’s one-of-a-kind. It’s a bilingual comedy that talks about dreams coming true, values family morals, and it showcases unity. We have cast members who are from Colombia, Mexico, Spain, the United States, Canada, all these wonderful places, and they’re also portraying characters from those places.
So, it’s a beautiful show about unity, and it showcases the Latino community under a beautiful light. Even though I do think it’s a love letter to the immigration community and the Latin community, I think it’s a universal story. After everything that we’ve been through, we need shows like Acapulco to remind us that we have so much more to offer, and that being together is what’s going to make us stronger.
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You play Memo, the lead character’s supportive yet often naïve confidant. What have you enjoyed the most about this role?
The most exciting thing about my character is that he’s so unapologetically himself. I feel very blessed that I get to play him because as a plus-sized person, I feel that the representation that we often get in media is pretty problematic and kind of disrespectful. With Memo, it’s been beautiful because he is unapologetic about who he is, and he loves himself. He doesn’t let his size define what he can accomplish or his worth and value.
That helped me a lot in my personal life. Playing him allowed me to see my own value and worth and discover my own beauty. He has helped me embrace myself and taught me more about myself and what I want to portray in the world more than I could have learned in my regular life. He’s made me a braver person.
Does he identify as LGBTQ?
He does not. He’s a straight character, but he’s very emotionally intelligent and is not afraid to connect with his, quote unquote, “more feminine side.” In the Latin community, men are supposed to act a certain way and not cry. He’s not influenced by toxic masculinity. His storyline, he grew up with five sisters, and he’s the only guy, so he’s clearly not afraid of embracing what he’s learned from women and to position women in a higher place than most men might, especially in that time period.
Acapulco was your television debut, which you landed six months following your graduation from UCLA. What advice can you offer to others who are trying to find their big break?
Honestly, this is something I wish I knew before Acapulco because Acapulco is what taught me this. Of course, you have to train, study, have a great work ethic, and know how to prioritize, but most importantly, you have to be yourself. I feel like most people who want to belong in this industry, they often try to fit in the mold, and what’s actually going to get us places is embracing everything that makes us ourselves. Wear that Pride flag, and wave it around.
The moment I started accepting what makes me, the moment that I was like, yes, this is my body; this is my energy; this is my face; this is what I have to offer in this industry; this is what I can do; that’s the moment when opportunities started showing up. I know we’re actors, but what makes us different is what makes us special. Everyone is trying to fit in the mold, so the one thing that you can do is be yourself and tell the world that this is who I am. Take it or leave it!
Have you always had a passion for acting and performing?
Yes, I’ve known that I wanted to be a performer since I was 3. I was blessed to grow in a household where the performing arts, especially music, were very appreciated. Both of my parents were actually actors. They met while doing theater. The moment they noticed that I wanted to perform, they allowed me to pursue the dream and supported me.
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Being born and raised in Mexico, what made you want to attend UCLA and pursue acting in the U.S.?
This hurts me to say, but it’s the reality, and we have to speak up on it. Because of the way that I look and because of where I come from within Mexico, it would have been very hard for me to get into the industry. Unfortunately, when it comes to representation in Mexico, we still have a lot of issues. When it comes to looks and colorism, Mexico is not completely body positivity, and it’s shocking to me that to this day, a lot of actors cannot come out of the closet because they know that will affect their careers.
It’s sad, but fortunately, it’s starting to change. It’s better than when I used to live there, but not nearly where it should be. When I was presented with the opportunity to get a green card, I knew that moving to the States was going to provide different doors. I knew I had a better chance at making my dreams come true here and there. It’s sad that I had to accept that reality, but I hope that sharing my experiences will help move things forward and change.
I read that you credit Britney Spears for helping you learn English. Is this true?
Yes (laughs). Britney Spears is my queen! I feel like one of the first signs that I was queer was by watching the “Oops!…I Did It Again” music video when I was 3 years old. I wasn’t thinking that she was gorgeous; I wanted to wear the red suit and the long ponytail. I became a Britney Spears fan because my brother was during her prime era in the early 2000s.
When she was doing her comeback in 2009 with “Circus” and “Womanizer,” one day after school, I was like, I wonder what happened with Britney Spears? So, I looked her up on YouTube, and she was doing her Circus Tour, where she was doing acrobatics and dancing in cages. I completely fell in love with her all over, and I started translating her lyrics and whatnot.
I was living in Mexico at the time still, so without noticing, because of singing her songs and translating the lyrics, I learned English by the time that I got to the U.S. I knew so much stuff, and I was able to have conversations, go to school, and succeed in my classes because of the lingo and stuff that I learned through her music. I owe her my career!
In early 2023, we will see you in the upcoming Paramount+ feature film At Midnight. What can you tell us about that?
I don’t know how much I can share yet, but I can say that the character I got to play in that movie, it’s the first time that I was able to connect with my sexuality on a deeper level. It’s the first time that I felt sexy while acting. It gave me confidence when it came to my body and sexual freedom that I’ve been wanting to explore for a while. I can be very shy when it comes to wanting to express my wilder side.
Playing this character allowed me to dip my toes, and then finally dive in. Now I wear high heels with sparkles everywhere I go and things like that (laughs). I’m excited because I got to explore a little bit more of my talents in that film, but also, it’s a character that allowed me to become more proud of my identity.
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What are some future goals you hope to accomplish with your career?
Oh, that’s a loaded question! As someone who started in music, I would love to do something musical. Whether that’s releasing music of my own, which I do have a couple of songs, maybe that will be the next independent project that I embark on next year, but we’re also going through this wave of musical movies being released. Rumor has it, they’re working on the new Mean Girls musical movie version, and if I could play Damian, that would be the role of a lifetime.
Also, I want to keep pursuing comedy because I know it’s a strength when it comes to what I can do as an actor. Seeing the positive effect it’s had on audiences, that’s inspired me so much to keep telling stories that make them feel good. Doing comedies is not only fun to film because everyone’s in a good mood, but the impact you get to have on audiences and playing characters who embrace their size, body, and sexuality, that’s what I want to keep doing: stuff that brings people joy and inspires them to keep being themselves.
Stay up-to-date with Carsa by following him on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @fernandocarsa, or visit his official website, fernandocarsa.com. Acapulco is available to stream on Apple TV+.
Photos Courtesy of Fernando Carsa and Bonnie Nichoalds
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