‘Party of Five’ Star Brandon Larracuente on Why the Reboot is Especially Relevant 

When word got out that the next TV series to get a reboot was Party of Five, I was initially skeptical. How could they redo the angst of the Salingers? They could never accurately capture the trials of Charlie, Julie, Bailey, and Claudia again, could they?

Turns out, they didn’t have to. The new Party of Five tells about a Mexican-American family, the Acostas, and while the children—Emilio, Lucia, Beto, Valentina, and baby Rafael—have to fend for themselves and keep the family restaurant going, it’s not because their parents are dead. It’s because they’ve been deported.

Brandon Larracuente, who plays oldest brother Emilio, talked with Decider about why this show is so important–especially in today’s society. (If you haven’t watched at least the first three episodes of the show, know that there are spoilers ahead.)

DECIDER: What has it been like for you playing this role on this show knowing it was a reboot? Did you have any concerns that people were going to react as I initially did?

BRANDON LARRACUENTE: I think with any reboot, especially one that was done really, really well back in the day and had great success, there is a level of pressure. But what helped me was not going back to watch the original because I was trying to bring something new and fresh into this. It is very similar in the sense that it’s the same creators [Amy Lippman and Christopher Keyser], and it centers around five siblings who now have to rely on each other in desperate times. But it’s very, very different. The times are a bit more relevant now, even though the situations that they have to go through are different.

Amy said that she had plenty of opportunities to reboot the show over the years ever since the original debuted, but she just didn’t because it didn’t seem like the right time. I agree with Amy that now more than ever is the right time to tell the story, especially with the subject matter.

Your character, Emilio, gets hit really hard when a lot of this happens, and he has to basically change his entire life. Have you ever had a time in your life where you had to take responsibility for something that you didn’t expect to?

The biggest life-changing thing that happened to me was when I first moved to Los Angeles. Prior to that, I had been living at home all my life. I had intentions to move out to LA, but I didn’t expect to move out so soon.

I had booked a series called 13 Reasons Why, and the producers were flying me back and forth from Florida. That’s a pretty pricey plane ticket to purchase every time they want me to shoot. So I had to move across the country sooner than expected.

And it was tough–the adjustment of not having your parents there and whatnot. But I think that move really helped me grow as a human being. I credit my growth over the past three-and-a-half years that I’ve been living in LA to that–moving out of the house.

I couldn’t believe that you also played Ben on Bloodline. You looked completely different there, and different again on 13, and now on Party of Five. It’s like you’re a chameleon.

I do that with intention. After 13, I would go in for auditions all the time, and I would think I did great. But I noticed that every time that I was finished with the audition, they would say, “By the way, we really loved you as Jeff in 13 Reasons Why.”

And keep in mind I was going in for like gritty roles. That showed me that that’s all they saw me as. They saw me as this friendly jock.

Right.

And it was hard for a while because I was being typecast. So I kind of went back to the drawing board. I grew out my hair, and I grew out my facial hair. I committed to that change. Gradually, I could see it in their eyes–they were like, “Are you him?” And that’s what I wanted. I wanted people to see me in a different light and not just as one character. It was a tough transition period for me, but obviously it worked because I booked Party of Five.

I joke that if Party of Five goes four, five, six, seven, I don’t know how many long seasons after, I’ll make another dramatic change. I’ll probably shave my head bald just to switch it up, you know?

Why do you think this show is important at this time?

Because it’s telling authentic stories. They’re telling true raw stories. It does a really good job, in my opinion, of showing the perspective from both sides.

There’s a scene with a teacher, where Lucia goes up to the teacher and says, “My brother failed. Can you please pass him?”

And after saying nasty things to her she slams the door in Lucia’s face.

And she’s a Latin woman herself. But in her defense, she came to this country, like she said, legally and she did it the “right way.” So I think the show does a really good job in not choosing a side and just telling a story–telling stories that are happening in our news today. Amy and Chris and the rest of the writers were constantly ripping stories straight from the headlines, especially with my character regarding his DACA status.

Meaning that your character can’t go visit the parents because if you leave the country you can’t come back.

Exactly, yes. They’re just trying to create a show that you know illustrates the tough reality of what’s going on. And kudos to them because, I mean, there were a lot of things that they were constantly changing because the laws were constantly changing. They kept rewriting and rewriting.

What do you think are some of the most important things that you’ve learned from being on this show?

I place a great importance on family. At the end of the day, family is really all you have. But I think the biggest one, especially for this project, is how grateful I am that this is not happening to me. After filming that deportation scene and then watching it unfold on screen, it kind of put things into perspective.

I think all of us left a bit more grateful that day after shooting that scene.

Michele “Wojo” Wojciechowski is a writer and author of the national award-winning humor book Next Time I Move, They’ll Carry Me Out in a Box. Like Mrs. Maisel, she writes and performs stand-up comedy. Unlike her, she’s never wanted to be a road comic. For more Wojo, check her out at www.wojosworld.com and on Twitter: @TheMicheleWojo.

Where to stream Party Of Five