Wilmer Valderrama, who stars in FOX’s new sci-fi drama Minority Report, is a name that resounds with audiences of different demographics, thanks to the many different projects he has been a part of during his career, from his breakout role as Fez in That ’70s Show to voicing the main character in the animated series Handy Manny to his most recent role as Carlos Madrigal in From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series. Now, though, Valderrama will be tackling an all-new character in Minority Report, playing Will Blake in FOX’s adaptation of Steven Spielberg’s 2002 film. This past Tuesday, I had the opportunity to speak with Valderrama during a conference call with other entertainment reporters, where he discussed Minority Report, his heritage, his career so far, and what’s still to come.
Minority Report takes place in the year 2065 and therefore, as a futuristic show, showcases an array of advanced technology. When asked about what his favorite tech device is or what he’d like to have in real life Valderrama responded without hesitation.
“I definitely want a jet pack,” he said. “I’m going to tell you that right now. That’s the one thing that I requested when I got the job. I called them, and I said please, ‘Oh God, please, tell me that I am actually going to be flying in a jet pack.'”
So will we see Will Blake with a jet pack? According to Valderrama, it sounds like Minority Report executive producers Kevin Falls and Max Borenstein did grant him that one wish.
Switching over from the futuristic technology of the show and focusing on its characters, Valderrama touched upon the hints in the pilot that his character and Detective Lara Vega (Meagan Good) have had a past relationship of sorts.
“He’s a marine,” Valderrama said of his character, Will Blake. “He’s a guy who’s been around the world a couple times. The guy eventually went to the academy and met Detective Vega, and they may or may not have had something. Now moving forward, they also became partners at one point, and then when they stopped being partners, he was assigned to a case. He got a promotion over her, and he became the lieutenant. He’s kind of the boss of the precinct that they work at. She’s now not only to have to somewhat answer to her ex-partner, but at the same time, someone that she used to kind of see before. It makes it really unique of a dynamic and is super fun, but also really familiar and exciting when it comes to partnering up to solve certain cases.”
And while Blake and Vega definitely have a past, their future together will also be complicated as well, as Valderrama previews that the pair may keep secrets from one another.
“The future looks very complicated for them both as they’re both going to be brought into a pond that’s deeper than everyone expected,” he said. “The Precogs are alive. One of them keeps getting premonitions, and when Dash, who is one of the Precogs, the younger one, reaches Detective Vega, she’s forced to create some kind of subliminal partnership between him and her to solve some of these crimes. Now at this point, she’s solving crimes; she’s very good at this. I think she has an informant, but she won’t tell me who this informant is and eventually it’s going to have to play into our dynamic because things are going to have to be more transparent. As they become transparent, they also become more complicated. So our relationship is complicated, but it is a supported one, and professionally, they are brilliant together. We’re excited that the road looks complicated, and the conspiracy behind it is something they’re all going to have to work together on. Not only the phrasing, but the solving.”
Unlike Fez from That ’70s Show, Will Blake doesn’t show any type of nerves or insecurities. In fact, one reporter said that he even came off as “kind of a jerk” in the Minority Report pilot, but Valderrama doesn’t see it that way.
“[Blake’s] confidence and his comfortability comes from the fact that he has so much history with Vega,” the actor explained. “That’s why he comes across a little overconfident with her. There’s just a familiarity that came with their history. So when they address one another, it’s more like they’re just kind of giving each other a little grief there, and they kind of bust each other there back and forth. So they both dish it equally to one another, but it makes it really fun…I think his security comes from the fact that he not only loves what he does, but he’s the type of guy that would do anything that it takes to actually capture the bad guy. He believes in the system. He believes in the law. As a marine, for him, it’s pride before dishonor, so he’ll do anything that it takes to actually capture that bad guy, but he also knows how to work the ladder. He knows how to climb the ladder.”
Surprisingly, getting into the mindset of this character, one that was so different than anything Valderrama has played before, did not require a ton of preparation because of the actor’s respect and familiarity with the military.
“I love the armed forces,” he said. “I’ve traveled the world, entertaining the troops through USO. I’ve done over 19 shows in 9 countries. I’ve been to Iraq and Afghanistan….When I heard I was going to be an ex-marine that was exciting for me because I was very familiar to the men and women who so proudly defend our country. So I did a little more research on that on what responsibilities a lieutenant has and all that stuff, physical stuff, and how he carries himself, what kinds of words he uses when he talks to his personnel, when he gives speeches, and things like that…I wanted him to be different…I want him to also have a sense of elegance and class because to be honest. I’ve never seen a character like this on television, but I’ve also never seen a Latino character on this level, too, so for me that was exciting because it was new. It was refreshing, and I was proud of that.”
Very few Latino actors get to play roles that are not“stereotypical; even with how television has eveolved over the year, that still remains a fact. So what was it like for a Latino, like Valderrama, to get the opportunity to play a character like this (named “Will Blake,” which I admitted, threw me a bit) that was probably not conceived for his (and my) particular heritage.
“That’s ultimately the goal, right?” Valderrama said, after thanking me for the question. “The goal is just to play amazing characters and amazing human beings that have a story, that have a history. I think that to me that’s the goal for any actor. I’m so proud of my Latino heritage, but I think as an actor, you want to be known as an actor, as an artist. You don’t want to be known necessarily as a Latino actor because I really feel like we, the Latino community, are performers that are for the world. We walked a very fine line between so many cultures, and we can really, truly unite to our heritage. So many continents, and so many heritages, and so many cultures, and ethnicities, with one Latino. So to me, that’s fascinating. But I have to tell you it’s exciting that in my career that I’m able to be in the room sitting next to two or three other actors of different ethnicity and be still considered an artist to be considered for that character. That’s a dream when you do that crossover, that’s fantastic, that’s beautiful.”
“It was really important to me that I was able to play strong, Latin characters [throughout my career],” Valderrama continued, “and that’s why I kind of took my time with all the choices I made in the last 20 years of my career. I played things that I’m very proud of. I’ve played characters that really had a real point of view, and that were an example so I was excited about that. I think that’s really great. It’s great to be considered a real threat, an actor that can really bring any character to life. I think that’s a gift.”
Valderrama also stressed the diversity of Minority Report‘s universe, explaining how this future that Steven Spielberg has created represents an America (and a world, really) of many cultures and backgrounds and how his character ended up with the last name “Blake.”
“[What] Steven Spielberg created in the universe for Minority Report was that in the future we would be so diverse as a country, and as a world that all of our names would be somehow integrated into multiple cultures,” Valderrama said. “So eventually, a Latino will probably will have a very American sounding name, or an African American will have almost a very Latino name. So I think that was actually a unique way of stating how diverse the future is going to be, that was kind of the statement there. But also like you said, my name is Will Blake, so they weren’t necessarily looking for a Latino for that character, I’ll tell you that. So I was really proud that Steven Spielberg gave me the opportunity to bring this character to life myself. “
Minority Report premieres on Monday, Sept. 21, at 9 p.m. on FOX.
[Photo credit: Bruce MacCauley/FOX]
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