Pop Culture Planet Podcast: Frankie Rodriguez On High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, Chad Powers, and Creating His Own Nail Company Freeland
The Pop Culture Planet podcast returns with an in-depth conversation between our host Kristen Maldonado and actor Frankie Rodriguez. He talks about bringing queer Latino representation to the screen in High School Musical: The Musical The Series, starring alongside Glen Powell in the upcoming Hulu series Chad Powers, and creating his own nail polish company with Freeland.
Episode Quotes
Frankie Rodriguez on his passion for performance: “I grew up in a very musical family so I feel like that was the gateway to get me to theater. No one really acts in my family. Everybody plays instruments or sings, but I think Disney was that big influence […] of being able to see people sing on screen and dance and encompass all of the things that I get to do now.”
Rodriguez on being the first openly gay and first Latino character in the High School Musical franchise: “To be that representation that you didn't get to see growing up on something that you loved so much and that was a huge part of your life, it feels the best. Now that it's over, you get to look back, and I'm really proud of the things that we got to do on the show and the stories that we got to share and the perspective that we got to share on that show.”
Rodriguez on creating his nail polish company Freeland: “Honestly, it was the experience that was the most unknown, but it was also the most fulfilling creatively. I maybe tried over 150 samples to put together this first collection of what was going to look the best, not only by themselves, but also together.”
Rodriguez on the future of Freeland: “The future of Freeland… the sky is the limit. I just want to do everything possible and I would also love to expand past nail polish, but nail polish being the center, the core.”
Rodriguez on his upcoming show Chad Powers: “We are so close to starting very soon and I am so excited. I've gotten text messages about what the certain costumes are going to look like and the feel of the show. I've read a couple of episodes and I'm just like, ‘Get me on set, I am so ready!’”
Rodriguez on his football mascot character in Chad Powers: “I'm so ready for it. I've already talked to some professional mascots, which has been fun, to get the feel of what to expect but also any tips on movement and stuff and what is allowed. I've already started the homework for that, but, in terms of getting into the suit, I haven't done that yet.”
Rodriguez on developing characters: “Music always helps. Like creating a playlist for the character, what they're going through. One thing I do love about working in television is that you don't get the whole script all at once. It’s episode by episode, so you can only make up a story up until that moment, which is so fun, because you're really just living and breathing in that moment.”
Rodriguez on his acting process: “For me, understanding tone is very important. Making sure I am not overacting or underacting. Just make sure it's a happy medium, but then also the head space of the character and creating that world. Some stuff is made up by you, but then also the costume department has a big input on what the character dresses like, the hair department's going to have their input on what the hair should look like. It's all these different mediums. I go in with my prep and it's really one of my favorite parts about stepping into a character is seeing what other people’s interpretation of it was and seeing how it all works together.”
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Hosted by TV and film critic Kristen Maldonado, Pop Culture Planet is a video podcast featuring analytical pop culture discussions and interviews with diverse voices in the entertainment space. Watch episodes on youtube.com/kaymaldo or listen on your favorite podcast platforms, from Spotify to Apple Podcasts and beyond.
