With the release of Season 5 this past Friday on Netflix, fans of the hit show ‘Lucifer’ have kept the show trending at #1 in 49 different countries over the weekend. Originally, Netflix agreed to pick up the show for only one season, but thanks to an outpouring of support from the “LuciFans,” Netflix agreed to a 6th season even before the ratings this past weekend. According to the cast, this gave the showrunners an opportunity to take the current story they had planned for the finale and stretch it to give it even more depth.
Just before the release of Season 5, Nerd Alert News had the opportunity to talk with the talented, Aimee Garcia, who portrays the kind-hearted forensics scientist, Ella Lopez. Garcia made her stage debut at the age of seven and since then has had TV and film credits including George Lopez, Dexter, Rush Hour, RoboCop, The Addams Family—a MGM animated film—and Supernatural.
Beginning in Season 2, Garcia was added to the main cast list of Lucifer and her character, who Aimee describes as “such a love bug who just wants to make people’s day a little better with a hug,” instantly became a fan favorite.
In season 4, Ella struggled with a “crisis of faith,” and now fans will watch as Ella faces “a crisis of self.” Garcia goes on to say, “[Ella’s] never really opened up before, but when she meets Pete it’s a match made in heaven… They both love ‘Star Trek’ and he even speaks Klingon! We’re used to seeing Ella in her own lane, so for the first time, we’ll see her romantic side, which will be fun for her, but also terrifying.”
Aimee admits to proudly being a nerd herself, sharing that “Saturday mornings, I watch ‘Harley Quinn’ in a onesie. I have ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Spider-Man’ action figures in my room. I think I own more comic books than actual books.”
“I believe in aliens, really wish dragons existed, and can’t wait for teleportation”
– Aimee Garcia, about being a member of the nerd community.
She has even created comic books, along with AJ Mendez, based on the Netflix series “Glow.” Recently, it was announced that the two of them are collaborating to create a comic book series based on “Dungeons and Dragons” for IDW Publishing.
Garcia and Mendez have also launched “Scrappy Heart Productions” to “create diverse heroes for the next generation…to tell universal and inclusive stories from the American Latinx perspective.” Garcia told us there weren’t many “heroes” in mainstream media during her childhood that looked like her and, through “Scrappy Heart Productions,” she hopes to change that for future generations. When asked about any advice she has for those who feel like they can’t see themselves in today’s heroes, Aimee said she would like for fans to “trust that you are a part of the social fabric” and encourages them to “write the change you want to see. We could use all the help we can get! I think the industry is working hard to reflect today’s diversity. In the meantime, AJ and I promise to keep creating more diverse and inclusive heroes.”
In a virtual panel held with FanExpo, Garcia said she has been spending a good deal of time during quarantine working on writing for some of those projects, including “an original comic book, feature, family comedies, dark comedies and even animation!”
Covid-19 has also created quite a bit of havoc on the entertainment industry, forcing changes in filming for many of the shows, including the remaining season of ‘Lucifer.’ Aimee said that some of those changes include requiring face masks for the—now limited—crew on set and isolation for the cast until they are called to shoot their scenes. She says that, “I’ll definitely miss the camaraderie and goofing off in between takes, but the health and safety of our cast and crew is the most important thing.”
When talking about the new episodes that were released on August 21st, Aimee believes that fans will be excited to see the Film Noire episode. “Our wardrobe department nailed it…hats, shoes, and suits all from the 1940s.”
She also mentions that episode 8, which is, “a big episode for Ella and reveals a big character” was directed by cast member, Kevin Alejandro, who portrays Detective Dan Espinoza. She praises the cast’s performances and states that “fans will love the Deckerstar moments.”
Another episode that Lucifans are excited about is the long awaited musical episode, which the cast has finished filming, but has yet to be released. “The musical episode was epic,” Aimee told us. “Everyone stepped up. Kevin, DB, and myself have dancing backgrounds so we were like kids in a candy store.”
She goes on to say that the songs used in the episode “range from Broadway show tunes, to pop songs, to jazz to rock” so there is something for everyone to enjoy. She admitted that, although there were a lot of nerves on set about the singing, she is so proud of everyone. Scarlett Estevez, who portrays Chloe and Dan’s daughter, Trixie, is among the cast members who will perform a song during the episode. “Scarlett had never sung before and she met with our vocal coach, Valerie Moorhouse, for two weeks and CRUSHED her song.” Garcia promises that the young co-star is “going to rip your heart out.”
“I’m grateful to have such a great job and excited that we will be going back to do what we love so we can bring more Lucifer episodes to our amazing fans… I really think this might be our best season yet.”
“P.S. Lucifer fans rock”
– Aimee Garcia, giving praise to the Lucifans for all their support.
Although it will be sad to see the end of Lucifer, it is comforting to know that fans will be seeing a lot more of Aimee Garcia. In fact, she already has her next film project set to begin production this spring. “Match Me If You Can” is a new romcom that Garcia will not only be starring in, but will also take on the role of executive producer. “I’ve always wanted to be in a position where I could assemble a good team. Film-making is very team-oriented. It really does take a village.”
Aimee told us that, “the director, Marian Yeager, and producer, Monica Lund, approached me and said we see you as the lead character, Kip. I loved that a nerdy character…a computer programmer who loved to hunt zombies…was headlining a movie so I instantly said yes!”
Although Garcia admits she is generally drawn to the light-hearted and comedic characters, she has shown, even in the most recent season of Lucifer, that her range extends far beyond those parameters. One thing is certain, the future looks very bright for Aimee Garcia.
We would like to extend our gratitude to Aimee Garcia for taking the time to visit with us. It has been an honor and we wish you all the best in your future endeavors.
Written by Melissa Fudge
