The Latina writer, comedian and actor has joined the cast of Prime Video‘s Paul Feig-helmed action comedy Grand Death Lotto.
In addition to Ortega, who starred in HBO’s Succession, other new cast additions include Michael Hitchcock, Becky Ann Baker, Sam Asghari, Leslie David Baker, Murray Hill and Adam Ray.
The actors join an ensemble led by John Cena, Awkwafina and Simu Liu, which also includes Ayden Mayeri, Seann William Scott, Dolly de Leon and Donald Elise Watkins.
Written by Rob Yescombe, the film currently in production is set in a very near future, in which a Grand Lottery has been established in economically challenged California. The only catch? You’ll need to kill the winner before sundown in order to legally claim their prize. New L.A. transplant Katie (Awkwafina) accidentally finds herself with the winning ticket and must join forces with amateur jackpot protector Noel (Cena) to make it to sundown in order to claim her multi-billion-dollar prize, all while dealing with Noel’s protection rival Louis Lewis (Liu), who also wants to get her to sundown in order to claim his rich protection commission.
Ortega is a series regular on Fox’s mockumentary series Welcome to Flatch, directed and executive produced by Feig, and has also been seen in Starz’s continuation of Party Down, as well as the HBO Max anthology Love Life and HBO’s Succession. She’ll next be seen leading the indie comedy Wine Clubfrom directors Eric D. Cohen and Matthew Hirschhorn.
The 51-year-old Mexican & Spanish actor will appear in HBO Max’s The Girls on the Bus in a recurring role.
Consuelos will portray a major Hollywood action star-turned-politician who joined the presidential race after a Twitter poll said 46 percent of Americans would vote for him — regardless of party affiliation.
From writers Amy Chozick and Julie Plec, The Girls On The Bus centers on Sadie McCarthy (Melissa Benoist), a journalist who romanticizes Tim Crouse’s Boys on the Busbook and who scrapped her whole life for her own shot at covering a presidential campaign for the paper of record. Sadie hits the trail and eventually bonds with three female competitors, Grace (Carla Gugino), Lola (Natasha Behnam), and Kimberlyn (Christina Elmore). Despite their differences, the women become a found family with a front-row seat to the greatest soap opera in town: the battle for the White House.
The political drama also stars Brandon Scott, Griffin Dunne, Leslie Fray, PJ Sosko, Becky Ann Baker, Kyle Vincent Terry, Tala Ashe, and Richard Bekins.
Chozick and Plec developed the series and serve as executive producers alongside showrunner Rina Mimoun, Greg Berlanti, and Sarah Schechter.
Consuelos most recently appeared in Season 2 of Hulu’s hit comedy Only Murders in the Buildingin the role of Mabel’s (Selena Gomez) father. Additionally, he portrayed Hiram Lodge in multiple seasons of the CW’s Riverdale.
His other television credits include All My Children, Queen of the South, Hope & Faith, and Ugly Betty.
The 39-year-old Mexican actor and producer will star in Peacock’s The Resort, a true-crime love story from writer Andy Siara, Sam Esmail and UCP.
Méndez, who has starred in Narcos: Mexico andMurder Mystery, will star alongside Nina Bloomgarden and Gabriela Cartol as series regulars, and Debby Ryan, Dylan Baker, Michael Hitchcock and Becky Ann Baker will recur in the ensemble series.
Written by Siara, The Resort is a multi-generational, coming-of-age love story disguised as a fast-paced mystery about the disappointment of time. An anniversary trip puts a marriage to the test when the couple finds themselves embroiled in one of the Mayan Riviera’s most bizarre unsolved mysteries that took place fifteen years prior.
Méndez will play Baltasar Frías, the head of security at the Oceana Vista Resort in 2007. He’s always in detective mode, quietly suspicious of all activity, and somehow connected to all of the unusual events in 2007.
Cartol is Luna, the concierge at the Emma and Noah’s resort. Prior to becoming the concierge, Luna was in housekeeping at the Oceana Vista Resort back in 2007 prior to its abrupt closure.
The series is produced by UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group and Esmail Corp.
Siara will write and executive produce the series alongside Allison Miller.
Ben Sinclair will also direct and executive produce episodes 1-4.
The 61-year-old Cuban actor and comedian has been cast in Netflix’s upcoming quarantine anthology series Social Distance.
Hailing from Orange is the New Black creator Jenji Kohan, the series will also star Scandal’s Guillermo Diaz, Love Victor’s Isabella Ferreira, Katy Keene & In The Heights star Daphne Rubin-Vega, Danielle Brooks, Mike ColterAsante Blackk, Peter Scanavino, Lachlan Watson, Max Jenkins and Marsha Stephanie Blake.
Set in the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Social Distance is an eight-part anthology series that showcases the power of the human spirit in the face of uncertainty and isolation. Each standalone episode is told through a virtual lens and captures the unique emotional experience of being forced apart by circumstance and having no choice but to communicate remotely and rely on technology to maintain any sense of connection. Through these varied and deeply human stories, Social Distance aims to provide some much-needed catharsis during a tumultuous time while also capturing a snapshot of this singular moment in history.
The project was conceived, cast and executed entirely remotely during quarantine. The writers never met during the writing process, Diego Velasco directs talent remotely, Hilary Weisman Graham runs production from her living room and the cast acts and films themselves from home. Some of the actors’ real-life relatives also guest star in the series.
“Many of these stories required casting actors who were quarantined with other actors. That hurdle seriously hindered our options and so casting non-actors was sometimes essential,” said Weisman Graham on the decision to cast actors’ family members. “It was definitely a roll of the dice, but thankfully, we were thrilled to discover that talent really does breed talent. These family members may not have had aspirations to be in front of the camera when we first started, but they should all quit their day jobs immediately.”
Weisman Graham, who also serves as showrunner, executive produces with Tara Herrmann, Blake McCormick and Kohan. Velasco, who directed an episode of Orange Is the New Black and is working with Kohan on her upcoming series Teenage Bounty Huntersis directing and will co-executive produce.
Social Distance cast members include (in no particular episodic order):
Danielle Brooks with real-life mother LaRita Brooks and brother DJ Brooks; Marsha Stephanie Blake with real-life daughter Rocco Luna; Misha Brooks; Isabella Ferreira; Oscar Nunez; Daphne Rubin-Vega with real-life husband Tom Costanzo and son Luca Costanzo; Guillermo Diaz; Miguel Sandoval; Camila Perez; Olli Haaskivi; Giana Aragon; Mike Colter; Okieriete Onaodowan; real-life spouses Heather Burns and Ajay; Shakira Barrera; Steven Weber with real-life son Jack Hohnen-Weber; Helena Howard; Asante Blackk with real-life father Ayize Ma’at; Lovie Simone;
Max Jenkins; Brian Jordan Alvarez; Peter Vack; Rana Roy; Peter Scanavino with real-life son Leo Bai-Scanavino; Ali Ahn; Tami Sagher; Barbara Rosenblat; Michael Mulheren; real-life spouses Becky Ann Baker and Dylan Baker; Sunita Mani; real-life spouses Raymond Anthony Thomas and Marcia Debonis; Kylie Liya Page; Lachlan Watson; David Iacono; Will Meyers; Niles Fitch;and Ava Demary.
Nuñez is best known for starring on NBC’sThe Office.
He clowned around with the cast of ABC’s Modern Family earlier this year to big laughs… And, now Bobby Cannavele could be reaping a big reward for his memorable appearance.
The 42-year-old half-Cuban American actor, who won a Primetime Emmy Award in 2005 for his guest-starring role on NBC’s Will and Grace, has received a Critics’ Choice Television Awards nomination for playing Cameron’s “estranged ex-clown partner” on ABC’s hit sitcom.
In the episode entitled “Send Out the Clowns,” which aired in mid-March, Cannavele’s character Lewis was part of a reunion that took place at the funeral for Cameron’s clown mentor.
Cannavele will now compete against Girls’ Becky Ann Baker, Parks and Rectration’s Kathryn Hahn, The New Girl’s Justin Long, Parks and Recreation’ Paul Rudd and Girls’ Peter Scolari in the Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series category.
Meanwhile, Louis C.K. received a nod in the Best Actor in a Comedy Series category for his starring role in FX’sLouie. The 44-year-old half-Mexican American comedian/actor, who will form part of the ensemble in Woody Allen’s next film, will face off against House of Lies’ Don Cheadle, Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Larry David, Raising Hope’s Garret Dillahunt, Community’s Joel McHale and The Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons.
NBC led all the broadcast networks with 14 nods, followed by ABC with 13 nominations. Fox and HBO had 12 nods.
The Critics’ Choice Television Award winners will be announced on June 18.
In addition to Ortega, who starred in HBO’s Succession, other new cast additions include Michael Hitchcock, Becky Ann Baker, Sam Asghari, Leslie David Baker, Murray Hill and Adam Ray.
