In an exclusive interview, GLAMOUR spoke to Devious Maids and Scrubs star Judy Reyes about secrets, stereotypes and what’s next for her.
GLAMOUR: What’s been the biggest difference between working on Scrubs and working on Devious Maids?
Judy: Besides that Scrubs feels light years away now and I feel like such a different person in so many ways, work wise, I would say the comedy aspect is different. On Scrubs we were always in constant pursuit of that, at all costs. This is also comedy with extended doses of drama and deeply committed to script so it’s not loose in the same way – that’s probably the biggest difference.
GLAMOUR: There are a number of connections between Desperate Housewives and Devious Maids. Were you a fan of the show before working on Devious Maids?
Judy: I’d never watched Desperate Housewives before I got this gig.
GLAMOUR: You’ve spoken about your initial concerns about a show that depicted all of its Latin American characters as maids. Could you tell us what changed your mind?
Judy: I have often said that my knee-jerk reaction to the idea of the this show was to roll my eyes and say “oh, no! Why maids?!” And then I read the script and saw a solid opportunity for me to do right by women who do this work day in and day out – people like my mother who has at multiple times in her life worked as a housekeeper. I couldn’t think of any reason why I couldn’t do my best with Zoila to give voice to the people behind the job that are so often only seen and rarely heard in films and television.
GLAMOUR: Devious Maids makes it clear that while domestic helpers are often not viewed by their employers as having a life outside of their jobs, they are in fact real people with stories as interesting as those of the people they work for. Do you believe that TV shows have an important role in changing attitudes like this?
Judy: I think whether we like it or not, we do. Even a show like this, which is mostly entertainment and highly satirical is making television history with an all Latina lead cast. Whether we do well or not, the impact has been made and we’ve blown something wide open by taking it on and doing so. I congratulate Marc Cherry, Eva Longoria and Lifetime for taking it on.
GLAMOUR: Your character knows all of her employers secrets. Who knows everything about you?
Judy: Who knows everything about anybody? My partner in life and love and parenting, George Valencia, knows the absolute most….
GLAMOUR: Can you tell a little about what to expect from you in the coming months – both on Devious Maids and on any other projects you may be busy with?
Judy: Zoila’s meddling gets her in trouble with her daughter and her husband. She gets closer to Genevieve as a result, and finds romance elsewhere…stay tuned! In other projects, I’m also executive producer of this wonderful animation called La Golda created by George Valencia, about an orphaned soccer playing, superstar, super hero who goes around the world doing good things for other kids with her team. We’re excited to have Roselyn Sanchez as not only a voice but as one of our executive producers. We’ve partnered with United Healthcare for a premiere screening in LA in June and we couldn’t be more excited.
