398 - Behind the Scenes of Family Dynamics and Comedy with Mayan Lopez & Debby Wolfe
398 - Behind the Scenes of Family Dynamics and Comedy with Mayan Lopez & Debby Wolfe
Listeners, this week we have a conversation with Mayan Lopez and Debby Wolfe
In this episode of Cafe con Pam, Pam welcomes Mayan Lopez and Debby Wolfe to discuss the intricacies of cultural heritage, Latino representation in media, and the hit TV show, "Lopez vs. Lopez." Together, they highlight the importance of authentic storytelling and representation in the writers' rooms. Tune in to discover how cultural diversity and personal narratives shape nuanced stories in Hollywood.
Mayan Lopez is the co-creator, writer, co-executive producer and star of the heartwarming NBC comedy series “Lopez vs. Lopez, ”which returned for its third season in October. Lopez conceptualized the series from her TikTok content, which she used as a creative outlet during the pandemic. Lopez portrays a fictional version of herself, a modern Gen Z daughter working to rebuild her dysfunctional relationship with her old-school Latino father. For her role, she received a “Best Actress” nomination from the 2024 Imagen Awards. In 2025, she will make her feature film debut in the supernatural coming-of-age thriller, The Evilry, in which she is also an executive producer. Lopez serves as an ambassador for the National Alliance of Mental Illness, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization.
Debby Wolfe is the showrunner, co-creator and executive producer of the hit NBC sitcom LOPEZ vs. LOPEZ.Debby was born in Hollywood, Florida to a Salvadoran immigrant mother and a Jewish father from Miami. Growing up, she struggled to fully connect with either side of her family, so she began writing as a way to make sense of her multicultural identity.
To this day, Debby’s work utilizes humor and heart as a way to explore challenges that affect her Latine community such as identity crisis, generational trauma, and mental health issues. Her goal as a writer/producer is to tell authentic stories while pushing for more Latine representation on screen.Wolfe’s other credits include “The Conners” for ABC, “Primo” for Freevee, “Love, Victor” for Hulu and “One Day at a Time” for Netflix. She previously had development at Amazon, Disney+ and CBS.
During this episode we talked about:
00:00 Rediscovering Heritage Through Family and Culture
05:08 From Improv to TikTok Success
06:26 Healing Childhood Reflections
12:30 Inner Child Acceptance Insight
14:05 Brave On-Screen Conversations
19:11 Perfecting TV Scripts Together
21:55 Latino Representation on Network TV
25:17 Rise of Latino Hollywood
29:08 Lack of Latino TV Executives
32:22 Language and Latino Identity Struggles
35:52 "Stories Matter Personally"
37:54 Childhood Coffee Ritual
39:56 Final Season 3 Episodes Airing
45:29 Acceptance in Relationships and Healing
49:22 Nighttime Reading Replaces TikTok Habit
49:39 Finding Control and Connection
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