Season 1 of Vida established Eddy, played by Ser Anzoategui, as the heart of this show, something that continues into the second season.
I spoke with Ser Anzoategui about their role this season, Eddy’s complicated relationship with Emma, and how their character is fighting for this community in the face of gentrification.
You can watch Season 2 of Vida now on the Starz App and Crave TV.
Eddy wants a connection with Emma and Lyn, but her late wife’s daughters have some reservations. Does Eddy trust these girls, or is there a lingering apprehension that they could take everything away at any moment?
Season 1 worked with what we see with the relationships and within the six episodes, developed where they’re at. It definitely feels like Eddy is looking to what’s going to happen next. [She needs] a strong foundation, and Eddy’s looking for that with this new family. All of a sudden, we’re put together and going to make this work. With Emma, there is always going to be tension because of Emma’s relationship with her mother. It’s always lingering like a cloud over Eddy’s head. Eddy knows all of the stuff that happened with Emma because Vidalia told her. As an actor, I play Eddy knowing that, and can see into Emma’s heart and soul. Eddy wants more of that connection with Emma because it’s a direct connection to Vidalia and keeping her [memory] alive.
Eddy is at odds with Emma and Lyn about the direction they’re taking with the bar. In Season 2, will Eddy continue to fight for Vidalia’s legacy and her community?
What happens a lot of times with [gentrifying neighborhoods], it becomes the value of not just the property but the people living in those properties. The displacement that happens to people and businesses is real, and we’re going to see that. It’s an old, rundown bar where people from the community [gather], but it doesn’t make much money. What happens when a community leader in her own right goes down in the way Eddy went down in Episode 6, and has to recover from that? A beautiful thing about community is that no matter what’s going on — whether it’s chaos or everything looks bleak — you come together and show that it’s not all about having money and making money. Community is core, family is core, and these people are assets to the [neighborhood]. That’s something important that I hope comes across in Season 2.
In some ways, Eddy is the one who holds a mirror up to Emma and makes her see her true self.
Yes, and it’s not just Eddy. It’s Boyle Heights, it’s the East Side, and it’s Vidalia’s spirit that’s still there and very much alive that keeps reminding Emma [of who she is]. Eddy wants to have that connection and sees more for Emma, but there’s resistance with unresolved issues from Emma’s past. That keeps coming up, and Emma has to solve that for herself.
Playing [Eddy], this character who is broken inside and out and having to work through a physical impediment, it adds a different dynamic to the situation and the relationship. Emma feels guilty about what happened to Eddy. People think that Emma is just a cold person, but you’re going to see a different side of her. Eddy is depending on Emma, and that adds another layer.
Photo Courtesy of Starz
