While it does lead to diversity on television, it can also feel forced. Oftentimes, the push for diversity leads to checklist casting - making sure every ethic group is covered, like a United Colors of Benetton ad. (Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images) Getty Images
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Nickelodeon live-action/animated interactive educational children’s television series “Blues Clues & You” at Build Studio on Novemin New York City. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 06: Joshua Dela Cruz visits the Build Series to discuss the. “He was like a rare butterfly,” Dela Cruz says. But that lack of inclusion is exactly why he never considered a career beyond the stage, where he did at least see Asians Americans in specifically Asian-themed shows like Miss Saigon and The King & I. One of his early memories of seeing a Asian American performer was when Dante Bosco played Rufio in 1991’s Hook. That definitely does play a part in why maybe I never even saw myself on television - or even mainstream media.”
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“But I never experienced seeing somebody like me on TV growing up. “There were a handful of people that missed my generation,” he says, referring to The Wiggles’ Jeff Fatts and Sesame Street’s Alan Muraoka. So the fact that a show targeted at preschoolers could be anchored by Dela Cruz is nothing short of historic.ĭela Cruz himself didn’t see Asian Americans on television growing up either. At least half of all stories across TV, movies and streaming “fail to portray one speaking or named Asian or Asian American on screen,” according to a study by the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. “I had friends sending me texts saying, ‘My kid's pointing at the screen saying, ‘He looks like me!’’”Īnd that’s what makes his role so groundbreaking. And I couldn't be happier.”īut there was another level to the reaction coming from the communities that rarely see themselves on screen, especially on children’s television. It's been such a fulfilling experience for me in every way. “They’re so immersed in it - playing along, yelling and laughing. “I started getting tagged in videos and friends started sending me pictures of their kids watching the show,” he describes. But then the more impactful feedback started coming. Even after the first episode of Blue’s Clues & You aired on November 11, it took some time for the ratings to come and know it was doing well.
Having worked on stage all his life, the delayed audience response took some patience. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images) Getty Images Thanksgiving Day Parade on Novemin New York City.
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 28: Joshua Dionisio aka Josh DeLa Cruz attends the 93rd Annual Macy's.
With that vote of confidence from the original host, Dela Cruz sunk into the role and paved his own way. We love everything that you're doing, everything that you bring to the table, so don't feel like you have to copy or replicate anything that I or Donovan Patton did in the past. “Steve Burns pulled me aside and was like, ‘We cast you for you. That all changed during one of the first work sessions. “They're such big shoes to fill since they're such important parts of people's lives and and how they grew up that I was definitely hesitant and anxious about doing a good enough job,” he admits. “This is the thing that I was looking for,” Dela Cruz says.īut he felt the weight of responsibility. When his agent told him about Blue’s Clues, he started reminiscing about the show with his Aladdin cast mates and realized that maybe this was the next step. “I wanted to do something where I could use the gifts and skills that I had learned along the way to help people.
“The problem with musical theater is that it's really expensive to see a show and to bring a family to see a show, forget about it,” he says. While he loved working in the theater, he started to itch for a project that could reach wider audiences.
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