09.17.2023 | By Jack Rico |
I once met Gustavo Santaolalla around 2012 at a PR office in Manhattan where I had the chance to speak with him briefly about music and a potential Broadway musical run for Guillermo Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth. Flash forward 11 years later, and I am having a one-on-one with a musical legend who, as you will hear in my podcast interview, had a tremendous influence on my youth. Read More
03.4.2023 | By Jack Rico |
Fifteen years – that’s how long it has been since Julio Iglesias Jr. released a new album. In an industry where artists are expected to constantly produce new music, this long hiatus could suggest a falling out of love with the art form. However, in today’s episode of ‘Highly Relevant,’ Julio shares a different story with me. He discusses his disappointment with his last record in 2008, his love for his father’s music, and his refusal to follow sonic trends evidenced by his new album ‘Under The Covers’ – a big band album with covers of hit songs. He also opens up about race and identity and how he defines himself: as a Spaniard, Filipino, or Latino. Listen below for the full interview. Read More
10.22.2022 | By Jack Rico |
In today’s episode of ‘Highly Relevant’ episode, I spoke with Marta Tellado, President, and CEO of Consumer Reports. She spoke with me about her new book, Buyer Aware, which helps you protect yourself from dubious consumer deals.
10.3.2022 | By Jack Rico |
If you aren’t familiar with Ximena Sariñana, she’s one of Mexico’s most talented musicians and actresses. In this latest podcast episode of Highly Relevant with Jack Rico, we discuss her most recent album Amor Adolecente and how her hit ballad ‘Una Vez Más‘ came to be. We also discuss the significance of her sophomore English-language album in her artistic growth, the pressures for Latin artists to succumb to the Reggaeton momentum, why it’s hard for Latina artists to find global acceptance, and we discuss her dreams of one day composing on the NY Broadway stage. Listen to the podcast or read the transcript of the interview below. Read More
03.28.2022 | By Jack Rico |
Dominican actor Manny Perez, perhaps best known for his films, ‘Washington Heights,’ ‘El Cantante,’ ‘Bella’ and the hit action film ‘La Soga,’ is now doing his directorial debut with the sequel – ‘La Soga Salvation’. He joins the ‘Highly Relevant’ podcast to discuss what it takes to write, direct and produce his own movie, and what the future of Dominican cinema looks like.
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06.1.2021 | By Jack Rico |
Actor Juan Pablo Raba currently co-stars in Liam Neeson’s border thriller ‘The Marksman’ out on streaming right now. He plays Mauricio, a Mexican cartel soldier out to retrieve his missing prize. Raba discusses how border stories are not going anywhere. People will keep coming up with these stories as they feel so relevant and are here to stay. We also debate The Marksman’s “white savior” narrative and why he believes the movie is really a “brown savior” film. Read More
02.20.2021 | By Jack Rico |
This week on the ‘Brown & Black’ podcast, We talk to Actor Randall Park on Hollywood and America. At a crucial time when Asian hate crimes are on the rise, a Black man, a Latino man, and an Asian man get together for a candid conversation on race, image representation, and the state of the Hollywood industry right now. We also get Park’s thoughts on ‘Minari’ and how he sees the American Dream today. We tackle the past and present of Asian representation in Hollywood and his place in it, plus his thoughts on why “packaging” is the reason Latinos aren’t catching a break with movie studios. Read More
06.10.2019 | By Jack Rico |
On this week’s show, actor Marquis Rodriguez, one of the five young actors in Netflix’s new controversial mini-series “When They See Us” from director Ava DuVernay, discusses the acting demands of becoming Raymond Santana, and he reveals who he celebrated with being cast in HBO’s “Game of Thrones” prequel currently filming in Europe right now. Read More
02.28.2019 | By Jack Rico |
In the latest episode of Highly Relevant with Jack Rico, we talk to Robert Rodriguez, the director of the new film Alita: Battle Angel discusses how it was a happy coincidence that his lead actress Rosa Salazar was Peruvian, how one of the main goals of his TV network El Rey was to find and hire more Latino filmmakers, and his honest answer when I asked if it is the responsibility of a Hispanic director to create Latino stars. (2:22) Read More
02.22.2019 | By Jack Rico |
Not sure if you noticed, but a Latina is the star of the #1 movie in America. Rosa Salazar, the star of “Alita: Battle Angel,” spoke to us about white-knuckling her way to this grand moment, why there was no pressure once the call came, why Latino representation matters, and why she’s proud of being Peruvian. Read More
