Justina Machado On Why People Love Animation So Much

This week on episode 170 of the Highly Relevant podcast, I welcome the beloved actress Justina Machado known to many as Penelope Alvarez in the Emmy-nominated hit comedy reboot of “One Day at a Time”. In the following Q&A, we discuss her new voice-acted film, “The Ice Age: Adventures of Buckwild,” and what her role as the zorilla ‘Zee’ means for Latino representation. Our conversation also covered several interesting subjects such as the world’s love for animated films, why Hispanic animated films succeed and real-life Latino films and television shows don’t, and why she stopped using the term Hispanic to describe herself. Catch the video interview on our YouTube channel below.

Jack Rico (JR): What was it about your character ‘Zee’ that you felt made sense?

Justina Machado (JM): I love the fact that she was a leader and she was adventurous and courageous and vulnerable and strong and in charge and in control. And you know he did it all with warmth and humor and a lot of heart. 

(JR): What is it about this franchise that makes people go back again and again to watch it? You know how difficult it is to get anything renewed. This franchise just keeps on churning them out from popular demand. What is it? 

(JM): I think that the messages and the themes of the movie are just ageless, timeless, and universal. The theme of family, of chosen family, of respect, of finding your herd community, justice, equality, courage, all of those themes are our people. That’s what resonates with us today, tomorrow, yesterday, and especially feeling like you might be the only one. And then you find somebody that is different. Like you would want the same things that you do. This feeling that you don’t need a superpower, just courage, and heart. And also they’re very incredible, diverse, funny characters. All of the diversity that they had, the voices, the characters. It’s just fun to listen to them. It’s fun to hear Simon Pegg, he’s here crashing Eddie, it’s very funny. 

(JR): Take me through the preparation for voice-acting.

(JM): No preparation. I had been familiar with the movies, and like I said because I understand that when they come to me and they asked me it’s because they hear something in my voice that they want to bring to their project. I was familiar with Simon Pegg’s interpretation of ‘Buck,’ and I thought that was really fun and great. And so when I went into the booth to do this with the producers and the director, John and Laurie, and all the wonderful other people, they just guided me. They’ve been a part of this franchise for years and years, so really it was them knowing what would work, what didn’t work, you know? And it was pretty effortless because they are a well-oiled machine.

(JR): What is it about the animated genre that just seems like all of these movies make money and the indie films that suffered and crafted through pain and struggle, they don’t really add to the pockets of these creators the way these animated movies do. You’ve been in this business, what is it?

(JM): It’s fantasy. It’s like anything can happen in an animated film. I’m a zorilla with shapely thighs. And I’m saving the world with two possums and a weasel. So it’s all of this fantasy, all of this magic surrealism, and also, animation has a lot more money behind it than indie films.

Sometimes it’s hard when you don’t have a studio attached to the film. It’s hard when you don’t have that machine behind you putting you out there. Sundance used to be that, I don’t know what Sundance is now. Sundance used to actually do those kinds of things and now it’s not as indie as it used to be [because] of the business side of it, that’s the reason why, but in general, I think animation just appeals to so many people. I still love animation. I get on a plane and I will watch an animated movie over and over again, and I’ll look over my shoulder and I’ll be embarrassed. I’m like, oh my God, is somebody looking at me? I mean, I will watch the hell out of Shrek (laughing). They’re fairytales.

Justina Machado as Zee (left)

(JR): Have you noticed the pattern that Latino-themed animated movies like ‘Coco’ or ‘Encanto’ are critically and financially successful amongst all races, yet real-life Latino-themed movies like ‘In The Heights’ or ‘West Side Story’ aren’t? Why do you think that is?

(JM): I don’t know why that is. I have no idea why. Maybe it’s because they don’t have to deal with actors or the specificity of an actor or the authenticity of something. I mean, I love ‘Coco’ and I don’t know why it didn’t resonate with ‘In the Heights’ or with ‘West Side Story’. Maybe it’s because of the movies that they are made for, people aren’t going to see, whereas ‘Encanto’ and ‘Coco,’ you’re taking your kids. You know what I mean? It’s a family affair. 

You are the first person, this is the first time I’ve even ever thought of that. And maybe it’s because it’s magic realism, there’s just a lot of magic, and it’s not so real, and maybe they don’t want to see real right now. Right now I hear from so many people, ‘I don’t want to see that, that is too depressing. I don’t want it because of what’s going on in the world.’ They want happy stories, you know? So, maybe that’s the reason I absolutely loved West Side Story. I saw it twice, and I thought the authenticity was incredible. I’m Puerto Rican. So I was like, every part of that was exactly right.

I never felt like, ‘Oh, they’re not representing us at all. This is a stereotype.’ I thought that it was flawless and maybe it’s a timepiece and people rather go see ‘Narcos’. I actually think that ‘In the Heights’ was our generation’s ‘West Side Story’. People also want to escape a little bit right now.

Justina Machado as Zee (right)

(JR): The main topic of conversation with Hispanics right now is the label of Latinx. Joe Biden just recently used ‘Latino’ in a recent speech. It looks like he got the memo. But I’m of the point of view that if Latinx is supposed to mean inclusiveness and Latino does not, then I’m all for Latinx. How do you answer that?

(JM): I grew up saying Latino for a long time. But like you said, I don’t have a problem saying anything that is all-inclusive, but I also don’t think it’s something for us to get all up in arms about either. Giving him [Biden] a hard time because he said Latinx, there’s a lot of Latinos who don’t like to say that. Look at the show I did, ‘One Day at a Time’. It was all about representation. It was all about being yourself and respecting that and respecting pronouns. So yes, I have no problem saying Latinx. I just have to remind myself to say it because I spent over 40 years saying Latina, I mean, I went from Hispanic, which I stopped saying a long time ago, to a Latino, and now it’s like, okay, there’s, you know, another word to say Latinx or Latiné. I have no opinion on it. I just feel if it makes you feel better and it’s all-inclusive, then I have no problem saying it, but I don’t have a stake in any of them.

‘The Ice Age: Adventures of Buckwild’ premieres on Disney+ on January 28th.