MIAMI – Billy Herrera, played by Andy Garcia and his wife Ingrid, played by Gloria Estefan, are surprised when their eldest daughter Sofia comes home to Miami with her new boyfriend Adan to announce they’re engaged and ready to get married right away.
One hitch – no one in the family knows thay Billy and Ingrid are calling it quits on their own marriage, at least they think so.
This all-new “Father of the Bride” features a predominantly Latino cast. Andy Garcia is one of the executive producers and chose his longtime friend Gloria to play his wife.
“She isn’t a famous actress. She’s known as the queen of Miami music, but you saw her in this role?” asked CBS4’s Lisa Petrillo.
“Yes, of course,” said Garcia. “It’s like tag you’re it. She can do no wrong in this part. This is everything that she is and represents as an artist and a woman. It’s everything.”
Petrillo asked Estefan if it was a dream role for her.
“Oh my God, such a dream role for me in every way,” she said.
“I’ve waited a long time for something like this because I’ve turned down a lot of things, because they didn’t reflect my culture in a good way or wouldn’t advance me as an actor. I’ve waited. So, when Andy sent me a text I was like this is going to be good, because I trust his choices.”
Both actors Diego Boneto and Adria Arjona, who play the engaged couple, say working with the two legends was an experience of a lifetime.
“It was truly amazing. I mean it felt like a family on and off set,” Boneto said.
“We are shooting while COVID was going on and there was a COVID bubble. I mean that made us get even closer. You know that just made it truly like a family,” Boneto said.
“I was nervous at first and then little did I know it was going to be one of the best filming experiences yet.
Like I truly felt like that I was their daughter. That’s how much they took care of me,” Arjona said.
“And Miami was a character in the film as well?” Petrillo asked Estefan.
“Yes! A beautiful character, except when you shoot in August, laughed Estefan. “That’s why our cheeks were so red on that scene on the Star Island bridge. It was really cool because everybody got to use the bathroom in my house because there’s nothing there on the bridge.”
“I grew up here, so I sort of acclimated it to a little bit, but man did I forget how hot it gets here,” said Arjona.
“People say how do you do this? How do you work like this in this terrible heat?” said Garcia.
“I would say you handkerchief it. You have a handkerchief in you pocket and you do like this (he grabs a handkerchief and wipes his head) and then its ‘ACTION!’ you know.”
“Father of the Bride” is now playing on HBO Max.
