EXCLUSIVE: Laura Patalano (Gentefied) and Julia Vera (Elena of Avalor) are set as series regulars opposite Chris Estrada in Hulu comedy series This Fool, from ABC Signature.
Written by rising Latino comedian Estrada and Corporate creators Jake Weisman, Matt Ingebretson and Pat Bishop, the series stars Estrada as Julio Lopez, a self-described “punk ass bitch” who still lives at home and goes out of his way to help everyone but himself. The half-hour series sees Lopez work at a gang-rehabilitation non-profit and his quest to overcome his codependency issues with his family as he navigates working class life in South Central Los Angeles.
Patalano and Vera join previously announced seris regulars Frankie Quinones and Michelle Ortiz.
Patalano will play Esperanza. Strong willed, pragmatic, loving, Esperanza lives with her 30-year-old son, Julio, and her mother, Maria (Vera). Esperanza loves Julio and is proud of him for his job at the Hugs Not Thugs gang rehab facility, but she has a way of undermining Julio (among other things, she says he can’t fix her roof because he has “lawyer hands”). Esperanza has no problem letting her nephew, former gangbanger, now ex-con Luis, live at her house while he gets back on his feet, and she’s pretty thrilled about having someone around who can fix the roof, which Luis claims he can. However, Esperanza is very clear about the fact that if Luis stays, he has to do something with his life, and he can start by going to Hugs Not Thugs.
Vera will portray Maria, Esperanza’s mother, Julio’s grandmother, who lives with them. She’s protective, religious, loving but quiet and nostalgic. Maria has a habit of making ominous proclamations in Spanish (“A storm is coming. I feel it in my bones”) but one of her announcements hits home with her grandson, ex con Luis.
Estrada, Weisman, Ingebretsen and Bishop executive produce along with Fred Armisen and Black-ish EP Jonathan Groff. ABC Signature is the studio.
Patalano has appeared in shows such as Vida, Bosch, The Politician, Undone, Mayans MC, and Shameless. Her recurring television credits include Netflix’s Gentefied, Showtime’s The L Word: Generation Q, and Cartoon Network’s Victor and Valentino. She’s repped by Vince Lazzo at Inclusion Management, Jackie Lewis at LB Talent, Ferenc Laczko at SBV Talent and Daniel Hoff & Laura LaCombe at Daniel Hoff Agency.
Vera was the voice of Grandmother Luisa for three seasons on Disney’s Elena of Avalor. Her other credits include Adam Sandler’s The Ridiculous Six, a recurring role in The X-Files and 2020 feature The Old Ways. She’s repped by Garry Purdy and Mike Baldridge at Momentum Talent and Literary Agency.