In Conversation: ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ Actor Vincent Rodriguez III

by Sydney Reyes

October is Filipino-American History Month, commemorating the first recorded arrival of Filipinos in the United States on October 18th, 1587. It’s an important celebration that pays tribute to all brave Filipinos who not only made the move, but also became pioneers in American society. Today, in the arts specifically, there are many Filipino-Americans who have emerged to showcase the extraordinary talent of the Philippines on the global stage. Showing that they can shine and be proud of their heritage, even from thousands of miles away.

In celebration of Filipino-American History Month, I spoke to an artist who does just that. Vincent Rodriguez III is an actor best known for his roles as Josh Chan in the show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, as well as the voices of General Li Jing in the animated film Ne Zha II and Raiden in the Mortal Kombat 1 video game. He shared what it means to represent the Philippine heritage, the importance of this month, and his advice to Filipinos who also dream of being on stage or on screen. 

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Let's start off with Filipino-American History Month. What does this nationwide recognition mean to you and your experiences as a Filipino in America, and how are you celebrating it this year? 

It really means a lot to me that we have a day that celebrates and reminds us of our roots. Even as someone who, to be quite honest, didn't know as much about my Filipino heritage until a few months ago when I actually visited Manila. [Manila is] where my entire family is from, [but] I didn't really feel connected to being Filipino until that validation occurred—being there and feeling what it feels like to be among all these people who you grew up with. 

My household was very very Filipino, so I walk around with this kind of pride that I know more history about where we came from. I actually did [a Filipino historical musical] Here Lies Love at the Public Theater. [. . .] It’s set to David Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s music. It was a whole lot of fun and it changed my life and really opened me up to my Filipino and AAPI community in New York. But also to that curiosity inside of who I am and how I identify. Going to the Philippines just really solidified that for me. 

So I think every day I keep that pride with me, and I do feel that celebration. But now everyone knows it, you know? Now, like when I wear my Filipino flag cap or jacket that I got from the Philippines, [. . .] it feels so appropriate because I don't think I've ever owned anything like that. I don't think I ever thought of celebrating my heritage as much as I do now. Doing so has brought so much more meaning to my life. Right now, during this month, it feels even more appropriate to be having interviews like this and getting to spread the awareness of Filipino-Americans in entertainment. 

My next question is about the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend 10-year reunion tour this month. Tell me more about how it went and what the experience was like. 

Oh man, well the tour went extremely well. It was two sold-out nights in New York City at the 2,000-seat Beacon Theatre. And then a week later we played Los Angeles at the Wiltern. I don't know how many seats, but it was packed. And of course, we saw a lot of our Crazy Ex-Girlfriend cast, crew, makeup artists, camera operators, ADs, directors, writers. It was a reunion in LA for that show. It was fantastic. It was just such a thrill on top of the thrill of being back with this cast after 10 years. We're still friends and we're on a text chain together, and we've done a bunch of live shows before, just like we did when Crazy Ex-Girlfriend wrapped. That little mini tour, we played Boston and Chicago and LA, and West Covina. 

We also did two sold-out nights at Radio City Music Hall. So playing the Beacon Theatre this last time wasn't so different for us. We closed the tour in LA and then Saturday night, my hometown, San Francisco. So we traveled the following morning. Rehearsed in the new theater, and did a show for another sold-out crowd, and I got to see my family. 

Did they get to watch? 

My mom, my sister and her two kids, and my brother-in-law. My niece and nephew had never seen me on stage live, and they had a lot of questions. But they were really happy. They were beaming with smiles after the show. I think they were proud of their uncle, or their tito. It was an amazing experience to finish the tour that way. 

So I feel very refreshed and reconnected to my love of musical theater, my love of improv comedy, and my love of performing live. That's why I started a live solo cabaret two years ago with my now manager, but also my producer and COO of my production company, Don Mike Hodreal Mendoza. I have a solo show that I'm going to be bringing to Southern California—West Covina, San Diego, Los Angeles. We're gonna make sure we share my story all over, and my story includes Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. So doing the concert was an extension of what I was already doing, which is celebrating this incredible show and getting to do so with people who are still fans of the show. 

I think Crazy Ex-Girlfriend was really bold and I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to audition. But also I feel really lucky that I stayed my path the 11 years I was in New York trying to book a Broadway show. [I did] everything but Broadway: national tours of Broadway shows, original cast recordings, workshops, regional theater, a lot of that, but not quite the Broadway show. All of a sudden I get called back for this TV show that had me sing, play guitar, and rap, then I get a phone call saying, "Congratulations, Vincent, you're gonna be a TV star!" And I was just flooded with emotion and also disbelief and a really strong sense of pride for my culture, knowing that we'd be creating Josh Chan, a Filipino-American, featuring an all-Filipino family. 

[Through the Thanksgiving episode, we were one of the] first Filipino families to ever appear on a network television show, which we didn't find out till later. That made us very happy and added to the joy that the writer of the episode, Rene Gube, who plays Father Brah in the series, [ . . . ] [along] with Aline Brosh McKenna, our co-creator, [gave us by] making sure those details of the Filipino food were accurate. Like the adobo, and making sure we saw in that table the quintessential Filipino-American Thanksgiving, which has a bunch of Filipino food and a turkey. We celebrate both [cultures]. [ . . . ] It was cool that the Thanksgiving episode was where you met Josh's family and got to experience that warmth and community and kindness and hospitality that is not uncommon at all for a Filipino, because that's just how we were raised, and how we are. 

I agree. It's beautiful that you get to spotlight being Filipino on such a big show. What does it mean to you to be one of the first Filipino romantic male leads on a prime-time television show? 

It feels very unbelievable because you don't want to believe that. You want to believe that diversity has already reared its head in terms of Filipino representation. Being in the forefront of the story, leading the emotional narrative of a TV show or a movie, we haven't really seen it to that extreme. We have pioneers like Dante Basco. He starred in Hook. Or Ernie Reyes Jr., he starred in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II. And he's the reason why I know how to do a spinning back hook kick into a spinning sweep. I mean, Rex Navarette who's a Filipino comedian back when I was in high school, is still working today, slaying audiences. Jo Koy, Manny Jacinto, Nico Santos from Superstore. You know, there's a lot of representation now. 

I feel very fortunate that I could be a part of this wave that happened. [Others have] jokingly said, "Is this a trend?" [. . .] And nowhere in my mind did I think it was. I don't think diversity is a trend. I don't think inclusivity is a trend. I think it's something that we have in us as humans. And at some point in history, we just forget how connected we are and how awesome our differences are in that they help make us beautiful and also help us survive. If everyone was the same, that would be boring. I need someone who's strong where I'm weak and vice versa. That's how my husband and I are, same thing on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. We had people from the musical theater world, amazing dancers, singers, actors, [. . .] Rachel Bloom, who starred in the show, created the show, co-wrote all the songs—she's not just an actress, she's so many other things. She loves musical theater, she does a lot of improv, and she's a comedian. To put all those disciplines into the same space is a beautiful thing. 

The diversity and inclusivity has kind of been with me throughout my career. But I think now it's in the forefront, and I feel very fortunate that I have realized how much it means to represent the cultures and communities that I belong to. I'm in an entertainment industry that is so vast and that has so much influence and creates so much meaning for others, and how they actually live and perceive their lives. I think artists are powerful right now, and I believe in this mission I have to create that kind of community and that compassion through honoring where I'm from, and the projects I get to be a part of and how they positively impact others. 

What is your message or advice to Filipinos both in America and the Philippines, especially those of queer backgrounds, who dream of making it to international screens the same way you did? 

What I would say to any Filipino-American who's either in the States, or in [the Philippines], in terms of how you can make your mark in this business is to do. Plan later, do first. The doing, the movement will inform your brain, and it'll get you in touch with the thing that you love. I'm willing to bet the reason why you want to be in the entertainment business is because there's something about singing, dancing, acting, playing an instrument, painting something, creating something, designing something that you absolutely love and that you can't not think about. So, think about it, let it inspire you, let it open you up to new music, let it open you up to new ideas, to talking to people you don't usually talk to, studying philosophies or religious backgrounds or architecture or different art forms, subjects that you've never explored before. 

Just get so curious because that curiosity is going to open up all of your possibilities and it's not going to end. It's going to get bigger and grow like a balloon, and you're going to have all that air in that balloon to draw from when you are looking for inspiration or that emotional energy that we all need to not only survive, but to thrive. Artists have that in them. So if you identify as an artist, one of the biggest, most empowering things you could do is get in touch with that [inner] artist, and nurture that part of yourself [ . . . ]. Whatever it is, do it. But the most important thing is after you do it, you have to share it. Don't share it with the condition that it's going to be perfect, because it won't. Perfection is just perceived that way. And know that it's not going to be done. We're never done.

The reason why I say that is 'cause you're going to fail so many times, and I know you will. I'm going to tell you, you don't get to my spot without failing. I'm only here because I messed up so many things and with those mistakes, I felt horrible. I went through the worst emotions and depression that I've ever experienced. But I'm here talking to you now, calm, grounded, and with hope that other artists, no matter who you are, especially if you're Filipino, there's nothing stopping you from the thing you want to attain [ . . . ]. So don't dim your light, don't hide, let people see you and know it's going to hurt. But that's going to create strength and resilience that you're going to need for the rest of your life, because problems are only going to keep coming. 

Just keep shining and learning how to [brush things off] and grow out of it. You'll figure it out. I believe in you. And you got to believe in yourself.