VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Jeffrey Licon, Elsha Kim & Trinity Jo-Li Bliss On Importance Of Representation On ‘The Garcias’

The Brothers García was the first English sitcom with a completely Latinx cast when it aired on Nickelodeon back in 2000, and now the reboot, The Garcías, is continuing to bring diverse families to the small screen.

The Garcías stars Jeffrey Licon (Carlos García), Elsha Kim (Yunjin Huh García) and Trinity Jo-Li Bliss (Alexa Huh García) recently took time to tell Erik Meers about what representation in the show meant to them in their new uInterview.

“Yeah, originally with The Brothers García on Nickelodeon … I was 14 when we started it and I wasn’t able to grasp the importance of it and the impact that it actually had on so many people,” Licon said. “It started to set in around my 20s or so after we were already wrapped with the show, but I’m so proud of it and it’s so rewarding to know that we are doing something where people can finally look at the TV and identify with our characters, with our families. It’s like saying it without saying it. We’re just showing it and it’s impactful especially for the youth and for those you know in those years where you’re figuring yourself out. It does wonders to see someone like you on TV, and I don’t think we give that enough attention.”

Bliss added that her on-screen family reminded her of her real-life family.

“Yeah, I’m, just so lucky and glad that I get to be a part of this and play Alexa. Alexa is a mixed-race girl like me and grew up in a mixed-race family, so I see myself in her, and this feels like my family. I’m glad we get to see that,” Bliss said.

Kim pointed out the importance of normalizing people of color on television because it’s an accurate representation of what real American families look like.

“Normalizing it is the biggest thing,” she said. “This is just what families look like and this is what families are.”

Stream The Garcías on HBO Max today.