Rosa Diaz

Last updated

Rosa Diaz
Brooklyn Nine-Nine character
Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Rosa Diaz.webp
Stephanie Beatriz as Rosa Diaz
First appearance
Last appearance
Created by
Portrayed by Stephanie Beatriz
In-universe information
Occupation
  • Detective (seasons 1–7)
  • Private Investigator (season 8)
Family
Significant other

Rosa Diaz is a fictional character portrayed by Stephanie Beatriz in Brooklyn Nine-Nine , an American police procedural comedy. She was originally created under the name "Megan" but changed to Rosa when Stephanie Beatriz got the part over Chelsea Peretti, who would go on to portray Gina Linetti. Beatriz and her co-star, Melissa Fumero, were worried both before and after casting about losing their roles; as Latina actresses, both saw it as unusual that they were cast in the same network television show. Rosa became Beatriz's breakthrough role.

Contents

Rosa's regular costume features a black leather jacket, somewhat curly hair, and a low voice, as well as her gun. This inspiration for this style came from Spaghetti Western films that Beatriz watched; she described the style she was going for as a "robot-cowboy" look. Rosa's character is serious, confident, and frequently angry; she is closed-off and does not share details about her personal life, although the audience gets glimpses into her past at various points. These glimpses point towards an extremely worldly past, one that is not universally accepted as true by critics.

In the fifth season, Rosa comes out as bisexual – this was considered a major revelation for her character, given her consistent desire for privacy. Her storyline in coming out was significantly shaped by Beatriz, herself identifying as bisexual. Rosa was received positively by reviewers, with particular praise for her positive representation of bisexuality. For her performance as Rosa Diaz, Beatriz won two Gracie Awards and one Imagen Award during the show's eight-season run.

Creation

Casting

The character of Rosa Diaz was initially created under the name "Megan", described as "tough, smart, and scary as hell". [1] Chelsea Peretti read for the role of Megan, but she would eventually have the character of Gina Linetti created for her instead. [2] Stephanie Beatriz auditioned for the show, initially reading for the role of Brooklyn Nine-Nine 's Amy Santiago; it was casting director Allison Jones who suggested that Beatriz read for Megan instead. Beatriz tested for both roles, but when she learned that Fox cast Melissa Fumero for the role of Amy, Beatriz thought that she had no chance, reasoning that Fox would not cast two Latinas in the same show: [1] [3]

I was so excited for Melissa, but I thought I was screwed. Because growing up and watching shows, I would just never see Latina characters. Everyone was white. If there was Latinas, they were at the margins. Or playing stereotypes. [3]

Beatriz was eventually given the role, [3] causing Brooklyn Nine-Nine creators Michael Schur and Dan Goor to change the name of the character to Rosa Diaz in search of a name less intense and more "flowery". [4] According to Fumero, even after being cast, both she and Beatriz feared that one of them would get fired – both found it highly unlikely that two Latina actresses were cast in the same network television show in the first place. [5]

Costume

Rosa's character makes heavy use of black clothing, including her signature black leather jacket [6] [7] and curly hair, as well as her low voice. [8] [9] In the first season, Rosa's costume also features several pieces of police equipment attached to her belt; Beatriz said she had spoken to several real-life women detectives who deplored that style for how heavy it was, and wanted to try it for herself. The weight of Rosa's belt caused bruises for Beatriz; in later seasons, Rosa switched to having a holster underneath her arm. [4]

Stephanie Beatriz told The New York Times that she drew inspiration for her character's costume from Spaghetti Western films. She commented that the archetypal characters from those films, with a look she referred to as a "robot-cowboy" style, influenced her perception when she was first considering the character of Rosa. Beatriz recalled that when she attended her first costume fitting for the character, she simply quipped, "I think it’s a lot of black." [6] Melissa Fumero told Parents that because of her and Beatriz's fear of being fired, they privately agreed to distance their characters' styles from each other, with Amy adopting straight hair while Rosa made hers more curly. [5]

Beatriz also told the Chicago Tribune that she had to change her regular outfits when she began to portray Rosa, because they were too similar; she said that she now wears glasses and has changed her hairstyle, making her less easily recognizable. [3]

Character role

Traits and backstory

Rosa is generally portrayed as rigid, confident, and intense. Regarding Rosa's stony nature, Beatriz remarked that "in comedy you have the 'straight man', who’s basically the deadpan, flat comedy partner... and in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, the bi woman is a straight man, which is hilarious". [6] She also is shown to be prone to angry outbursts; in the first episode of the third season, Rosa vents by obliterating machinery with a hammer. [4] However, Rosa is also shown to be a resilient and capable detective, described by GQ as a "protective family housecat". [4] [6] Though her character would not come out as bisexual until the fifth season, Beatriz stated that she always quietly played her character as someone who would date in any gender. [1] [6]

Rosa's guarded nature makes her backstory sparse and vague, hiding most details from the other characters as well as the audience. [6] [10] Details of Rosa's life are mentioned at times; she is, at various points, known to have obtained a pilot's license, gone to medical school, rented an apartment under a fake name, gone through the juvenile detention system, [10] and been expelled from dance academy for assaulting ballerinas. When Rosa came out as bisexual, Dan Goor quipped that "over the last six seasons, Rosa has gone from being an enigma whom people knew nothing about, to an enigma whom people now know an incredibly tiny amount about". [6] It is also hinted at some intervals that Rosa has lived in a broad set of cities and countries. [10]

Writing for Comic Book Resources , Ian Goodwillie estimates that Rosa was approaching the age of 40 by the end of the show's eight-season run. Goodwillie casts doubt on the veracity of some of the details of her backstory, noting that Rosa's willingness to lie about her name in renting an apartment shakes confidence in the notion that she had lived such an eventful past life. [10]

Sexuality

Writing for The New York Times in 2019, Ilana Kaplan remarked that Rosa's serious and harsh character was the "emotional antithesis" of Beatriz, who Kaplan referred to as "generally bubbly". However, Beatriz does say that she sees some of Rosa's intensity and candor in herself, and she helped shape the revelation of her character's bisexuality onscreen. Beatriz came out as queer in a 2016 tweet, [6] fueling fan speculation and hope that Rosa could be revealed to be queer as well; [1] Beatriz more recently self-identified as bisexual. [11] She recounted to Variety that she was asked by Dan Goor if she would want Rosa to be bisexual. Beatriz later remarked that she was "thrilled by it", [6] and that she wanted Rosa to serve as a positive example for teenagers and young adults as a bisexual character, a category she thought severely lacked representation. [12] Beatriz shared her experiences of coming out with the writers, including the pushback she sometimes received, to lend her authenticity to the character. [6]

Rosa's bisexuality is first revealed in 2017 in the ninth epsidoe of Brooklyn Nine-Nine's fifth season, "99"; when Charles Boyle begins to cajole her about her dating life after her relationship with Adrian Pimento ended, she comes out to him [12] with a gruff "I'm dating a woman. I'm bi". [6] Erin Nyren with Variety noted that given Rosa's personal reticence, her decision to share such a personal aspect of her identity carried more emotional weight than it would have from another character. [12] While Ilana Kaplan wrote that Rosa "will continue to slowly let her co-workers into her life" as the show progressed from her coming out, Patrick Kellheller with PinkNews opined that Rosa's personality did not change following the storyline. [13]

Palmer Haasch with Polygon reported a statement from Dan Goor, claiming that Rosa's declaration, "I'm bi", was the first time the phrase had been used on network television. Haash, however, contradicted the claim: At least two prior shows, Grey's Anatomy and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend , had used the phrase as well, although she argued that Goor's statement still drew necessary attention to the rarity of bisexual representation onscreen. [11] According to The Washington Post , queer fans of color were quick to note that Fox's cancellation of Brooklyn Nine-Nine came one day after Rosa came out on the show. [14]

Reception and impact

Stephanie Beatriz at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con panel Stephanie Beatriz 2018.jpg
Stephanie Beatriz at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con panel

Reception of Rosa has been generally positive. Maggie Lange, writing for GQ , praised Rosa for her ability to capture scenes among more outstanding personalities such as Jake Peralta and Gina Linetti. [4] Particular positive attention was given to Beatriz for her portrayal of Rosa's bisexuality – PinkNews called Rosa "our queen" among a list of television's bisexual characters, and praised the show's "thoughtful and considered" representation of bisexuality. [13]

Polygon noted that fans at Brooklyn Nine-Nine's San Diego Comic-Con panel that year repeatedly thanked Stephanie Beatriz for her portrayal. [11] Beatriz said the same to Vulture, recalling a story in which a fan came up to her after she attended the GLAAD Media Awards and said something to the effect of "I'm genderqueer, and I just love your show. I’ve never seen anyone come out on a show I love before." [1]

For her performance as Rosa, Stephanie Beatriz received several accolades. She received two Gracie Awards for "Actress in a Supporting Role – Comedy or Musical", one in 2019 [A 1] and one in 2020, [A 2] as well as three nominations for Imagen Awards for "Best Supporting Actress – Television" in 2014, [A 3] 2016, [A 4] and 2019, [A 5] winning the same in 2018. [A 6]

Beatriz concluded her portrayal of Rosa Diaz with the end of Brooklyn Nine-Nine's eighth and final season. Her performance was said by one reviewer to be her "memorable breakout role"; Beatriz told the reviewer, "I'd be happy if my name is always connected to Rosa Diaz. That’s an honor". [15]

Works cited

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Jung, E. Alex (May 21, 2018). "Stephanie Beatriz's bisexual awakening, onscreen and off". Vulture . Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  2. ↑ Staff writers (September 26, 2016). "12 things you didn't know about Brooklyn Nine-Nine". Hollywood.com . Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Metz, Nina (March 28, 2018). "My worst moment: Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Stephanie Beatriz on the night everything went wrong onstage". Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Lange, Maggie (September 30, 2015). "Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Stephanie Beatriz is TV's hottest temper". GQ . Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  5. 1 2 Bried, Erin (October 15, 2020). "Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Melissa Fumero on parenting two under two in the pandemic: 'gratitude is something I can control'". Parents . Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Kaplan, Ilana (January 18, 2019). "Brooklyn Nine-Nine is back, and Stephanie Beatriz is making the most of it". The New York Times . Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  7. ↑ Jones, Damian (April 9, 2021). "Brooklyn Nine-Nine season eight filming finally gets under way". NME . Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  8. ↑ Law, James (June 24, 2021). "In The Heights: Stephanie Beatriz shows new side in Lin-Manuel Miranda musical". news.com.au . NCA NewsWire . Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  9. ↑ Silverman, Samantha (October 1, 2022). "10 best Halloween costumes in TV". Comic Book Resources . Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Goodwillie, Ian (November 18, 2021). "Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Rosa's backstory is incredibly confusing". Comic Book Resources . Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  11. 1 2 3 Haasch, Palmer (July 20, 2018). "Brooklyn Nine-Nine crew emphasizes the importance of bisexual representation at Comic-Con". Polygon . Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  12. 1 2 3 Nyren, Erin (December 5, 2017). "Brooklyn Nine-Nine team on Rosa's coming out and hitting 99 episodes". Variety . Archived from the original on March 3, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  13. 1 2 Kellheller, Patrick (September 23, 2021). "8 of the greatest – and not so great – bisexual TV characters ever, including our queen Rosa Diaz". PinkNews . Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  14. ↑ Hashemi, Sarah; Rodman, Monica (August 30, 2020). "Wynonna Earp was saved by queer fans. The show's creators are returning the favor with the gayest season yet". The Washington Post . Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  15. ↑ Aguilar, Carlos (November 25, 2021). "With Encanto, Stephanie Beatriz finds yet another voice". The New York Times . Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2022.

Award citations

  1. ↑ Ramos, Dino-Ray (April 16, 2019). "Gracie Awards: Sandra Oh, Patricia Arquette, and Leah Remini among winners". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  2. ↑ Ramos, Dino-Ray (May 13, 2020). "Gracie Awards: Michelle Williams, Amy Poehler and Niecy Nash among honorees". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on May 18, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  3. ↑ Staff writers (June 19, 2014). ""Imagen Award noms unveiled"". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  4. ↑ City News Service (September 9, 2016). "Jennifer Lopez, Antonio Banderas, Eva Longoria vie for Imagen Awards". Los Angeles Daily News . Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  5. ↑ Nickolai, Nate (July 15, 2019). "2019 Imagen Awards nominations: Jennifer Lopez, Antonio Banderas and more". Variety . Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  6. ↑ Sanchez, Orma (December 2, 2022). "Imagen Awards: Stephanie Beatriz, Gina Torres talk change for Hollywood's Latinx community". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2022.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melissa Fumero</span> American actress

Melissa Fumero is an American actress. She made her professional debut in 2004 in the recurring role of Adriana Cramer in the television soap opera One Life to Live. Following several minor roles, she had her first main role as Amy Santiago in the comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which she played from 2013 to 2021. Since then, she has starred as Melissa Tarleton in the animated series M.O.D.O.K. (2021), Eliza Walker in the Netflix comedy Blockbuster (2022), and Bella Digman in the animated series Digman! (2023–present). She is married to actor and former model David Fumero, with whom she has two sons.

<i>Brooklyn Nine-Nine</i> American police procedural comedy television series

Brooklyn Nine-Nine is an American police procedural sitcom television series that aired on Fox, and later on NBC, from September 17, 2013 to September 16, 2021, for eight seasons and 153 episodes. Created by Dan Goor and Michael Schur, it revolves around seven New York City Police Department (NYPD) detectives who are adjusting to life under their new commanding officer, the serious and stern Captain Raymond Holt. This sitcom features an ensemble cast of Andy Samberg, Andre Braugher, Stephanie Beatriz, Terry Crews, Melissa Fumero, Joe Lo Truglio, Chelsea Peretti, Dirk Blocker, and Joel McKinnon Miller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephanie Beatriz</span> American actress (born 1981)

Stephanie Beatriz Bischoff Alvizuri is an American actress. She is known for playing Detective Rosa Diaz in the Fox/NBC comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013–2021), Quiet in the Peacock action comedy series Twisted Metal (2023–present), and Carla in the musical film In the Heights (2021), and voicing Mirabel Madrigal in the Disney film Encanto (2021) and Vaggie in the adult animated musical series Hazbin Hotel (2024–present).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amy Santiago</span> Brooklyn Nine-Nine character

Amy Santiago is a fictional character who appears in police procedural comedy television series Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013–2021). Portrayed by Melissa Fumero, she works as a detective at the New York Police Department in Brooklyn's fictional 99th precinct from the beginning of the show until its fifth season, when she is promoted to sergeant. In the series finale, she becomes the chief of the police reform program.

"The Tagger" is the second episode of the first season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 2nd overall episode of the series and is written by Norm Hiscock and directed by Craig Zisk. It aired on Fox in the United States on September 24, 2013.

"48 Hours" is the seventh episode of the first season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 7th overall episode of the series and is written by co-executive producer Luke Del Tredici and directed by Peter Lauer. It aired on Fox in the United States on November 5, 2013. It was the seventh episode to be broadcast but the third episode to be produced.

"Old School" is the eighth episode of the first season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 8th overall episode of the series and is written by Gabe Liedman and directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller. It aired on Fox in the United States on November 12, 2013. It was the eighth episode to be broadcast but the ninth episode to be produced.

"The Apartment" is the eighteenth episode of the first season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Written by David Quandt and directed by Tucker Gates, it aired on Fox on February 25, 2014 in the United States.

"Tactical Village" is the nineteenth episode of the first season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. The episode, written by co-executive producer Luke Del Tredici and directed by Fred Goss aired on Fox in the United States on March 4, 2014.

"Paranoia" is the twentieth episode of the third season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 65th overall episode of the series and is written by Gabe Liedman and directed by Payman Benz. It aired on Fox in the United States on March 29, 2016.

"Your Honor" is the nineteenth episode of the fourth season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine and the 87th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by David Phillips & Carly Hallam Tosh and directed by Michael McDonald. It aired on Fox in the United States on May 16, 2017, back-to-back with the next episode "The Slaughterhouse".

"The Slaughterhouse" is the twentieth episode of the fourth season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine and the 88th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by Neil Campbell and directed by Victor Nelli Jr. It aired on Fox in the United States on May 16, 2017, back-to-back with the previous episode "Your Honor".

"Game Night" is the 10th episode of the fifth season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and the 100th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by Justin Noble & Carly Hallam Tosh and directed by Tristram Shapeero. It aired on Fox in the United States on December 12, 2017, airing back-to-back with the next episode, "The Favor". The episode features guest appearances from Danny Trejo, Olga Merediz, and Paul Scheer.

"NutriBoom" is the 16th episode of the fifth season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and the 106th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by David Phillips and directed by Trent O'Donnell. It aired on Fox in the United States on April 15, 2018, airing back-to-back with the next episode, "DFW". The episode features guest appearances from Jay Chandrasekhar, Winston Story, and Drew Tarver.

"Gray Star Mutual" is the 18th episode of the fifth season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and the 108th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by Jessica Polonsky and directed by Giovani Lampassi. It aired on Fox in the United States on April 22, 2018. The episode features a guest appearance from Jason Mantzoukas reprising his role as Adrian Pimento.

"Show Me Going" is the 20th episode of the fifth season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and the 110th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by Phil Augusta Jackson and directed by Maggie Carey. It aired on Fox in the United States on May 6, 2018. The episode features guest appearances from Natasha Rothwell and Akiva Schaffer, with a cameo appearance from Ryan Paevey.

"Jake & Amy" is the 22nd episode and season finale of the fifth season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and the 112th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by series co-creator Dan Goor and Luke Del Tredici, and directed by Goor. It aired on Fox in the United States on May 20, 2018. It was the last episode to air on Fox, following their cancellation of the series and its subsequent pick-up by NBC. The episode features guest appearances from Gina Rodriguez, Kyle Bornheimer, and Fred Armisen, while Kyle Gass co-stars.

"Four Movements" is the fourth episode of the sixth season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and the 116th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by David Phillips and directed by Jennifer Arnold. It aired on January 31, 2019 on NBC.

<i>Brooklyn Nine-Nine</i> season 8 Season of television series

The eighth and final season of the American sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine premiered on August 12, 2021, and concluded on September 16, 2021. The season consists of ten episodes. NBC renewed the series for an eighth season in November 2019 and announced in February 2021 that it would be the final season.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.