'And Just Like That' star Sara Ramirez on Che's 'intimate' moment with [SPOILER] – Entertainment Weekly News
“You can expect some serious electricity,” says Ramirez of Che’s developing relationship with one of Carrie’s BFFs. Warning: Episode 3 spoilers ahead!
Warning: This article contains spoilers for episodes 1-3 of And Just Like That.
Sure, the first meeting between Che Diaz (Sara Ramirez) and Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) did not go well. If you recall, Miranda called Che a "funeral pot pusher" after catching them sharing a smoke with her son, Brady (Niall Cunningham). Only after did she discover that Che is her best friend's boss when Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) introduced them to Miranda later in the episode.
Awk-ward! But things between the lawyer and the comedian took an intriguing turn in And Just Like That's Dec. 16 episode, "When in Rome." After attending the taping for Che's Netflix stand-up special, an inspired Miranda seeks them out at the post-show party… and just like that, we have a lot of questions.
EW spoke to Ramirez (who pronounces their first name "Sada" — "like Prada, tostada, Nevada") about their role in developing their "messy, dynamic, interesting, nonbinary, queer" character and what's next for Che and Miranda.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What discussions did you and creator Michael Patrick King have about Che and their role in this universe before you signed on for the show?
SARA RAMIREZ: Well, MPK shared with me that Che Diaz would be a podcast host and stand-up comedian, that they would be Carrie Bradshaw's boss, and that they would hire Carrie to be on their podcast, which was very exciting to me. And he shared that there would be an interesting, uh, love story for Che. There were a lot of different storylines that he shared, and some of those did not come to fruition because there's only so much room in the show. He mentioned meeting some of Che's family, that they basically are just exploding onto the scene, that they're reaching new heights in their career and getting all sorts of opportunities. And that Che is this very sexy, funny, confident human — a messy, dynamic, interesting, nonbinary, queer Mexican Irish American character. So I was definitely interested, as a lot of that felt like a natural fit.
What kind of discussions did you have about making sure Che isn't just there to teach Carrie and her friends about representation and LGBTQ+ life?
It's important to remember that the nonbinary community is not a monolith, just like the bisexual community is not a monolith and the queer community is not a monolith. This is one fictional character who gets to be multidimensional, complicated, and dynamic. It was important to me that we really explore that, that we make sure that Che is not here to represent every LGBTQ+ community member and not here for everyone's approval. Che is a character who speaks their unapologetic truth because they have done the work to get clear about who they really are. And they are also somebody who embraces the fluidity of life.
It was a collaborative process. I wanted to participate in the creation of this character, including the writing, and Michael Patrick King was really supportive of that. This has been a collaboration. In fact, the Netflix comedy special you see in episode 3 was actually the first scene I filmed on my first day of work. We had had several Zoom meetings about all of that scripted writing. I pitched some changes and some stories and ideas, and he took a lot of that in, actually, so it made it into the script, which I was really grateful for.
I also requested that I get some support from GLAAD to ensure we were not causing harm to the queer and trans community through this representation. So, shout-out to Nick Adams at GLAAD for helping us with that every step of the way. And there were changes made even the morning of the day I filmed that Netflix comedy special. It was exhilarating and felt like a big responsibility, a responsibility I feel very capable of taking on and that I have the capacity for. I'm really grateful the community came together in this way to try to come up with something funny that makes you think, that makes you feel, but also stays true to the character and who they are. Che gets to live their own full life. They're not here to be tokenized.
We need to talk about your very charged "shotgun" scene with Cynthia Nixon at the after-party in episode 3. It's a really hot moment between Miranda and Che. What was filming that like?
This was also a scene I shot within that first day or two of filming. Cynthia Nixon is a phenomenal actor, as we know. I was so excited to work with her. She and [her wife] Christine actually invited me over to their home prior to filming, so I got a chance to meet Cynthia and talk to her [so that we did] not feel like complete and total strangers by the time I started filming.
Cynthia's a consummate professional; she's warm and she's a leader. She's an executive producer on this show. For that scene, it was really collaborative, and I felt really cared for and valued. We were able to create an intimate environment in which to play this scene. It was also important that we highlight our queer and trans background actors who are coming and going throughout that scene. The environment in which this scene takes place is also really important, because Miranda's a little bit of a fish out of water. They're now in Che's world, and it's very reflective of my world, my communities. I felt really affirmed in that sense — the fact that we have queer and trans people in front of and behind the camera on this show is really meaningful for me.
Not to belabor the point, but when Che shotguns Miranda, it was supposed to be hot, right? Because it was hot.
[Laughs] Well, thanks, Kristen. That's great feedback. Yeah, I think we were going for something intimate and charged, and it sounds like we accomplished that goal.
It seems like there could be something intriguing developing between them. And you did mention earlier that Che has an interesting love story this season. What can you preview about Miranda and Che's relationship going forward?
What I can say is that they are two very powerful, very confident people who are both unafraid to speak their authentic truths. And when you get two energies like that in the room, you can expect a really interesting dynamic to appear, and you can expect some serious electricity.
Will we see more of Che's comedy?
Yeah, you're gonna see some of that in the podcast. You're also going to hear some of the special in other scenes where other characters are listening in. There are a lot of different ways you're going to be able to keep track of Che's work throughout the show.
Last question: Do you own a Peloton?
I don't, but I know a lot of people who do, and yeah, I have questions.
And Just Like That's first three episodes are streaming now on HBO Max.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
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