By Holly Friedel
“The plane! The plane!”
In 1977, with the premiere of the original Fantasy Island, TV audiences were introduced to the fun-loving Tattoo (Hervé Villechaize) as he alerted his boss Mr. Roarke (Ricardo Montalban) to the impending arrival of guests to his mysterious island. For seven seasons fans enjoyed seeing dreams come true for the many unpredictable guests. But guests did live to regret some requests, which made the series all the more compelling.
FOX returns to Fantasy Island with a contemporary reboot that began Aug. 10. Roselyn Sánchez stars as Elena Roarke, a descendant of Mr. Roarke, ultimately fulfilling his role on the island.
Previously, we have seen Sánchez as Carmen Luna in Devious Maids and Gigi Mendoza in Grand Hotel. Here, the actress took a break from filming in her native Puerto Rico and shared what lies ahead for the uncanny series.
Your character, Elena Roarke, shares the same last name as the original overseer, Mr. Roarke. Could you explain the relationship there? Who exactly is your character?
Roselyn Sánchez: My character is the grand-niece of Mr. Roarke. I have become a steward of the island the way he was. When there, every generation needs a new host from the family and this time it’s Elena’s turn.
How familiar were you with the series’ history when you were given the script and what were your initial thoughts? Did you go back and watch the original?
I was very young, but in Puerto Rico the show was actually huge. When you heard “The plane!” everyone knew we were talking about Fantasy Island. I watched many original episodes to make sure that I was going to be right in the pocket and understood the genre. I had a lot of talks with Adam Kane, who directed the first two episodes. He was telling me, “Use Montalban as inspiration, but we want you to be able to do your own take and be yourself.”
What excited you about playing this character and leading the series for a new generation?
It’s been really wonderful to be able to explore a new take, and as a woman this time. She’s fierce and it was very important to me to bring some humor to the whole thing. She needs to be light, funny and likable. I think that’s what the writing entails and I’m super pleased. I’m falling in love with her every single day, which is a great thing as an actress.
Give us some insight on some of the storylines we can look forward to.
The premise is pretty much the same. People come to the island, there is the want-versus-need type of dilemma. They come to the island wanting one thing, but of course, Elena comes in as a steward, as a host, and she becomes like a conduit and tries to make people understand that what they think they need might not be it.
A lot of times it is challenging. It could be scary. It could be funny. There’s different ways that the island goes about it, but it’s always intriguing and mysterious, and people are going to laugh and people are going to cry. If you want a specific example, let me see, somebody is terminally ill and they want to just have three days of feeling healthy and vibrant, almost like find the fountain of youth. Like that kind of situation, and Elena is there to teach them that there’s more to life than what they actually believe they need to be happy.
What’s it been like working on set in Puerto Rico — your homeland? Have you been able to enjoy family and friends during off days?
It’s amazing. I’m able to see my brothers, and my parents are here. So it’s fantastic for me. And to be able to bring my kids. My daughter is 9, my son is 3 and we live in Los Angeles, so being here for three months and for them to be able to spend time with us is so valuable and priceless.
I’ve been traveling and working since November and I haven’t been home. To be able to spend time with my family in Puerto Rico has been great. We were at the beach, and I was looking around and thought about how amazing it is that I’m here in Puerto Rico, my homeland. I was born and raised here and we have a slogan that says, “We live where you vacation.”
One of the locations, and there are many locations, is this beautiful beach resort in Puerto Rico. And I used to produce a triathlon for my foundation. And the third edition of the triathlon was at this location and they have a beautiful clubhouse and I baptized my daughter at that clubhouse. So every time I go to work, every single day, I just drive by this place that is so meaningful to me because that’s where my daughter got baptized. It’s really incredible how life works.