Stephanie Beatriz: 'I was scared to come out as bisexual – that made Brooklyn Nine-Nine special'

One of the most memorable and impactful storylines of all was when Rosa casually came out as bisexual in the 2017 episode Game Night – shortly after Beatriz came out publicly in real life.

But, despite now being one of the most prominent voices in the world for bisexual representation on screen, Beatriz was initially scared to come out because she feared being "written off".

"What I was really concerned about was the thing that most actors are concerned about, which is getting pigeonholed and written off, [like] 'She only does this one thing,'" Beatriz tells RadioTimes.com, ahead of the release of season 2 of her series Twisted Metal.

"As an actor, you want to try to become these other people. Part of the joy of it is disappearing into these other characters that you play – but, at the same time, when you bring parts of yourself to these characters, that's how they come to life. So inevitably, parts of yourself bleed into the characters that you play."

Nowhere is that more clear in Beatriz's career than with Rosa. In 2016, three years into playing her, Beatriz came out publicly on social media, reposting a quote from one of Aubrey Plaza's interviews, which read: “I fall in love with girls and guys, I can’t help it." Beatriz simply added: "Yup."

Taking inspiration from her own life, Beatriz dropped hints about Rosa's sexuality in her performance, and worked with the writers to craft the character's storyline.

"[When] I came out as bisexual, I was playing Rosa Diaz on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and it was so thrilling and special to me that so many of our queer audience kind of already felt it," she recalls.

"Audiences are so smart, they could pick up the stuff that you're laying down, and if I'm dropping these little clues about what I thought was Rose's sexuality, then they're scooping them up."

For Beatriz, that attention to detail comes from queer – and particularly bisexual – audiences being "starved" of representation.

"We've been so starved to see ourselves reflected in a way that feels really real to us, that isn't full of drama, and that hopefully isn't totally about coming out or death or some kind of epic tragedy that befalls us, but that is more reflective of, like, life can be kind of good sometimes."

While the impact on Beatriz's life is clear, the impact it had on the audience is what meant the most to her.

"Rosa's storyline on Brooklyn Nine-Nine was really special to me because I got to help craft it," she explains.

"But the most special thing about that was having people say, 'I was watching this with my husband, and I was able to have a conversation about my own sexuality,' [or] 'I was watching this with my parents, and I came out to them,' or 'You know, my mom didn't really understand my bisexuality, and we watch those episodes, and then she kind of got it in a deeper, different way,' and that was really special.

"I do believe that television can create social change. I think it can."

Since then, Beatriz has worked tirelessly to bring more representations of bisexuality to screen, and to correct the many misconceptions about it.

She actively tries to pick projects that will resonate with fans – and has massively succeeded, bringing to life beloved characters in the likes of Encanto, The Legend of Vox Machina, Hazbin Hotel, Twisted Metal, and more.

"I think [television] can start these conversations with each other," she says.

"It's hard to talk about some of this stuff, whatever challenges us human beings come up against. It can be really difficult to stare in another human being's eyes and talk about this really difficult stuff.

"It's much easier to sit side by side and watch something together and watch a story unfold and feel empathy and sympathy for these characters, and then have like a jumping off point to have these conversations with people that we love."

She adds: "Not all of us can afford to go to therapy. Not all of us can afford to go to the theatre. I couldn't when I was growing up. My touchstone for the world was television, and it taught me a lot."

Next up, Beatriz is returning to her role as Quiet in Twisted Metal season 2, which also asks some big – and very timely – questions of its audience.

"I think one of the big things that the scripts are doing is subtly poking you to [ask], 'How does the world function and are you sure that it's working in the way that is helpful to you as a human being?'

"'Are you sure that the people in power are supporting you and your family in the way that you want the world to exist? Are the people in power really giving you that? Or are they tap dancing and doing a lot of flash and flair?'"

Twisted Metal season 1 is available to watch in the UK on Paramount+. Season 2 is coming soon.

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