On the Paramount+ original Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, there are two characters who stand out the most for us. One of them is Pedro aka “Potato” played by newcomer Alexis Sides. We love the way he embodies his outgoing and goofy character on the musical series. And while Potato is somewhat silly, a softer soul lives within.
“He’s a very fun character,” Alexis Sides tells us. “I really relate to him since he’s Mexican. It’s 1954 also, so he’s going through a lot of discrimination and separation and just getting ignored by most of society just by how he looks and where he comes from. I think that’s why he’s part of the T-Birds because the T-Birds were one of the only people who accepted who he was by his actual self.
“He likes cars, he’s a fun guy, he’s very energetic. Even though he kind of shows off a little bit of toughness, it’s because he’s part of the T-Birds. He feels that he needs to belong and that’s his way of belonging within the T-Birds, showing his toughness. But I think deep inside, he’s a very lovable, fun guy.”
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Playing the lovable and fun Potato has been an exciting journey for the first-time TV star, and because of his Latino and theater background, says that he’s a very expressive guy who likes to use his hands and facial expressions a lot. “Those are one of the things I struggled with once I started in TV and film,” Sides explains. “One of the things that they teach you is don’t go too big on your facial expressions or hands.
“You don’t want to distract the audience with your hand gestures and all that, and theater is not like that. In theater, you’ve got to go big for the person all the way in the back to hear and see you and see your emotions and everything. In theater, a lot of characters really need to show off our characters and it really helped me being that energetic and just enjoying the part.”
Because of the actor’s experience doing theater, one element he was able to carry on from that and into the Grease prequel series was a straight up confidence. “Obviously, I was nervous because it was my first big production and everything, but I was never afraid to go big,” he says. “I was never afraid to let myself loose. That’s one of the things that I really think helped me a lot — being able to not be afraid to be silly.
“That’s one of the things that a lot of people are afraid of, of them looking silly, because the character is silly or this or whatever reason. It’s not about that. It’s about playing the character in its truest form and it doesn’t matter how silly you look or anything. It’s also not only silly, there’s a lot of moments that we get from Potato, a lot of deep, emotional moments that allow me to explore my range as an actor.”
Being a part of Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies with such a diverse cast, many having the same Hispanic and Latino background, has been an amazing experience for Sides. The diverse cast and characters as well as the diverse topics covered on the series is what he says “ticks all of the boxes” in terms of what he wanted in a show.
“I came to Vancouver to break through in the acting world and start making a name for myself,” Sides says. “This is definitely not what I was expecting, but this is definitely what my dream would’ve looked like, being part of a show that is so inclusive in terms of everything — race, gender, and everything you can think of.
“I do come from a theater background, but I never took dancing or singing classes,” he continues. “Cabo San Lucas, where I grew up, is such a small place that there weren’t really a lot of opportunities for that. I had to adapt with what I had, and when I felt like I needed to learn more, that’s when I came to Vancouver. When I read the breakdown and I saw that there were a lot of Latinos and all these ethnicities and everything, I was just stoked to be part of it. Mind blown.”
For those still catching up on the first half of the season, he isn’t able to reveal much, but does leave us with this brief tease: “There’s a lot happening for sure,” Alexis Sides says. “There’s not much I can tease about, unfortunately. Let’s just say that for my character, he ends up keeping the cherry on the top. Let’s just put it that way.”
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies is streaming now only on Paramount+.
