‘Gentefied’ Star Carlos Santos Shares His Journey From ‘TRL’ to Netflix

Carlos Santos risked it all to be where he’s at. The actor plays Chris in Netflix’s acclaimed series Gentefied, whose second season premieres on Nov. 10. The dramedy provides a closer look at gentrification, deportation, and immigration while giving viewers an authentic and intimate look at what life is like for young Latinxs in the United States. The America Ferrera-produced series centers around the Morales cousins Chris, Erik, and Ana, as they struggle to save their family-owned taco spot in Boyle Heights, a Los Angeles neighborhood bogged down by incoming developers who are set on white-washing their community. The family has to fight off gentrification all while also trying to stop their grandfather’s deportation.

The bilingual comedy features up-and-coming Latinx stars like former Buzzfeed viral star Julissa Calderon, Animal Kingdom’s Joseph Julian Soria, and Santos, who used to be a host on MTV. Pop culture-obsessed Latinxs of a certain age might recognize the Puerto Rican actor as the host of the Spanish version of TRL, Mi TRL, which premiered in 2006. At that time, he was basically the Latin community’s Carson Daly. (I told Santos that I attended a few tapings of the show when I was in high school, and he called our Zoom reunion a “full circle moment.”)

A video of Santos interviewing Beyoncé on Mi TRL recently resurfaced on social media in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, since the singer jokingly said she sometimes pretends to be Dominican. To some people, interviewing artists like Beyoncé might have been the peak of their careers, but Santos had different goals. He left Puerto Rico with dreams of being a comedian but took on hosting and commercials gigs to make ends meet in the meantime. Landing Gentefied was the start of Santos’ work finally aligning with his plans. He’s now entering Season 2 of his first major TV role and is also fresh off the success of this year’s Vacation Friends, a Hulu original movie starring Lil Rel Howery, Yvonne Orji, and John Cena. On Gentefied, he plays Chris, a chef who returns to his family after living in Idaho and they now view him as a sell-out. He says Season 2 challenged him in new ways as an actor, but after years of waiting for this opportunity, he was ready for it. Complex caught up with Santos ahead of the show’s new season and he shared details of the sacrifices he made for his career, what it means to be part of the 4.5 percent of Latinos in television, and his ultimate dream of one day joining the Marvel universe.