Jimmy Smits: Alex Vega
“It’s great to be able to tackle a character that’s strong and complex,” says the West Wing and NYPD Blue alumnus. Smits finds Alex reminiscent of Tony Soprano and an edgier J.R. Ewing of Dallas, and is happy to be part of a large cast.

Rita Moreno: Amalia Duque
“What I love about this show is its enormous scope. It’s an epic saga, it has passion, and it’s sexy,” says Rita Moreno, referring not only to Cane’s muy caliente younger generation but the chemistry between herself and old friend Hector Elizondo.

Hector Elizondo: Pancho Duque
Veteran actor Hector Elizondo jumped at the chance to play the patriarch of the Duque clan for several reasons, among them the chance to be a part of “the first one-hour drama with a Latino cast—it’s groundbreak-ing,” he says. “And these are very wealthy people—you usually never see that [with Latinos].”

Eddie Matos: Henry Duque
“I’ve always looked up to Hector and Rita and when we do these scenes together, it’s a dream come true,” says Eddie Matos, who was admittedly intimidated by Jimmy Smits when they met, “but at the end of the meeting I got up and he gave me a hug and after that I was OK.”

Paola Turbay: Isabel Vega
“It was the best thing that could ever happened to me,” Paola Turbay says about playing opposite Jimmy Smits in her first major role outside Latin America.

Nestor Carbonell: Frank Duque
“You always look for a flaw in a character, and I’ve been given a gem,” Nestor Carbonell says of his “complex, Machiavellian role” as the revenge-motivated Duque son passed over in favor of his adopted brother.

Michael Trevino: Jaime Vega
“To be able to say I work with these people on a day to day basis is amazing,”

Cane
Primetime’s first Latin drama aims for sweet success

by Gerri Miller

Cane cast photo by Roberto D'Este courtesy of CBS Broadcasting Inc.

It reminds some of The Godfather, others of the Kennedys. But this fictional saga of a family that came to America, worked hard, and struck it rich in sugar and rum has a distinctly Latin flavor. Cane, CBS’s new drama, features a pan-Hispanic cast of established stars and newcomers playing a multi-generational family of Cuban-Americans in Palm Beach.

Originally conceived around a Mexican-American clan in the L.A. food business, that changed when Cuban-born Cynthia Cidre came aboard.

“My father was a sugar chemist and I know how rum is made because
of how I grew up,” explains Cidere, who has done four previous pilots for CBS. “Rum led to sugar. It’s a world I know.” Cidre added fraternal rivalry, rebellious kids, illness, treachery, revenge and murder to the
mix as well as topical issues involving Cuba and ethanol fuel.

Shot in L.A. with occasional location trips to Florida, Cane is capitalizing on the growing Latin population and influence of Latin culture, fashion, and music—complete with a Miami club where current chart-toppers play—to draw both Hispanic and non-Latin audiences.

“This is a successful family that happens to be Cuban,” emphasizes creator Cidre, pointing out the universal appeal of Cane’s themes and characters—and its talented, great-looking cast of actors. Several of
them offered their perspectives on the show....