On One Day at a Time, Isabella Gomez portrays Elena, a rarely giddy teenager who’s passionate about social justice issues. Her coming out storyline – inspired by 24-year-old ODAAT queer writer Michelle Badillo‘s own experiences – served as a major plot point that has resonated with viewers. Off screen, Gomez is the almost 19-year-old breakout star of the Netflix show centered on a Cuban-American family living in Echo Park, Los Angeles. And just like many of us who finally saw ourselves accurately reflected on a critically acclaimed series, Isabella hasn’t been able to contain her excitement since the show’s release on January 6.
Since the day the 13-episode first season dropped on Netflix, Gomez has been tweeting almost exclusively about ODAAT. But to be fair, she did warn us that once the show premiered her timeline would be kind of out of control. She also held an impromptu Q & A session to help us learn more about the actress behind Elena. Looking through her well updated Twitter, we realized that she also did an impressive job of documenting the making of the show. So thanks to Isabella, here’s what we learned about IRL Elena and the show.
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She's Colombian
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She didn't have a quinces
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On Elena's Spanish
@chavelua I’m just curious. Will Elena speak more Spanish on the show?
— Lauren Rodriguez (@ElenaAvalorFan) January 9, 2017
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On Elena's quinces
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On her Twitter handle
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On the dubbing of the show
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She and her Goth BF Carmen played with Rita Moreno's Oscar
Note: Though this tweet was fired off by the actress behind Goth Carmen, and Isabella RTed it.