Checking in with JOHN ORTIZ
The family that makes wine together stays together.
At least, that’s the rationale behind “Promised Land,” an ABC drama series that premieres Monday, Jan. 24. Stage veteran John Ortiz
– seen previously in such shows as “Luck” and “Togetherness” – plays the patriarch of a vineyard-operating clan in California’s Sonoma Valley that’s challenged for wealth and power by a rival dynasty, the leader of which is portrayed by “Scandal” alum Bellamy Young. Christina Ochoa (“Animal Kingdom”) and Cecilia Suarez also are members of the show’s largely Latinx regular cast.
“It definitely brings to mind some of those great family-driven dramas with lots at stake,” Ortiz says, “like ‘Dynasty’ or ‘Succession,’ or even one of my favorite movies of all time, ‘ The Godfather.’ It’s the push and pull and ins and outs of family/business life.”
The artistic director and co-founder of the LAByrinth Theater Company, Ortiz describes his “Promised Land” alter ego, Joe Sandoval, as “a passionate, hard-working man who has given his life to nothing but the earth and the vineyard and his family. He has poured his heart and soul and sweat into the land, and he is incredibly driven by the opportunity that this country has provided for him. And he intends to be successful at it, at all costs.”
The costs are raised considerably by Young’s character, “who also happens to be Joe’s exwife and the mother of three of his children,” as Ortiz explains. “He has a foundation that I think is pure, and if anything, the ‘cracks’ in him stem from his belief in right and wrong. And what some people might characterize as ‘stubborn’ can become a fault.”
Birthdate: May 23, 1968 Birthplace: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Current residence: Southern California Marital status: Married; has a son Other television credits include: “Messiah,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Mayans MC,” “The Guest Book,” “Togetherness,” “Rake,” “Luck,” “Medium,” “CSI: Miami,”
“Clubhouse,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Touched by an Angel,” “Lush Life,” “New York Undercover,” “Law & Order”
Movie credits include: “The Fallout,” “Ad Astra,” “Bumblebee,” “Replicas,” “Peppermint,” “The Cloverfield Paradox,” “Going in Style,” “Kong: Skull Island,” “A Dog’s Purpose,” “Steve Jobs,” “Blackhat,” “Fast & Furious 6,” “Fast & Furious,” “Jack Goes Boating,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” “Public Enemies,” “American Gangster,” “Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem,” “Miami Vice,” “Narc,” “Amistad,” “Ransom,” “Carlito’s Way”