The Latina leads of ABC’s "RJ Decker" OUT LOUD w/ Jaina Lee Ortiz & Bevin Bru

On this episode of Latinos Out Loud, ⁠@RachelLaLoca⁠ chats with Jaina Lee Ortiz and Bevin Bru; the two Latina leads of the new ABC show RJ Decker. Jaina plays Emilia “Emi” Ochoa and Bevin plays Detective Melody “Mel” Abreu, and they discuss their unique characters, and what they'd like us the viewers to take away from their performances, and interesting insight on the state of representation in Hollywood. ABOUT JAINA Jaina recently wrapped the Sony action feature “Archangel,” opposite Jim Caviezel, Garret Dillahunt and Shea Wigham. Her breakout role was Detective Annalise Villa in the hit Fox series ”Rosewood.” She was later hand-picked by Shonda Rhimes to lead the ABC drama series, “Station 19” for an impressive seven-season run. Additional television credits include the USA series “Shooter” and Amazon’s “The After.” Ortiz can most recently be seen in the independent feature, “The Long Game,” alongside Dennis Quaid and Jay Hernandez. It premiered at the SXSW Film Festival, where it received the Narrative Spotlight Audience Award. Cast and filmmakers were then invited by President Biden to screen the film at the White House in advance of its release. A proud Puerto Rican American from the Boogie Down Bronx, Ortiz devotes much of her time supporting the Latin community. She was asked personally by Chief Justice Sonia Sotomayor to voice her audiobook, “The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor.” ABOUT BEVIN Cuban American actress, writer and producer Bevin Bru continues to solidify her place as one of Hollywood’s rising talents. Best known for her breakout role as Angelique Martin in Season 2 of The CW’s hit series “Batwoman,” Bru is currently starring this season on ABC’s highly anticipated drama “R.J. Decker” as Detective Melody “Mel” Abreu. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Bru discovered her passion for acting at a young age. She later moved to New York City to study at AMDA before relocating to Los Angeles to pursue her career. ABOUT THE SHOW Written by Rob Doherty (“Elementary”) and starring Scott Speedman, RJ Decker is a former newspaper photographer and ex-con who starts over as a private investigator in the colorful-if-crime-filled world of South Florida. The series follows him tackling cases ranging from slightly odd to outright bizarre with the help of his journalist ex, her police detective wife and a shadowy woman from his past who could be his greatest ally … or his one-way ticket back to prison.Inspired by Carl Hiaasen’s novel “Double Whammy,” “RJ Decker” is produced by 20th Television. Rob Doherty serves as showrunner, writer and executive producer. Carl Hiaasen, Carl Beverly and Sarah Timberman are executive producers, Paul McGuigan directs and executive produces, and Scott Speedman is a producer. Release Date: March 3, 2026Network/Platform: ABC (Linear) and Hulu (Streaming)Showtime: 10:00 PM EST