Latina Leader Spotlight: Zair Montes of ‘The Flowers’ NOW on Amazon Prime
If you’re looking for your next Latina art binge look no further than The Flowers. This comedy brings the one-liners and cultura from creator and lead actress Zair Montes. It’s truly a must-see, learn more in our Q&A and be sure to watch now!
Q: What is your ethnicity, where have you lived, and where do you currently reside?
A: I’m Latina. I was born and raised in Venezuela. I lived in Colombia and Mexico for a while, and then in 2015 I moved to New York City, and lived there until I moved to Los Angeles less than two months ago. I’m now based in LA.
Q: Tell us about your creation: The Flowers on Amazon Prime!
A: “The Flowers” is a comedic TV series about a group of young, talented, and eccentric artists that attend the most important Art Fair on the continent to competitively win an exclusive contract with a famous NY art dealer. An anonymous flower bouquet mistakenly lands in the wrong hands, threatening the Art Fair and generating a series of hilarious misunderstandings that end up affecting every participant.
“The Flowers” was shot in paradisiac Playa del Carmen, Mexico and it portrays, in a hilarious way, how a series of misunderstandings can snowball,affecting our personal and professional relationships. The series premiered last weekend on Amazon Prime in the US, Canada, England and Latin America.
Q: What inspired you to create ‘The Flowers’?
One of my main goals in creating “The Flowers” was to highlight Latinx diversity in the US. I wanted to break through and challenge industry stereotypes by showcasing Latinos in English-speaking lead and principal roles, regardless of their appearance or the precision of their accents.
I also wanted to tell stories of Latino’s “making it” in the US, and portray them as educated, professional and successful Latinos. Finally, it was very important for me that the show promoted women. All the female characters are Latinas, and it was written by a Latina and produced by three Latinas.
Q: There’s a running joke on the series when offered tequila, it’s immediately corrected to MEZCAL. For those who aren’t familiar, let us in on why mezcal is supreme?
A: Hahaha! I’m not an expert in agave drinks but I know that Mezcal is purer and more artisanal than tequila. With the running joke, we wanted to somehow parody the fact that for many Americans, everything fits under one label, and we Latinos are all the time fighting against that. For Jim, tequila, mezcal, or pulque are all just tequila, and no matter how many times he is corrected, he still doesn’t get it. Jim just doesn’t care that much, whereas for Eddie and Lili it is a big deal.
Q: I loved the rooftop scenes, for the views of course - which scene was your favorite to shoot?
A: Certainly the funniest scenes were those in the exhibition room where we had all the actors together. Sometimes we just had to repeat over and over because we couldn’t stop laughing. I personally love the fight sequence in episode one. “The Flowers” began as a short play that we presented in New York two years ago, and only consisted of thescene when Jim and Eddie are preparing to receive Mr. Collins and the anonymous flowers bouquet arrives. So, I had the opportunity to do that scenefirst as a theater play. Seeing its evolution into a TV series was surreal. And last but not least, I agree with you, Playa del Carmen is just astonishing!
Q: What does it mean to you to be a Latina actress, writer, and producer?
A: It’s who I am. I’m a woman from Latin America, who is an actress, writer and producer in a white, male-oriented industry, and I’m very proud of that. It is an honor to represent Latinas. It is also a greatresponsibility because I live in the US, and must be authentic to myself while inspiring other Latinas, doing what I can to help break the stereotypes, prejudice, and racism around Latinos.
Q: Who is your Latina inspiration?
A: I’m very inspired by several Latina actresses obviously, but I really applaud every time a Latina in any industry opens up a new door and paves the way for those who come behind. I love the diversity it promotes. Seeing how America Ferrera was able to overcome the stigma around the perceived “mismatch” between her perfect English and her “Latina” look, and then seeing how Ana de Armasmade it in the industry as a blonde Latina born and raised in Cuba, are just two examples of how we are not just one thing, and don’t look the same. I want to portray that in my work, especially as a writer and producer, and open as many doors as I can for me and others.
Q: What piece of advice would you give to chicas who want to do what you do?
A: Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t! You are going to find naysayers all the time, and some of them might be people who love you and don’t want you to be hurt. Remember that any important thing you want to do in life is a journey with ups and downs, with successes and failures, and the only way to get there is starting now, even before you may feel ready, and being willing to do the work.
Q: How can people support / follow you?
A: Watch “The Flowers” on Amazon Prime. Every time a Latino-driven content is seen and becomes successful, we are breaking those stereotypes and opening the doors to more opportunities for Latinos in the US and the world. You can also follow me on my Instagram account @zairmontes and subscribe to gcflix.com, a free space we have created for Latino creators and filmmakers to display their pieces of work.
