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'Abbott Elementary' actor 'stalked' her 'Freeridge' co-star ahead of Netflix show

“I was so protective of her before [we met]," Keyla Monterroso Mejia said about Bryana Salaz, who plays her character's younger sister in the On My Block spinoff

Netflix's On My Block spinoff show Freeridge is a unique mix of a coming-of-age story with a sinister curse, but a real highlight is the sibling rivalry between characters Gloria and Ines, played by Keyla Monterroso Mejia (Abbott Elementary, Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Bryana Salaz (Team Kaylie).

“I’m going to be completely honest, I stalked her on social media, podcasts that she had done, all her pictures,” Mejia told Yahoo Canada. “I was so protective of her before [we met].”

“Getting to know her, she's such a beautiful person inside and out. She's so talented in multiple ways. ... I think it really helps when you have someone that is very kind and very open to building the bond.”

While the relationship between their characters may be very heated throughout the series, Salaz also highlights how great it was to work with Mejia.

“I will say this literally until the day I die, working with Keyla was such an honour,” Salaz said. “I tell everybody, my team, I literally became a better actor because of her, from Episode 1 I felt inspired.”

“I was like, ‘oh, I need to step my game up.’ I took away so much. I learned so much and I just hope that I keep going on this journey with her.”

(L to R) Keyla Monterroso Mejia as Gloria, Bryana Salaz as Ines in Freeridge (Kevin Estrada/Netflix)
(L to R) Keyla Monterroso Mejia as Gloria, Bryana Salaz as Ines in Freeridge (Kevin Estrada/Netflix)

What is 'Freeridge' about?

Freeridge starts off with a massive brawl between Gloria and her younger sister Ines at their high school. These physical altercations are clearly a pattern for the pair, but as the story progresses, we can see it's all coming from a place of love.

Gloria is the unofficial leader of her group of friends, which includes her sister and Gloria's schoolmates Demi (Ciara Riley Wilson) and Cameron (Tenzing Norgay Trainor). Cameron starts off largely trying to figure out what to do about his clingy boyfriend Andre (Zaire Adams), but there's a bit of a romantic love triangle that develops with Demi as the season progresses.

“All the emotions that he goes through, like the roller coaster that Cam goes through this season, I think as an actor was really appealing,” Tenzing Norgay Trainor said.

“The bisexual representation plays a big part because I think there is a little bit of a lack of that in our industry, and I'm just so proud and feel so honoured that I get to be a part of representing that.”

(L to R) Ciara Riley Wilson as Demi, Tenzing Trainor as Cameron, Bryana Salaz as Ines, Keyla Monterroso Mejia as Gloria in Freeridge (Kevin Estrada/Netflix)
(L to R) Ciara Riley Wilson as Demi, Tenzing Trainor as Cameron, Bryana Salaz as Ines, Keyla Monterroso Mejia as Gloria in Freeridge (Kevin Estrada/Netflix)

This foursome ends up getting wrapped in a possible mysterious curse, which has a connection back to the plot of On My Block, reintroducing Peggy Blow's character, Marisol Martinez, to this version of the Freeridge community.

“Literally a legend, she is incredible,” Mejia said about working with Blow. “She is so giving as an actress and she's so smart and very specific.”

“I think especially for this character, she wants to make sure that there was a clear difference and even in the details. … I learned so much from her and it was just a wonderful experience.”

“We're both theatre geeks and would sing with each other on our breaks in the trailer and I love her, she's amazing,” Salaz added.

If Gloria wasn't stressed enough, this is all coming at her as her father Javier (Jean Paul San Pedro) is diagnosed with cancer, after the teens lost their mom to cancer a decade earlier.

While some of the moments in Freeridge can sound a bit cliché, showrunner Lauren Iungerich, along with co-creators Jamie Uyeshiro, Eddie Gonzalez, Jeremy Haft and Jamie Dooner, manage to swerve that roadblock on not all, but several occasions throughout the show.

The jokes come fast while the stakes are high, and Mejia's humour and physical comedy is impressive. Yes, there are a lot of teen-based shows out there, on Netflix and beyond, but much like the generally underrated On My Block, Freeridge deserves a spot on your watch list with an undeniable charm.