Filming out of sequence is always a special kind of “fun.” Just the day before, we had shot one of the most intense scenes of the series—where "Julio" gets injured in a dramatic climax. And now, on the second-to-last day of production, we were filming one of the very first scenes of the show: a flirty, romantic, and sexually tense moment. I was working closely with the principal actors, focused on grounding them, helping them ease into the tone of the episode, and shaping specific actions to bring playfulness and energy to the scene. Luckily, after so many days of working together, the actors had built strong chemistry, which made it much easier to slip into the “mood.”

Directing a scene in the chaotic streets of Mexico, where the actress has to walk backward while talking on the phone and “accidentally” crash into the other actor—gotta love the controlled chaos!

This was the final day of shooting, but the scene actually takes place early in the story—where Sophia is on the phone, arguing with her dad, while dealing with Derek, her delightfully dicky ex-boyfriend. My goal here was to help take her performance to an even deeper, more grounded place.