Allen Maldonado, Trey Tucker, and Robby Ramos Preview ‘Heels’ Season 2 [Interview]

Starz’ hit sports drama series Heels revolves heavily around drama, rivalries of every facet, and a familial aspect that includes its ensemble cast equally as much as it can.

I recently spoke with Allen Maldonado (Rooster Robbins), Trey Tucker (Bobby Pin), and Robby Ramos (Diego Cottonmouth) about the cast becoming a family, being promoted to series regulars, and what’s in store for their characters for Season 2.

Dealing with still figuring out where he wants his life to go after having his leg snapped, Tucker says Bobby will go through a stretch where he has to figure out how he fits in and how his relationship works with wrestling limited.

“I liked that exploration of ‘Who is a person when you take away their main thing?’ That was really fun to get into, and Kelli [Berglund] was always so great to work with. We have a great time and great chemistry on camera that was really fun to get into even deeper,” Tucker said.

After going through a series of difficult decisions in Season 1, moving from the DWL to Florida Wrestling Dytopia, Maldonado says he’s excited for the audience to see the personal life of Rooster, his family, and the nuances of why he fights so hard to be the champ.

“You kind of understood his importance and his desire to be a champion in Season 1, but in Season 2, you get an opportunity to really dive deep on what makes Rooster Rooster and why he has to be so demanding of his success because there are so many people counting on him outside of himself. So, to be able to explore that depth within Rooster has been exciting,” Maldonado said.

“At this point, in Season 2, Roosters taking control of his own destiny, and whether it’s with Dystopia or DWL, he’s going to be the champ. He’s going to find a way to be that. Roosters’ priority is Rooster.”

“He gets to express himself in such a colorful way and around the ring. It’s such an emotional roller coaster that you get to have with Rooster from his pain, joy, desires, and passion. That’s what I get excited for, and then sharing the screen with these incredible actors,” Maldonado continued.

Heels Season 1 Episode 8, “Double Turn,” ends with a shocking twist that leaves Crystal as the new DWL champion after fighting nearly all season to get the recognition she deserves, something Rooster can relate to.

“I think what Crystal represents is what Rooster is fighting for too. Things can get uncomfortable when certain people are champs. I embrace the idea of Crystal being a champ and also embrace the idea that nobody deserves to be a champ over Rooster, so it’s one of those things where I’m cheering for her as this unorthodox champion sitting at the top. Roosters are always eyeing the belt no matter who holds it,” Maldonado said.

Season 2 will also see Diego explore his identity, where he fits into the DWL, and deal with his dreams of being a pro wrestler through the eyes of Wild Bill (Chris Bauer), according to Ramos.

“Diego gets to be kind of the icebreaker at times but then gets a little serious at times too. To kind of play that duality is a great thing as an actor,” Ramos said.

The three give an enthusiastic shout-out to Mike O’Malley, Michael Waldron, and the entire writing staff when prompted to discuss the storytelling for Heels Season 2.

According to the trio, this season will allow the audience to step more into the behind-the-scenes action of what it takes to ensure the show goes on and what it takes to build these personas and leagues.

“Season 1, we got set up to understand the world of wrestling a little bit more behind the scenes with the curtain back a little bit. Now, I think you walk fully through the curtain, and you get to see what this thing does to the lives of the people who are in it. We get to go into a lot more nuance and detail about the effects of loving wrestling on each individual life and story, and that’s really fun distinctively,” Tucker said.

“You can see the lives of people once they read the dome, and how much this thing affects the goings on outside, and seeing that in detail and depth was important for all of us this time around. That was a fun part of it and especially a nice way to pay homage to the people who give their lives to this thing for entertainment, camaraderie, and for the people who love watching. That was a really nice thing to go further in that direction,” Tucker continued.

“As we evolve, the costumes are getting more elaborate, and the storylines are getting more elaborate and in-depth. So, just seeing that the evolution of our characters has been really, really fun,” Maldonado added.

Ramos said he likes the familial drama aspect of the series that entices an audience that wouldn’t normally gravitate to the series unless they were already fans of the sport.

“I think seeing the dark side too, right, like, the dark side of this wrestling thing and where some people end up. You know, not everyone becomes a superstar. So, to kind of see some of that side of the business has been interesting for me,” Ramos said.

Unlike Maldonado, who was a series regular in Season 1, Tucker and Ramos have been recurring characters up until this point. But that changes with Season 2, thanks to the two being officially upgraded to series regulars.

Ramos says similar to his character, he worked meticulously to pay his dues, doing theater for no money in New York and looking up to those he admires in the acting world.

“Getting that opportunity to be officially a series regular was amazing, man. Acting with all these giants, it really was it was like a masterclass in acting. It was beautiful,” Ramos said.

For Tucker, though, little changed due to the dynamic in play on set throughout Season 1.

“It’s nice to know that you get some room to explore, and the character is going to be really taken care of because it’s now included in this meaningful way. But to be honest, it didn’t feel wildly different than Season 1 because it was already so included. Professionally with everybody that was there, there was no sort of weird, clicky elements.”

“We were tight. It didn’t matter if you were a recurring part or a cast member. It didn’t really change like, ‘Oh, now he’s this,’ that wasn’t there because the respect and the love was there from the beginning. Now we just get an opportunity to play more and get excited about seeing these characters evolve and be given a little bit more space to learn. It was lovely,” Tucker continued.

Maldonado said it’s a three-month commitment before filming to portray Rooster, beginning his training before the real work began on set.

“It’s fun just getting up, getting ready, getting prepared, and flipping my mind to a more athlete sort of approach where it was six days a week training, 5 am wake-ups, two-a-days, eating clean, and then as we get closer to matches doing three-a-days. I’m a fitness junkie and a disciple of James Harrison as far as his workout and his crazy extreme approach to it all. I’ve adapted that, and that’s what you see when we see Rooster,” Maldonado said.

Due to filming during COVID and being limited on what activities they were allowed to partake in, the gym is where the cast was able to bond and become a real family, according to Tucker.

“It’s physically demanding, but, at least for me, it was one of my favorite parts of the job. You show up, go to the gym, get a good workout in, and you’re gonna see all these people that you love in there. It was the best part of the thing. And then, who grew up before the year 2000 that didn’t want to jump off the top rope and land on their brother or sister? That part of it was so fun. It’s demanding, but it’s so fun,” Tucker said.

Fans of Tucker might not be aware, but his background consists of fifteen years working as a coder before he found his way into acting.

“This is my favorite job I’ve ever had because of these guys here, everybody who works on the show, and this character is super fun to do because he’s so positive,” Tucker said. “I love getting to do that and be somebody who’s just excited to be there, supportive, and enthusiastic. It’s my favorite thing I’ve gotten to do.”

–

Heels premieres on July 28th at 10/9c on Starz. 

 Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!

The 20 Best Legal TV Dramas of All Time