'Grand Hotel' star Justina Adorno's says Yoli is the most relatable character on Eva Longoria's series premiering on June 17
Soaked in luxury and pampered with all the spoils of the Grand Hotel may be a hard thing to relate to in the upcoming ABC drama the 'Grand Hotel,' but the character of Yoli, played by Justina Adorno, is perhaps one that you will be able to identify with.
"I know a lot of people are going to relate, that's for sure," Adorno tells MEA World Wide (MEAWW). She had initially auditioned for the role of Alicia Mendoza, the protagonist and the "perfect daughter" of the hotel tycoon Santiago Mendoza, but on reading the script for Yoli, she knew she wanted the role. Yoli is Alicia's stepsister.
Since she could not identify herself with Alicia, Adorno confesses that she "butchered" the audition and thought to herself that this was not the year "things were going to happen." The New York-born actress' silver lining came in the form of Yoli's character. When Adorno got Yoli's script she just wanted it to be hers. In an exclusive interview with MEAWW Adorno shares "I read the script (for Alicia) and I was like I don't know about this girl...then I got the sides for Yoli and I was like 'they better cast me'."
Why? Adorno answers, "Just because she is so relatable." What Adorno likes the most about Yoli is that she "keeps it real and she's kind of like an underdog."
However, while auditioning Adorno met other girls whose energy levels were so different from what she understood of Yoli's character. "I was like I must have misread this character. But then I took the audition, I got a call back the next week and then the next day I got a test and the next day I got a call that I got the role and the next day I went to Miami," she explains.
When it comes to the family dynamics in the show, Yoli does not have the "evil" relationship she shares with Alicia. That may be the only line of difference. Adorno's sister is 11 years younger so there was no such sibling rivalry. "I have never really been a competitive person which is why I understood Yoli even more because I've been treated that way but never really done it back."
Adorno's and Yoli's philosophy are simple: "Whatever is meant for me is meant for me, and if it's not I am not going to fight you for it."
Grand Hotel airs on ABC on June 17.