Xochitl Gomez stars as Dawn in ‘The Baby-Sitters Club’ series on Netflix. HL spoke with Xochitl about how Dawn has inspired her, her hopes for season 2, and the importance of Latinx representation.
Xochitl Gomez plays the one and only Dawn Schafer in Netflix’s The Baby-Sitters Club reboot. Dawn is one of the members of the Baby-Sitters Club and an original character from the books. Dawn is very socially conscious and extremely supportive of her friends. For Xochitl, she was drawn to the character of Dawn right away.
“She’s very confident and I’m confident, so that’s probably one of the things that stood out the most,” Xochitl told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY. “She has a way of keeping people together, especially when things start to crumble. It’s like her natural instinct. I feel like she barely even knows she’s doing it.”
Dawn and Mary Anne in ‘The Baby-Sitters Club.’ (Netflix)
The actress admitted that she and Dawn are very much alike. However, they do have their differences. “She has a way bigger vocabulary than I’ve ever even tried to have. I really need to start looking into the dictionary [laughs]. She’s also more political than I am,” she continued.
Some of the things that Dawn likes have found their way into Xochitl’s life. “At the very beginning when Dawn gets introduced into the series, she has this green salad and green smoothie next to her. I have very much recently been into making my own smoothies and eating even healthier than I do, which has helped me a lot,” Xochitl revealed. “I am starting to eat these candies that have Stevia in. I would have never tried them before, but thanks to Dawn, I am. I’m inspired by her room, too. She has a bunch of plants in her room, and I actually have one of the pillows in her room. I picked it out randomly, and then it was in her room.”
Xochitl has also been inspired by her co-stars. She hopes to do more improv work in the future. “Probably my favorite scene wouldn’t be so much of an emotional scene as it was an improvised scene,” she revealed. “I’ve done so many improv classes at Second City. I’ve done them for a very, very long time now. The scene at the supermarket with Marc Evan Jackson and Jessica Eason. They’re professionals at improv. It’s insane. Just getting to watch them do their thing, I want the qualities that these people have. When I got to have any scenes with them, it was very much a playful scene, and I got to use the stuff I’ve been basically training for. It was awesome. I really hope I get to do more.”
Season 2 hasn’t been confirmed by Netflix as of yet, but fans and the stars are hoping for more episodes. Xochitl, a major fan of The Baby-Sitters Club books, has two books she would love to see be adapted for the show.
“There are these two books that Ann M. Martin wrote: Mary Anne and the Great Romance and Dawn’s Wicked Stepsister where the friendship between Mary Anne conflicts a little with the marriage of Dawn’s mom and Mary Anne’s dad,” Xochitl said. “But not only is it that, but it’s a double feature that Ann M. Martin wrote. So I feel like that’s very special in a way. That could be at the end of season 2. I would love to have those two books be a part of the show. Those are some of my favorite books.”
In the Netflix reboot, Dawn is Latina. In the books, she is described as having blonde hair and blue eyes. Xochitl feels honored to bring Dawn to life in a new way and make the show more inclusive.
Dawn and Claudia in ‘The Baby-Sitters Club.’ (Netflix)
“I feel like it’s so important that not only a Latina character is on the show, but also her family,” Xochitl told HollywoodLife. “Her family is represented on the show. I grew up hardly ever seeing anyone that looks like me. Maybe Alex Russo from and Wizards of Waverly Place, but that was like one of the only instances. It’s almost like our lives aren’t entertaining or interesting to people, which is completely not true at all. It’s awesome to play a character that isn’t like a maid or some bikini girl. It’s honestly so amazing to be in this show where a Latina is important, and she’s valued for her abilities and her friendship.”
As for her dream guest star? Xochitl wants Jennifer Love Hewitt on the show. “I’m a huge fan of her. I love her in Ghost Whisperer. I’ve watched almost all of it,” Xochitl said. The Baby-Sitters Club season 1 is currently streaming on Netflix.
Sourse: hollywoodlife.com
