Marc Cherry said he was aware that creating “Devious Maids” for American television would create some controversy, but he’s confident television viewers will enjoy the show and the depth of the Latina leading ladies.
“I always knew there would be controversy with the show, but I also knew that working with Eva Longoria, we were going to treat these characters like gold,” he told Access Hollywood at a premiere event for the show in Beverly Hills earlier this week.
The show created controversy long before its premiere when some bloggers criticized the project for having five female Latina characters stereotyped as maids. While Cherry said these characters may be maids, that is just one aspect of who they are.
“I think we’ve done five super positive portrayals of Latina women who are both devious and smart but have dreams of their own and are pursuing them with all the gusto in the world,” he said. “And I think people are gonna get a kick out of watching these characters on their journeys.”
Actress Roselyn Sanchez, who plays Carmen, a maid and aspiring singer in the series, said she’s found people who actually watched the show, despite their preconceived notions, had their minds swayed.
WATCH IT NOW: Lifetime’s ‘Devious Maids’ Los Angeles Premiere
“I know many people who haven’t seen it that have a preconception or were annoyed already because of the title and [when they see] the show and they go, ‘Oh my God. It’s very pleasant and very funny, and we enjoyed it,’” she told Access. “So I would like for people to give it a chance, first of all. And I appreciate that this is a first time that a network and a producer takes a chance at saying, ‘I’m gonna write something for Latinas, I don’t care what the profession is. They’re the leads.’
“And it’s about the stories,” the former “Without A Trace” star added. “Forget about we’re maids. We’re human beings and we’re incredible women and the stories are deserving. They’re beautiful stories.”
“Devious Maids” premieres on Sunday night at 10 PM on Lifetime.
— Jolie Lash
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