‘Fantasy Island’: Roselyn Sánchez calls it ‘an honor’ to carry on show’s legacy
LOS ANGELES - Ready for a vacation? This August, FOX is taking viewers to "Fantasy Island" — a luxury resort where literally any fantasy requested by guests is fulfilled, although they rarely turn out as expected.
The series, which premieres Tuesday, is a reboot of two other "Fantasy Island" series. The original television series was created by Gene Levitt and aired from 1977 to 1984. Another one-season revival of the series aired 14 years later in 1998.
Actors Roselyn Sánchez and Eric Winter told FOX Television Stations they were aware of the original series before taking on their roles.
"It’s such an honor for me to be able to carry on the legacy of "Fantasy Island," Sanchez said. "Ricardo Montalban is such an important figure for Latinos."
WATCH: Both original "Fantasy Island" series are available to stream for free on Tubi
While the new "Fantasy Island" is similar to the original in terms of its premise, this time around, Sánchez plays a female lead in charge of running the island: Elena Rourke.
"I started to look at all the episodes because I wanted to get reacquainted again with the premise," Sánchez continued. "I loved it. I loved doing my research and to understand what Ricardo Montalban did with the role, and I wanted to of course continue his legacy but then try to make it more my own and bring my humor, so it was very useful to look at all the episodes."
In the reboot, Sánchez plays the grand-niece of Mr. Rourke from the original series, who set aside her own ambitions, and even the love of her life, to uphold her family’s legacy.
RELATED: August movie preview: ‘The Suicide Squad’ and ‘Candyman’ bring the summer movie season to a close
And while Elena may be the steward of the island, she doesn’t decide what the guest’s fantasy is. The island decides.
"Over time I think the audience, and even Elena, is going to uncover more and more about who she is and about the character and it’s been wonderful and delicious to play her," Sánchez continued.
Sánchez and Winter, who guest stars on the show, have been married over a decade and say they work well together while on set.
"She’s always very serious, and I’m a clown," Winter laughed. "But, it works well, and we end up having a great time every time we work together."
Sánchez called the experience incredible and a blessing.
"She crushed the role, and I’m very excited for her," Winter continued.
The modern drama series will delve into the "what if" questions — both big and small — that keep these characters up at night and will shine a light on the transformation they experience through the magical realism of "Fantasy Island."
You can watch the all-new version of the classic show Tuesday evenings at 9 ET/10 PT on FOX. "Fantasy Island" premieres August 10.
About Tubi: Tubi is available on Android and iOS mobile devices, Amazon Echo Show, Google Nest Hub, and on OTT devices such as Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, Vizio TVs, Sony TVs, Samsung TVs, Hisense TVs, Comcast X1, Cox Contour, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X | S. Consumers can also watch Tubi content on the web at http://www.tubi.tv/
With total view time surpassing 200 million hours of content streamed each month since April, Tubi has over 30,000 movies and television shows from over 250 content partners, including every major studio. The service gives fans of films and television programs an easy way to discover new content that is available completely free.
Tubi is owned by the FOX Corporation. This station is owned by FOX Corporation.
About the writer: Stephanie Weaver is a Los Angeles-based journalist. She is a host of the national streaming show, LiveNOW from FOX, and is a digital content creator for FOX TV. Find her on Facebook and Instagram at @StephWeaverTV.