EIZA GONZÁLEZ Was Argentina’s Hannah Montana

Summary

Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers: EIZA GONZÁLEZ Was Argentina’s Hannah Montana
Release Date: March 25, 2025

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Introduction to the Episode

In this engaging episode of Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers, hosts Seth and Josh Meyers welcome actress Eiza González, delving into her childhood experiences, extensive travel history, and her journey from being a child star to her current role in the horror film Ash.

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Early Morning Preparations for a Family Trip

The episode opens with Seth and Josh discussing the meticulous preparations required for a family trip, highlighting the challenges of traveling with young children. Seth humorously compares the packing process to "the Alamo," emphasizing the resilience needed to manage flight logistics and keep the kids entertained.

Notable Quote:
Seth: “It’s a little bit like the Alamo. Like they didn’t. They tried to hold the Alamo. … every flight, Alexi is like the last guy trying to hold the Alamo.” [00:33]

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Eiza González’s Background and Career Beginnings

Eiza González shares her multicultural upbringing, revealing that she was born in Mexico City but spent significant time in Sonora, Mexico. Her early immersion in the entertainment industry began at age 11, balancing her education with music touring. Eiza recounts her experience working on children's TV shows and soap operas, often recording albums in tight spaces like closets.

Notable Quote:
Eiza: “I recorded … I did Nickelodeon in Latin America, I did soap operas.” [14:05]

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Navigating Family Dynamics and Personal Growth

Eiza discusses her relationship with her older brother, who is 12 years her senior. Their relationship evolved from sibling rivalry to mutual support, especially after the loss of their father. She also pays homage to her mother, describing her as a "monster" in the most affectionate sense— a powerhouse juggling multiple careers and raising Eiza and her brother single-handedly.

Notable Quote:
Eiza: “She is one of the kindest human beings you'll ever meet. She's genuinely my mom and I are monsters.” [22:08]

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Challenges of Growing Up in the Spotlight

Eiza reflects on the difficulties of her early career, balancing work with limited opportunities for genuine family vacations. She shares anecdotes about traveling constantly for work, leading to a complex relationship with travel that was more about work than leisure.

Notable Quote:
Eiza: “I felt very depleted … I hadn’t seen the sun in months because I would go in crack a dawn to set.” [29:09]

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Breaking Free and Launching Her Acting Career

A pivotal moment in Eiza’s life was a tumultuous breakup that inadvertently propelled her acting career. After her ex-boyfriend released an unauthorized sex tape during the COVID pandemic, Eiza retreated to Los Angeles. Her determined mother encouraged her to audition for roles, leading to her break into the industry through unexpected connections, ultimately landing roles that kickstarted her success.

Notable Quote:
Eiza: “It all stemmed from the sex tape and the trip that I ran.” [55:02]

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Experiences on Set and International Filming

Eiza details her extensive travel for filming Ash, which took her to stunning locations like New Zealand, Bora Bora, and various cities across Europe and Asia. She highlights the surreal beauty of these places and the demanding schedule that often left her isolated from enjoying the trips authentically.

Notable Quote:
Eiza: “It was incredible … planet Earth really is surreal to me.” [46:48]

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Cultural Insights and Personal Preferences

Eiza shares her deep appreciation for Argentina, recounting her time living in Buenos Aires. She praises the country's diverse landscapes and vibrant nightlife, despite developing a vegetarian streak due to the overwhelming meat-centric cuisine.

Notable Quote:
Eiza: “Buenos Aires is one of the cities with most life I've ever seen … I actually kind of became vegetarian there.” [58:51]

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Speed Round: Quickfire Personal Questions

In a lighthearted speed round, Eiza answers rapid-fire questions revealing her adventurous spirit, favorite transportation method, ideal vacation preferences, and more. Her answers paint a picture of a dynamic individual who values both adventure and meaningful family connections.

Notable Highlights:

• Ideal Vacation: Adventurous
• Favorite Transportation: Boat
• Stranded on a Desert Island With: Her mother
• Dream Vacation Companion: The Kardashians
• Hometown Recommendation: Mexico City

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Closing Thoughts and Upcoming Projects

As the episode wraps up, Eiza expresses excitement for her current project, Ash, inviting listeners to catch the film in theaters. The Meyers Brothers thank her for sharing her inspiring story, highlighting the blend of humor and heartfelt moments that define their conversations.

Notable Quote:
Seth: “Ash, by the time you're listening to this is in theaters. Check it out.” [61:18]

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Conclusion

This episode of Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers offers a deep dive into Eiza González’s life, balancing her professional achievements with personal anecdotes. Her candid reflections on family, resilience, and the complexities of growing up in the limelight provide listeners with both inspiration and relatable humor.

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Sponsors Mentioned:

• Nissan Armada Pro 4X
• Delete Me
• Maker's Mark
• Helix Sleep

Note: Advertisements, sponsors, and unrelated segments have been omitted to focus on the core content of the episode.

Transcript

[Sufi]

This episode of Family Trips is brought to you by the all new 2025 Nissan Armada. Because going big never goes out of style. Learn [e-mail] Here we go. Hey, Bashi.

[Bashi]

Hey, Sufi.

[Sufi]

You know what we have tomorrow morning?

[Bashi]

What's that?

[Sufi]

We have an early wake up for a family trip. Oh, yeah?

[Bashi]

Like how early?

[Sufi]

I think we have to be up probably by five.

[Bashi]

Okay.

[Sufi]

Yeah, five. I think we have a 7:00am flight.

[Bashi]

So Axel will be up at three and ready to go.

[Sufi]

Yeah, I mean, they are ready to go. And you know, this is, I mean, absolute top of her game. Alexi packing for our family suitcases have been out open for four days. Slowly building as we go. For example, you can't get too ahead of it because Addie has a pair of cupcake. She says cup cape. So that's why I double clutched. I know how to say it. Cupcake socks that she wears to bed now. But also we know we have to bring them. So you can't pack the cupcapes early. So just very Russell Crowe and it's a Beautiful Mind chalkboard math in her head at all times. Right. And, you know, make sandwiches for the plane, A million activities for the plane.

[Bashi]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

All of which will be done before we even taxi. And then there'll be like 45 minutes of her trying. It's a little bit like the Alamo. Like they didn't. They'd like, you know, they tried to hold the Alamo. Right. And they didn't. Yeah. But like every, like I feel like every flight, Alexi is like the last guy trying to hold the Alamo. Huh. To not let the kids watch the movies.

[Bashi]

Yeah. On the back of their screen so hard.

[Sufi]

And I'm just let go.

[Bashi]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

Just let it go. You're. There's no mom like you. You're incredible. Give yourself a break. Let them watch something on screen.

[Bashi]

And you can also. Yeah. With a plane. I feel like because everyone has their own screen, you can say this is a unique circumstance in which you have your own screen. Like it is. We can't take it away from you. We can turn it off, but like, that seems weird. It's a hard argument to win. Like, you just press that button and it's on. So what the dilly.

[Sufi]

And it's very hard to tell kids they can't watch when everybody else on the plane is watching.

[Bashi]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

So I really hope she allows herself the freedom to enjoy the flight once we get them in the air.

[Bashi]

Is ash at a point where I feel like your kids aren't watching live action movies, are they?

[Sufi]

No. Star Wars. So that's live action movie. They're really into that now.

[Bashi]

Yeah, yeah.

[Sufi]

Star Wars. That's what Star Wars. Ash says Star wars, and it's driving me crazy. But he also. He also. We laugh, so he knows he's saying it wrong and he can't say it right. He's like, star or what? Is it really good?

[Bashi]

Yeah, just have a cupcake and watch some Star Wars.

[Sufi]

Star Wars.

[Bashi]

Do. Do you think that the kids will want to watch the same thing or will they all watch different things?

[Sufi]

Oh, all watch different. Yeah.

[Bashi]

Okay.

[Sufi]

I mean, I'm just praying there's Peppa Pig for Addy.

[Bashi]

Yeah. There's going to be something that Addie's going to like or maybe Alexi's going to hold firm and she's going to the Alamo. Will.

[Sufi]

Yeah, she'll be. Yeah, she'll be the one person who survives the Alamo. Yeah. But I'm looking forward to it. We haven't been anywhere with sunshine, basically since the summer. We have. We've had a very long, cold summer, so I am looking forward to a week in Indianapolis.

[Bashi]

Yeah, you've had a long, cold winter. You haven't had a long, cold summer.

[Sufi]

Oh, I'll call winter.

[Bashi]

Yeah, that's great. I'm excited for you guys.

[Sufi]

I feel like I. You didn't hear my really good joke about where we're going.

[Bashi]

Well, because you said. Because you said the wrong.

[Sufi]

Now we have to edit it all out or leave it all in.

[Bashi]

See how try your joke again.

[Sufi]

Yes. It's been a long. It's been a long, cold winter, so I'm really looking forward to getting some sunshine in Indianapolis.

[Bashi]

Oh, yeah, I missed it. Yeah, I missed it.

[Sufi]

I wouldn't say this is a great intro, but it is a reminder that if you. The next time you hear a great intro, know that it doesn't come easy. Like, they take work, you know.

[Bashi]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Bashi]

Well, I mean, in my defense, you.

[Isa Gonzalez]

You.

[Bashi]

You sort of stumbled over the delivery by. I agree.

[Sufi]

I'm owning it.

[Bashi]

Okay. Okay.

[Sufi]

Yeah. Yeah. No, I'm. Look, it went bad.

[Bashi]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

But I'll let you know how our trip goes. I'm very, very excited, and it's great because it's just. It's so rare for it to be just me and Alexi and the three kids, which is why it's a shame that both are siblings and one of their husbands and one of their kids is also coming.

[Bashi]

And you're all in one room. You Guys got one big room.

[Sufi]

Yeah, we have one big room, and it's gonna be very fun. It's called. It's a little House on the Prairie experience where we're gonna head to toe it like Wonka, huh?

[Bashi]

Right.

[Sufi]

Can't wait.

[Bashi]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

All right, this is. I. I was delayed talking to Isa, and I hope it's a delay to listen to the conversation. Yeah, well, she's in a new movie called Ash. We established. I thought it was Ash, but it's Ash.

[Bashi]

Yeah, I think it's Ash. Yeah.

[Sufi]

Are you. I feel like this is a movie you're gonna go see with Jill.

[Bashi]

I think that's the high likelihood of that upon watching the trailer, which throughout this episode, you say, I won't watch the trailer. But if we have a guest on this.

[Sufi]

Good to establish. Good to establish the trailers. All right.

[Bashi]

Yeah. Looks good. Looks fun. In theaters now. So check out Ash. And before that, check out this episode. Family Trips with the Mice Brothers.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Family Chips with the m.

[Sufi]

Hello. Hello.

[Bashi]

How are you?

[Isa Gonzalez]

I'm great. How are you?

[Sufi]

Good. Thank you so much for joining us.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Oh, my God, I'm so happy to join you, too. This is incredible.

[Sufi]

I am going to just start by saying that I watched the trailer for Ash, and it looks fantastic. But here's the thing. Josh is the biggest horror fan in the family by far.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Oh, really?

[Sufi]

Also, Josh refuses to watch a trailer before he sees a movie.

[Isa Gonzalez]

I'm the same, really. I don't like. I don't like to watch trailers. No.

[Sufi]

Okay, so you don't like. That's fine to say you don't like, but if you were in a theater, would you cover your eyes and ears during a trailer? Cause that's what my brother does.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Oh, interesting. I don't go to watch trailers. I don't. I get there later. I don't like it.

[Bashi]

Like, every movie's like a premiere for you that you're in and someone has saved you a seat, and you come.

[Isa Gonzalez]

In very last minute, the last minute, and the credits are starting.

[Sufi]

And then at the end, even if you're not in the movie, you do ask for someone to go up and introduce you.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Yeah, it's mandatory. You have to clap. No, I'm with you with that. I don't like it. I feel like trailers, by the way, I don't know if you've rewatched recently. Like, old trailers. They're insane. Like old trailers or the narration. It was like the whole thing that used to happen back in the day with trailers was incredible. But I just Feel like they give away movies so much in this day and age. And I actually kind of love. I really do like the Ash trailer because it truly doesn't give away anything. And that's because the director was so crazy about the trailer. He was just like, you can't. Because this movie, once you start it, I mean, I don't want to spoil it, but you can't even doing the press tour has been very complicated because we can't talk about it because from minute five there's spoiler, spoiler, spoiler, spoiler. So it's a really tough movie to market, actually. I was curious how they were going to do it because you really can't put anything on the trailer or else you give away the movie.

[Bashi]

Yeah, I will say I know how to market it. I would say space horror.

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Survival movie.

[Sufi]

Survival.

[Isa Gonzalez]

More of a survival movie. Yeah.

[Sufi]

One of my favorite tropes in movies is something went wrong on the spaceship. I really like. I just. Because I like. I like sort of the self contained small spaces. I think so much happens in movies where they go astray when they get bigger than the idea they're trying to do. And so when something goes wrong in a spaceship, I feel really, I feel in good hands. I just like. I mean, I'm happy not to be the one trapped on the spaceship, but I enjoy watching it.

[Isa Gonzalez]

I do. I like contained movies as well. Contained movies to me, you know, really, it really exercises the human experience. And I think that the human experience is what people find they don't realize it's like the doormat real experience that people are into, which is what survival is. And I think that people really connect with that. Just the idea of what you would do. I mean, that's why Naked and Afraid is so famous and people watch it so much. Like people love survival stuff. But I really enjoyed this one specifically because of that. Because I never had. I've been in movies, I mean, I've done a little bit of everything, but I'd never done a movie that was this contained and also really required a lot of it really falls into the performance. It really allows you as an actor to kind of go for it and try new things. And when the storyline isn't technically necessarily linear or you're sort of, you know, you're not really. This is not an interstellar type of sci fi. This is, if I had my way to describe Ash is without giving away anything is like the substance meets Fight club meets Alien.

[Sufi]

Oh, it's great. So it's like I never thought Those three would meet. This is so funny. There you go. Finally.

[Isa Gonzalez]

This is kind of it. I will say I'm curious if you will feel that way when you watch it.

[Sufi]

To get back to. I will say, getting back to the theme of the podcast, watching. Anytime I see a movie that takes place in space, I think to myself, when it's possible to take family trips to space, which is probably in the near future, I will not do that. I'm never going to space. I wish everybody the best. Enjoy.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Josh is going on his own. Are you going, Josh?

[Sufi]

Would you guys stay?

[Bashi]

Yeah, I'm going. I will say my wife would not want to go, so it wouldn't really be a family trip. I would go on my own or, like, I would never go to space with another guy. I'd love to go to space.

[Isa Gonzalez]

I would never. You know, they're doing all these trips to space lately, and I saw someone recently that is going on that trip, and I was like, I don't want you to do that. I really don't. Like, I'm worried. I don't want you. And she was like, I'm gonna do it. I was like, okay.

[Bashi]

Are you also worried that she'll come back and it's all she's gonna talk about?

[Sufi]

That's why I don't want my friends.

[Isa Gonzalez]

To go to space. Yeah. Cause then you have fomo, you have space fomo, and now you, like, you feel forced to kind of go to space. Yeah, I.

[Sufi]

It's bad enough when, like, you have, like, brunch with someone who just came back from living abroad. I can only imagine when people are like, you know, this isn't what orange juice tastes like in space.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Or they went, like, a trip in the summer to, like, France.

[Sufi]

The Provence.

[Isa Gonzalez]

France, Provence. And they're like, oh, in Provence, we don't drink. We just drink crispy wine. And you're like, oh, God, you clearly just had a summer.

[Sufi]

And then you, like, you just go to a restaurant and your friend's like, do you guys have Tang?

[Isa Gonzalez]

Yeah. I'm like, I'll do tap in with a pouch.

[Bashi]

Do you have Tang in a pouch?

[Sufi]

Do you have Tang?

[Bashi]

You have a pouch of Tang with a straw. You can't just drink it in zero gravity.

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Bashi]

It would go everywhere.

[Isa Gonzalez]

That's the other thing that you just nailed. I'm a foodie. I just can't with space food.

[Sufi]

You're gonna wait until they have, like, what is it? I guess it would be Earth to table. What would it go with that? Really? Yeah.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Like, Space to table.

[Sufi]

Space to table.

[Bashi]

Moon cows.

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Is it like space caviar? Where are they sourcing this caviar for?

[Bashi]

Yeah, exactly.

[Sufi]

So, ez, you grew up in Mexico? In Sonora, Mexico.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Well, actually, funny that I know that Wikipedia says that about me. I did not grow up in Sonora. Sonora. My mom. My mom. Yeah, Wikipedia. By the way, I was like, if Wikipedia is lying about where I live, why can't it lie about my age? Like, I don't understand.

[Sufi]

Oh, so they're nailing your age?

[Isa Gonzalez]

They're nailing it. They're like by the minute, but somehow no clue where I was born. I was born in Mexico City, but my family's from Sonora.

[Sufi]

Okay, cool.

[Isa Gonzalez]

And my family's from the border. I'm a border kid. Basically. I was raised in, in Sonora with my family and I would visit, but I. Yeah, I'm a Mexico City girl.

[Sufi]

So how much of your childhood was spent in Mexico City?

[Isa Gonzalez]

Well, how much of a childhood did I have? I think that's the question.

[Sufi]

Yeah, let's get right into that.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Yeah, I didn't have a lot of like childhood time. My childhood kind of ended pretty soon. Cause I started working when I was 12. So from there on I was traveling constantly. I lived after. So I lived from 0 to basically 15, 16 in Mexico City. But I was touring from 11 of 16, like constantly. And then I moved into the tour.

[Sufi]

That was music touring.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Music touring, Yes. I used to sing Once Upon a Time. It feels like a distant, distant dystopian time.

[Sufi]

But you were professionally singing from 11 to 16?

[Isa Gonzalez]

Yeah, I recorded. Man, I lost. I'm like, you know, the outcome of child, children's TV shows and whatnot. So there was a moment of my life that I was like recording. I was doing this sort of different types. I did Nickelodeon in Latin America, I did soap operas. And there was a moment in my career that I'd be in between takes and I would record an album in a closet. I'd be in a closet in between takes. And it was just like you're part of a well oiled machine. So I probably put out like six albums. I can't even remember.

[Sufi]

Wow.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Five, six.

[Sufi]

It was like, I like that part of the well oiled machine is getting a 12 year old in a closet.

[Bashi]

To record a song.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Exploitation, child labor. You can't believe old machine is child labor in Mexico.

[Sufi]

Really the only thing that can throw a wrench in it is child labor laws. Ultimately the machine is running pretty well.

[Isa Gonzalez]

As long as it's ultimately in Mexico. They don't have any of those. So we're here and I'm the outcome.

[Sufi]

Hey, we're going to take a quick break and hear from some of our sponsors. This episode of Family Trips is brought to you by Nissan.

[Bashi]

Hey, Sufi.

[Sufi]

Yeah, Pashi?

[Bashi]

What's that thing I always say about going big and it never going out of style?

[Sufi]

Oh, I remember. Going big never goes out of style.

[Bashi]

Yeah, that's it. And that's why we at Family Trips love partnering with Nissan, because they know that going big never goes out of style, especially when it comes to the 2025 Nissan lineup and the Nissan vehicle.

[Sufi]

We want to give a huge shout out to today, the all new Nissan Armada Pro 4X.

[Bashi]

Sufi, what's the thing I always say about the all new Nissan Armada Pro 4X?

[Sufi]

Paschi, you always, always say that no terrain is too tough for the all new Nissan Armada Pro 4X. It's the most capable Armada ever built.

[Bashi]

Yeah, that's right.

[Sufi]

It's like your catchphrase.

[Bashi]

Yeah, I'm known for saying that. And how could I not? With a new powerful engine, incredible towing capacity, and adventure ready technology, this is the first Armada to earn the Pro 4X badge.

[Sufi]

It's built for the most rugged of terrain, thanks to the fact that it's powered by a twin turbo V6 engine, which means it's ready to give you the freedom to explore further and to propel your adventures to new heights.

[Bashi]

And my favorite part, the Armada's premium interior seats up to eight passengers. That means we can bring our six best friends with us on our next adventure. Let's name them right now.

[Sufi]

And we're out of time. So thanks again to Nissan for sponsoring this episode of Family Trips. Explore further with the Nissan Armada Pro 4X. Learn more at nissanusa.com Intelligent Four Wheel Drive cannot prevent collisions or provide enhanced traction in all conditions. Always monitor traffic and weather conditions. The support comes from Delete me. Hi, Pashi.

[Bashi]

Hi, Sufi.

[Sufi]

You know, we've been talking with mom and dad. Sometimes when dad is listening to the podcast and he hears a sponsor we've had on before, he wants to skip because he thinks it's the same ad. So I'm just doing this preamble to let dad know that it's going to be a different read every time.

[Bashi]

Yeah, there's gonna be some similarities, but certainly some variation.

[Sufi]

Right. We're gonna talk about what's great about Deleteme. Again, like, we're not gonna change that because delete me. Every time we discuss them, they're always A company that makes it easy, quick, and safe to remove your personal data online at a time when surveillance and data breaches are common enough to make everyone vulnerable.

[Bashi]

Yeah. Also I'm looking at you, dad. Whose devices are vulnerable?

[Sufi]

Oh, my God. The vulnerability of dads. Although you know what's not vulnerable?

[Bashi]

What's that?

[Sufi]

Dad's guesses. Dad does his work in a notebook for the New York Times spelling bee. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. If somebody ever finds that ledger, they're gonna be like, it must be code. And someone's gonna be like, I think it might just be guesses for the spelling bee. Anyway, vulnerable devices. Take it away, Josh.

[Bashi]

Well, you know, Delete Me knows that your privacy is worth protecting. So sign up and provide Deleteme with exactly what information you want deleted. And their experts will take it from there. They will send you regular personalized privacy reports showing what they found, where they found it, and what they removed.

[Sufi]

And I would not want dad to be a victim of identity theft.

[Bashi]

No. Imagine if we walked up to some man and we're like, hi, dad. Because we didn't know who our dad was anymore.

[Sufi]

Yeah. Because again, if somebody steals your identity, dad. That's the guy we're going with. Take control of your data and keep your private life private by signing up for Delete Me now at a special discount for our listeners. Get 20% off your delete me plan. When you go to JoinDeleteMe.com trips and use promo code trips at checkout. The only way to get 20% off is to go to JoinDeleteMe.com Trips and enter code trips at checkout. That's JoinDeleteMe.com trips code trips. And I only have to say it seven more times. That is. So let's step back to zero to 12. Like you. I know. Is it. I mean, I'm gonna go off Wikipedia here, so hopefully we know now that they're about. It's a coin flip on what they gave. Oh, yeah.

[Isa Gonzalez]

You never know.

[Bashi]

You gotta give them the $3. When they ask for $3, you gotta give it to them.

[Sufi]

You gotta pay them, because otherwise it's just gonna make up where somebody's from.

[Isa Gonzalez]

I would pay the $3 to change my profile photo, too.

[Sufi]

Oh, really?

[Isa Gonzalez]

It's like, they always put a photo, like. And you're like, really? From all the photos.

[Sufi]

You're like, where? Yeah. Cause I feel like you probably take some pretty good pictures, and I'm gonna. You know what we're gonna write. Josh and I are gonna make it clear to Wikipedia? Yeah. Like the $3 is on hold until.

[Isa Gonzalez]

We'Ll do a petition, like a signed petition of better photos for Aza Gonzalez.

[Sufi]

Where? And so from 0 to 12, you have one sibling that's a good deal older.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Yeah, he's almost 13 years older than me. Yes.

[Sufi]

Wow. So what sort of relationship do you have with a sibling who's that much older?

[Isa Gonzalez]

It's interesting. It has evolved throughout history, like throughout time. At the beginning, you know, it started with he didn't go see me be born, I guess. And he said, well, she's gonna be around forever. I don't need to be there on that day.

[Sufi]

Not a bad argument.

[Bashi]

It sounds like a 12 or 13 year old's approach to something.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Yeah. He was like, it's my best friend's birthday.

[Sufi]

Yeah, sure.

[Isa Gonzalez]

My best friend's only gonna turn. Turned 12 once, so she's gonna be around. So that's how it started. Then it became 12 to 23 or whatever. Well, that's not right. That's not right. Math. 12 to like 25, 26. Cause it's like we're 12, 13 years apart. It's in the middle. And he couldn't stand me. I was just the most obnoxious. My brother went to a military school and I just wanted to wrestle. Cause I grew up with boys, right? I grew up with military boys. So I was like that kid who wanted to wrestle and bite. I was like that angsty kid that wanted to bite all the time. And he hated me. And then 25 to 30, his friends want to date me. Now the boys that I was biting are trying to date me. And now he's like protective brother.

[Sufi]

It is a very alluring form of flirting.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Yeah, it's like. Yeah, the biting, it clearly works, by the way, just FYI, it really was like the success rate was pretty high. And then it turns 30, you know, 32 to his mid-40s. And you know, it was very sweet. We're together right now as a family because we're going through some family stuff. And he came to my house, I just moved and I got a new house. And he walked in and he got really emotional and cried. And he was like, I'm just so proud of you. So the relationship has morphed throughout the years because that gap is so big. But it's been magnificent because I lost my father pretty young and he's sort of the man of the house. And he is one of the kindest human beings you'll ever meet. He's genuinely my mom and I are monsters. And she is, you know, we are like dynamic, independent, self made women. And my brother's like the kind sweet teddy bear who's like in the oil industry. Like, he doesn't understand anything. And so it's very refreshing to be around him because he's like just a very pure soul. And I sometimes hang out with him and he's older than me and I'm like, wow, you are really earnest. Like you're naive still. Like in a beautiful way. Like you're not jaded. Like, sometimes I look at him and I'll be like, what are you talking about? And he's like, so. But he's so sweet. And it just reminds me of like. Yeah. Maintaining my spirit. Sort of fragile and like soft and tender. And he's really soft and tender.

[Sufi]

I'd love to loop back on the fact that you and your mom are monsters. So.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Sure.

[Sufi]

How does your mom's. Because I'm assuming you're incredibly close with your mom. I'm gonna go out on a little incredibly close. So what's a good example of her having a monstrous behavior that is also deserving of affection?

[Isa Gonzalez]

My mother. You know, my mother is. Wow. Like, I could speak for the hour about my mother, but my mother's a very impressive woman. Like, my mother's one out of eight, well, almost nine, because they sort of took someone in and brothers and sisters from a very, very, very humble, humble home. They all lived in a house of three bedrooms and no money, nothing, no sources. And she's from a really small town. And when she. She wanted to be an orthodontist. And in her town in Sonora, there was no university that had that. And so she applied for one of the best universities in Mexico and she got a scholarship and she basically has a master's degree. Like, she is really well prepared and she's so sweet. She got pregnant at really young and had my brother really, really young and had to pull double shifts. When she was young, she was a single mother and raised my brother and go to medical school simultaneously. And then my mom is very beautiful till the day. She's spectacularly beautiful. More on the inside than the outside. And she had a friend that was like a model on the side and she was like, I think you really should fill in for me for this job. I can't go. And so she did. And then ever since, she never stopped working. And so you're a 21 year old with a. And you're making more money as a model than you are as an orthodontist. Which is shocking. And so she sort of retired from medical school. But my mom ever since has morphed into millions of different women. She went from being a full on medical student to a supermodel, to then getting pregnant with me and wanting to dedicate more to her family and a business. So she opened a ginormous model agency. She had the biggest model agency in Latin America for many years. And then I became an actress at a really young age. So then I needed to have someone to take care of me. So then she closed her model agency to manage me and she became a manager. And then in the midst of that, she was like, I want to be a therapist. So she went like in her 40s to study psychology and she then graduated to become a therapist. And so she's just like, if that doesn't engulf, she is just like an ever.

[Sufi]

She does, I will say she does sound like a monster.

[Bashi]

Total monster.

[Isa Gonzalez]

She's a monster. And I said she is. And she's the most stubborn woman ever. But she's mostly right. And so she's most of the time right. And I hate to admit it, but she's, you know, a dynamic woman for sure.

[Sufi]

It seems like based on her many careers, is it safe to assume that you had some pretty interesting travel as a kid?

[Isa Gonzalez]

I did. I really did. And then add to that that like from 13 on I'm touring and I'm already working. And I've. My mom who used to joke that for my birthday she was gonna give me a bedroom at a airport. Like she's just, she's gonna, she was gonna give me like a multi pass of like she always joked, I'm gonna get you a set bedroom and airports and a hospital. Cause I used to be in the hospital all, all the time when I was young. Like I was again a monster. So I ended up every other day at the hospital.

[Sufi]

Oh my goodness.

[Bashi]

Just like playground injuries.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Yeah. Like if I went down the laundry list of injuries just starting by my head, you'd be shocked. Like broken nose at 11, broken chin at one year old. I like, you can see I slid open my forehead, broke my head. This is a table. Like tooth through my teeth. Like I. My mom used to joke I'd be like standing and then I'd be on the floor. She's like, how? How? You're just standing there. How. Yeah, I was.

[Sufi]

For those who are only listening and not watching, we should let you know that Isa does look like a Frankenstein. I do. Just stitches everywhere. To be honest. I gotta Be honest. I think your Wikipedia picture's pretty good for you.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Just looked at it again. Yeah. I mean, it's kind of real. It's how I feel. Like, I look like I'm like. That's how I feel sometimes.

[Sufi]

Did you ever. Did you ever take vacations that were just vacations, or were they all based on work?

[Isa Gonzalez]

I didn't. I really didn't take that many vacations, which was, like, when I take them, it feels so foreign to me.

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Because I. My experience with travel is connected to work. And by the way, there were family trips because I was underage, so it was with my mother. So there was a very strange dynamic because I'd go with my mother on a plane and she was mothering me the way that any child would be mothered on a trip. But then I'd go on stage and then sing in front of thousands of people. And then there was, like, such a real strange relationship with travel for many years for me, because also, I was, like, off and on, off and on a plane. I didn't really get to know these places and explore. And so my relationship with travel was quite connected to work forever. And so once in a while, we had a family trip recently, actually, when we filmed Ash, because we filmed it in New Zealand. And so on the way back, I wanted to go to the islands, and so we went together. And I hadn't taken a family, like, vacation trip, probably. My God, since I was, like, maybe under 10, like, with my mother. Like, we're just on a vacation, like, laying down.

[Sufi]

So did she meet you in the islands and it was just a scene.

[Isa Gonzalez]

She came with me. We were in New Zealand the whole time that I was filming the movie. She came with me to enjoy New Zealand. I didn't, but she did.

[Bashi]

But she did.

[Isa Gonzalez]

She toured the entire time. She had my driver driving her to Piheim. Like, she saw all the beauty of New Zealand. I saw none.

[Bashi]

Did she show you pictures at least?

[Isa Gonzalez]

She was like, I'll Photoshop you into these. She would, like, just do clean shots and have you, like, Photoshopped in the.

[Sufi]

Front, like, because I will say. And again, this is knowledge only I have, because Josh won't watch the trailer. It didn't seem like you had many days off on Ash.

[Isa Gonzalez]

No, I did not. I didn't see. I realized towards the end of the. Of the shoot, I was quite pale, and I was. I felt malnourished, and it sounds strange, but I just felt, like, depleted, and I couldn't understand why. And then I realized I Hadn't seen sun in months because I would go in crack a dawn to set, and so it was pitch black. And then I'd leave at night, and then it was, like, on repeat forever. And then we were, like, on weekend shoots most of the time. And then I didn't see the sun. And it was also winter, so it's raining. So I was actually pretty ill towards the end. And I was like, oh, I've been in a pitch black planet for two months straight.

[Sufi]

I don't even know. You should know. Your agent, when they called the director said, you know, she used to work in a closet. She's really good at.

[Isa Gonzalez]

She's used to this.

[Sufi]

She's very used to this. She's now gonna complain.

[Isa Gonzalez]

She's comfortable. Yeah. Space she works in.

[Sufi]

So it's really. I mean, again, now we're really getting to monster. The fact that you were just inside all day and your mom's just, like, driving around enjoying, and I'm just, like, jealous.

[Isa Gonzalez]

I'm like. The only time I'd see It was via FaceTime. I'd be like, that seems fun, mom.

[Sufi]

Did you get. All right? Did your mom have her own place to stay over the course of the shoot, or were you guys.

[Isa Gonzalez]

No, she lives with me.

[Sufi]

All right.

[Isa Gonzalez]

I'm Mexican. A Mexican.

[Sufi]

So what does that mean? Does that mean same house or. Okay, great. I mean, that makes sense. I would do that.

[Isa Gonzalez]

You would do that?

[Sufi]

My mom, too. Yeah. If my mom keeps it.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Do you guys live with your parents? Do you both live with your parents?

[Bashi]

We don't. We don't. We don't, but we. We would.

[Isa Gonzalez]

You would? Yeah.

[Sufi]

Yeah, I would.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Where are your parents from?

[Sufi]

They're in New Hampshire, but they. One grew up in Massachusetts, one grew up in Pittsburgh, but now they live in the house we grew up, which.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Is in now New Hampshire. And do you guys go visit?

[Sufi]

I just went. I just went twice in 10 days because I had to bring. I brought my daughter to surprise them, and then one of my sons wanted to go surprise them. So I've spent some time back in.

[Bashi]

The old house, and I was there just before he brought those kids. So I was there a couple weeks ago.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Where do you live, Josh?

[Bashi]

Los Angeles.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Oh, okay. Do you like it there? It's very far from. Yeah. You're like, sunshine.

[Sufi]

Where's home for you now?

[Isa Gonzalez]

Is a. I don't know.

[Sufi]

Okay, gotcha.

[Bashi]

Well, you did say you bought a house.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Yeah, I bought a house.

[Sufi]

I hope the realtor told you where it was.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Yeah, I think it's in Los Angeles.

[Sufi]

Okay. Gotcha.

[Isa Gonzalez]

No, I don't know. Because of the fires. After the fires, it got really dicey.

[Sufi]

Gotcha. Yeah.

[Isa Gonzalez]

We got really close. We got really, really, really close.

[Sufi]

I'm so happy. I'm so happy. Okay.

[Isa Gonzalez]

And I had just moved. It was really sad. I'd been in that house for two weeks, and when I got evacuated, I was like. And it was kind of sad, you know? Cause it was my dream home. Like, I'd always. I'd been waiting to find, like, that forever home. I'd really wanted to make sure that when I sort of got something new, I was like, that place. You know, you think about it, like, where I'm gonna probably get pregnant and eventually have kids. And, like, the beginning of that stage of my life. And so I was so in love with my house. Like, I finally. It took me two years, two and a half years to find the house. And then I got evacuated, and it was really, you know, that whole process was really, really sad and devastating. And I feel so, so much, so lucky and so grateful that we sort of were able to survive that and just so depleted. And so when. For what happened? So when it happened, my house has a couple rooms, and I just gave it away for people that needed homes because I'm on my own. And so I moved to a small apartment in New York City, and then I gave away my house to people that had children and schools and stuff while they resettled their lives. But now I'm back because of family reasons. And so it's kind of been nice to be in LA and kind of help away as much as we can.

[Sufi]

That's very nice. You did that. When was the first time you came to the States?

[Isa Gonzalez]

Funny enough, I'm in Austin, Texas, right now.

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Isa Gonzalez]

And this is where I moved. Yeah, I'm in South by Southwest. This is where I moved the first time. So I lived in Austin for short of three years.

[Sufi]

Okay.

[Isa Gonzalez]

And it's my favorite city in the U.S. it's amazing.

[Sufi]

It's great.

[Bashi]

It's a cool town.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Yeah. It's great to come and see it. It's changed so much since I moved here. I moved here. Sorry to your question. I moved here in 2000. I booked my first job, and in, like, in three days, I had moved to Austin in 2014. So it's been 10 years. Almost 12, 11.

[Sufi]

Wow.

[Bashi]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

Did you spend any time in New York City when you were young?

[Isa Gonzalez]

I went to school. I went to school to Lee Strasbourg, so.

[Sufi]

Oh, nice.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Yeah. So in between Mexico City and me moving to Argentina. I really wanted to work on my acting because the sort of way that I ended up acting was so yeah, it was sort of. It just happened and it happened really quickly. I decided I wanted to be an actress. Like right after my father passed. I sort of fell in love with musical theater because my mom put me in a ton of extracurricular classes to keep me maintained me sort of mentally busy. And one of them was musical theater. And I'd been singing since I was 8, but I'd never acted. And so it was just imminent. I was like, we need to go, I gotta drop out of school. And I don't know how I brainwashed my mother into convincing her that that was it. I was like, yeah, you know, I'm 12, I really know what I want. I'm clearly an adult and know exactly what I should be doing with my life and quit school and full time dedicate to acting. She was like, you know what, let's go, let's do it. And so she did. And then I went to acting school. And then six months into going to acting school, I booked my first job and it was like this big sort of Cinderella type of film type of show. And then it was like on the go. So by the time that I sort of finished this back to back to back to back jobs, I was like, I really want to work more in my acting. I haven't really had the opportunity. I learned in Trial of Error while filming and I didn't feel really safe in that space. So then I moved to New York City. I auditioned because Strasbourg doesn't give a lot of foreign. Well, I don't know if it's changed, but foreign students a scholarship, they just give four or five a year. And so you have to audition because they have to issue your visa. And so I had to audition to get into the school and luckily I did. And so then between my touring life of my second or third album, I don't even remember, I slammed my classes. So I go to school from Monday to Thursday and then I would tour. I was like the real life Hannah Montana. I was like going to school and then like a pop star on the side. But I was like a Mexican pop star. So I wasn't like in America. So my classmates didn't really understand. They were like, wait, you are famous? And I was like, yeah, you know, it's very strange. And I felt kind of embarrassed because, you know, no one knew who I was.

[Sufi]

You sound like someone's made up girlfriend where they're like, hey, where's that girl you're dating? She's not here on weekends. She's a Mexican pop star. She's from Pop star from Mexico. You wouldn't know her.

[Isa Gonzalez]

She's cool.

[Bashi]

Hey, we're gonna take a quick break and hear from some of our sponsors.

[Sufi]

This episode of Family Trips is brought to you by our friends at Maker's Mark. Hey.

[Bashi]

Yes, Sufi.

[Sufi]

I don't have to tell you that we're partnering with Maker's Mark to celebrate spirited women. No, Margie Samuels, you definitely do not.

[Bashi]

Because I made the trip to the Maker's Mark distillery in Loreto, Kentucky.

[Sufi]

The same Maker's Mark that Margie was the co founder of.

[Bashi]

Absolutely. That's the one.

[Sufi]

And you, I believe you brought a spirited woman with you on this trip.

[Bashi]

I did, yeah. My wife, Mackenzie, who, you know, is one of the strongest, toughest gals I know and inspires me with her work ethic every day. She, you know, she moved out to California to work at a barn and do some training, and then that barn eventually was going to get sold and she struck out on her own and now has this thriving business where she trains people and rides horses and she works her tail off. It's really something else.

[Sufi]

Also, Margie, shout out original designer behind the iconic red wax dip.

[Bashi]

Yep.

[Sufi]

The label and even the Maker's Mark name. You did some dipping while you're there, right?

[Bashi]

Posh, I did do some dipping. We were there for a long tour and we dipped our own bottles, which was very exciting.

[Sufi]

You too can celebrate the spirit of women in your life with a free personalized label to go with a bottle of Maker's mark. Head to makersmarkpersonalized.com and fill in the details in order to create and mail your custom label. Don't forget to grab a bottle of Maker's Mark to go with it. Maker's Mark makes their bourbon carefully. Please enjoy it that way. Maker's Mark, Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey, 45% alcohol. 2025. Maker's Mark Distillery, Inc. Loretto, Kentucky. Support comes from Helix. Hey, Pashi.

[Bashi]

Yes, Ufi.

[Sufi]

So I've had to sleep in your bed with one of my children twice in the last month. This is your childhood bed.

[Bashi]

New Hampshire bed.

[Sufi]

Yeah. And this is not a terrible mattress that you had. You know, it wasn't like, you know, burlap sack filled with hay or anything. It was a nice mattress, but I slept there first time with Addie, had a terrible night's sleep. A little bit, I would say, is the mattress the other is Addi, like, slept on my head like she was a hat. But then, you know. And look, I'll be honest, it was because of the podcast sponsorship. We got our hands on a Helix mattress.

[Bashi]

Oh, yeah.

[Sufi]

You mentioned it to mom and dad and they said, oh, we'll replace your mattress. So the next time I go back with Axel, I get to sleep on the Helix mattress in. Total game changer. Huge leap.

[Bashi]

Huge leap. It's. I also, I mean, I don't even want to guess how long that mattress has been around. That is in the childhood bedroom. But it was time.

[Sufi]

It was time. Yeah.

[Bashi]

And the Helix mattresses, there's such a wide selection and there's a sleep quiz that you take on their website. You know, are you a back sleeper, side sleeper, stomach sleeper? I wouldn't even think that's a good idea. But some people are, I guess, and they've got mattresses of varying firmnesses. And you sort of. You go through this, you know, easy series of questions. Easy because, you know, you know, you.

[Sufi]

Yeah. Don't think you're going to flunk the sleep quiz.

[Bashi]

Yeah, no.

[Sufi]

I think some people hear quiz and they panic. But don't worry, you're going to be fine.

[Bashi]

Don't be intimidated by it because it's going to find you the perfect mattress for you to get you a better night's sleep. Because what is more important than that?

[Sufi]

And I have one of these sleep trackers. And the morning after my first Helix never happened before the sleep tracker. Actually, when I opened it, it just said something change dog.

[Bashi]

Wow.

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Bashi]

So familiar.

[Sufi]

Well, I've had it for a while. Yeah. Go to helixsleep.comtrips for 20% off site wide. That's helix sleep.comtrips for 20 percent off site wide. Helixsleep.comTripps. were you worried when you told your mom you wanted to be an actor that she would say you have to follow her unfulfilled dream of being an orthodontist?

[Isa Gonzalez]

You know what, my mom was the cool one. So my dad was a strict one in the family. He was hell bent into making me a lawyer or he really wanted to fulfill his dreams through me. And so, perfect example. Language was something really important in my house. And it's not because we were. He just was like, I didn't get this opportunity, so I want my kids to do so. So I wasn't allowed to speak Spanish at home. It was all English 247 because he wanted me to go to the best university. So he was really like that father was like very strict.

[Sufi]

How was he speaking English? Yeah, I was wondering.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Yes. His English wasn't really as good as mine is. And that's what he wanted for him, for his daughter. I was his only child and his relationship with family was very complicated from his mother. He was the only. My mom had. My grandmother had 10 miscarriages and he was the only baby that was there. And so I think that really sort of seeped into him and as a father, wanted me to have the best life and the best. Cause he felt like he had a lot of pressure from his mother from that experience. And so he didn't have an amazing education, nor did my mother, but they were like hustlers, they were self made parents. My mom made her success, no one gave it to her. And my dad wanted me to do the same. And so by the time that I was 10, I spoke four languages and it was all about education in my house. And he was very strict. And so when he passed, my mom was the one that would be like, I'm gonna take you to singing classes. Don't tell your father. And so she would take me to the artistic stuff. Cause she could see it in my soul. Like I was. Since I was 2, I was like singing all day long. Really. People don't know, but my first love was music and singing and I was singing and singing. So she'd see it in me. And once my dad died, you know, my mother changed me from schools because I was in a really strict school and I was an artistic kid. So I was really not doing well in school. I couldn't. I was awkward. I was into artist, artistic stuff. I didn't fit in. It was a very scholar school. And she switched me into an English, like British English school that, you know, there's a lot of theater in these schools. And that's where I found my love for theater. It started there and then I started doing extracurricular classes and then it's all history from there.

[Bashi]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

What are the other two languages you speak?

[Isa Gonzalez]

Italian? I speak first Spanish, then English, then Italian and then French, like in that order.

[Sufi]

Pretty amazing.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Thank you.

[Bashi]

Well done. When you finish shooting.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Well done, dad.

[Bashi]

When you finished shooting ash and you went to the islands with your mom, which islands did you go to?

[Isa Gonzalez]

Bora Bora.

[Bashi]

Okay.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Is it Bora Bora? Yeah. Bora Bora is on the way. Yes. I'm confusing if it's. Yeah, it's Bora Bora. We went to Bora Bora. It was amazing. I'd never been there I was like, whoa, this is.

[Bashi]

Yeah, I've only seen pictures. Were you on those, like, houses on stilts above the water?

[Isa Gonzalez]

Yes, yes, yes. It was unbelievable. I remember. You know, I've always wanted to go to Thailand. That was kind of my dream, to go to Thailand or to go to Bora Bora or the Maldives. And we were like, that flight from New Zealand to LA is insane. It's like a billion years. And I said, why don't we break it up and go to Bora Bora? And she's like, say less. Let's go. She was like, we're going. My mom doesn't take a lot. She was like, sure. And we went and it was incredible. And it was the first time. But again, I hadn't taken a vacation in such a long time, so I found myself very awkward. I was like, so what do we do today? And she's like, lay by the beach.

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Like, wait, but do we. Is there, like, I just didn't feel even comfortable doing nothing. I hadn't done it in freaking ages. So it was amazing. It was really soothing for the soul and. And I really enjoyed it. You should go. It's really worth it.

[Bashi]

Did you take any, like, very unique island excursions? Like, were you scuba diving or were you taking like. Yeah, what was it?

[Isa Gonzalez]

Full on tourist. Full on tourist. Like swimming with sharks and then, you know, scuba diving. And I, you know, I love jet skis. So I went sort of to see all the hotels around the area. And it's just such a beautiful. I mean, planet Earth really is surreal to me. I had the chance to, after Ash, go film back to back movies where I was like, I mean, the fact that we get to travel for work and go to these places is unbelievable. Like, I went from New Zealand to the Canary Islands, from the Canary Islands to Bangkok, from Bangkok to Vienna, from Vienna to Egypt, and then from Egypt to the UK and like all around the uk, it just. I was like, I feel like not.

[Sufi]

A lot of actors get those six in a row.

[Bashi]

When you say, we're so lucky, you're not including me in that.

[Sufi]

I got to remind you, I was in Vancouver, then I was in Toronto, then I was in Atlanta. Right. I was in all lovely places. But none of those are like, you know, the families that were like, we're taking a big vacation. Yeah. They're like a summer vacation in Toronto.

[Isa Gonzalez]

We'll go to the next one. Yeah, yeah. They skip it.

[Sufi]

But now I'm a little heartbroken for you because again, as we've Established. You don't. You get to go to these amazing places. Did you get to experience any of those other places more than you experienced New Zealand?

[Isa Gonzalez]

Okay, good. I did because I was smart and I took a job that didn't take so many days off me in these locations.

[Sufi]

Good.

[Isa Gonzalez]

So, you know, I left. I was shooting this movie called Fountain of Youth with Guy Ray Chane, John Krasinski and Natalie Portman. And so the cast is pretty big. So we kind of took turns. So I feel like John and Natalie sort of didn't get to see anything. And I got to do like the whole. And be like.

[Sufi]

And I kind of go, yeah, where was that one?

[Bashi]

Where was that shoot?

[Isa Gonzalez]

It was all of those places.

[Sufi]

Oh, that was all those places.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Shot in Bangkok, Vienna.

[Bashi]

Oh, gotcha.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Egypt. And so, I mean, how incredible. I went to do all the water market in Thailand. I went to Koh Samui, by the way. I happened to be shooting at the same time as White Lotus. And so they were in Koh Samui and I was in Bangkok. And a few friends of mine are in the show. And they're like, what are you doing this weekend? I was like, I don't know. I'm just in Bangkok. They're like, fly to Koh Samui. We have the four seasons for seven months. Do you want a cabana? I was like, yes, by the way, that's one of the most sort of hard hotels to get in in the world. And I pulled up and I like, I was at the White Lotus. I would wake up and go swimming and sit the White Lotus everywhere. And it was pretty surreal. But Koh Samui is one of the coolest places I've ever been, which is in Thailand.

[Sufi]

Should we look in the background of this season of White Lotus?

[Isa Gonzalez]

I kept saying to Mike White and everyone, I was like, can I just be like tree number 45 in the back? And just. It'd be funny, you know, when they do that in Star wars, like, they know that, you know, Rian Johnson was in it. I was like, I'm not Rian Johnson, nor am I important in any capacity, but I will happily be in the back of a scene. But no, I didn't.

[Sufi]

Sadly, I did take it.

[Isa Gonzalez]

They're like, no, you're sad.

[Bashi]

I took a solo backpacking trip and I was in Koh Samui. And it was. Did you, like, was the worst trip of my life. Maybe I got ripped off.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Food poisoning.

[Bashi]

I got sick. I was sunburnt.

[Sufi]

He also took the trip cause somebody had broken up with him.

[Bashi]

Oh, no, it was a bad scene. And I sort of just went with my backpack and no plans, except I was gonna go Bangkok. Koh Samui, Koh Tao. And it was a bad scene. I was not at the Four Seasons, I will tell you that.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Oh, I'm so sorry. You should have called me.

[Bashi]

Yeah, I know.

[Isa Gonzalez]

I would have taken you to.

[Sufi]

Hypothetically, if you had a bad breakup, are you the kind of person that would say, well, I think we've established you're not, because you take. You take one vacation every 25 years, but would you say, like, you know what? It was a bad breakup, but I'm gonna go buy myself to a foreign country for a week. Are you somebody who thinks that sounds like a good idea? Because I don't.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Well, you are gonna. You're about to change your mind, because it can be a really good idea. By the way, I commend you for doing that, Josh, because.

[Bashi]

Thank you.

[Isa Gonzalez]

It is. I'll tell you a story that'll blow your mind, and you'll be like, it will make you rethink this. So when I was in Mexico and I was, like, in the public eye, I was really young, I had this boyfriend, and then this boyfriend to really power through this, cheated on me with a sex tape. And it came out. It came out? Yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. And it came out in the COVID.

[Sufi]

Of the magazines, and I went, sex tape was released?

[Isa Gonzalez]

Yes.

[Sufi]

Oh, boy.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Yeah. And then so it came out in the magazines, and I was so distraught. I took a trip, like, Josh. And I was like, I need to hide under a rock. I couldn't with, like, the pain that I was kind of going through. And so I went to la. That was the first place I could think of. It was like, what's the first place I can fly to that I kind of knew a little bit about? This is. Think about. This is like, 2021. I mean, I'm 21. It's 2011, okay? And I'm like, okay, I'm gonna leave. And so I leave to la, and I'm sort of, like, doing nothing for a week. I rented. There was this landscaper that was. This is way before Airbnb. There was this landscaper that was renting one bedroom of her house to a friend of mine. And I called my friend. I was like, I just need a place to stay. He's like, you could crash that place. Whatever. To make this long story short, I was there for, like, a two weeks doing nothing. And at one point, my mother was like, you're Completely useless. What are you doing? And I said, monster, Monster. And I go, I am just, you know, sobbing profusely over this situation. And she said, you gotta stop this. You have to stop this. You have to go do something. She's like, go audition or something. I was like, what do you mean audition, Mother? There is a process. There's an agent, a manager.

[Sufi]

That's a really funny mom thing to say. Go audition.

[Isa Gonzalez]

I'm like, yeah, go audition. And she goes, you know, I have a friend. Like, this is full Latin mom. Oh no. I have a friend of a friend of a friend that told me about this thing. It's IMDb Pro. I'm just gonna put an email there. We're gonna make it work. I was like, sure, Mom.

[Sufi]

I like that you had a friend of a friend of a friend who.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Knew about IMDb yeah, because we're like from Mexico. We know nothing about IMDb. It's like a friend of Miami of, you know, that kind of vibe. And so long story short, somehow my mother, my mother monster finds an audition. And then I go into this audition and I audition. I audition and then eventually don't get it. And I'm like, oh, well, that was fine, whatever. Moving back to. That's a fun story. Mind you, I was auditioning for Star wars the entire time. Didn't even know, had no clue. Because they just. I think they do this wide search and they kind of look at who's from other parts of the world because they love to discover people. And so they saw this girl, they're like, anyway, that goes away. I don't get it. Move back to Mexico. Fun times, great story to tell my children. And then I get a phone call from my flip phone. I had like a flip. Like I had to buy. Cause I didn't have a Social Security. So I had to buy like a phone from the 7 11. And I get like. And my little red flip phone. I remember. And I'm like, hello? It's like, hi, who's this? And she's like, mary Verneau. I'm like, who?

[Bashi]

Oh yeah.

[Isa Gonzalez]

She's like, I'm Mary Verneau. And I'm like, okay, yeah, big casting director. I'm a casting director in LA. She's like, I got your number from IMDb Pro. Glenda. My mother knew. She's like, I want you to audition for this TV show with Robert Rodriguez. And I was like, okay. I read for it, booked it in two days. It all stemmed from the sex tape and the trip that I ran.

[Sufi]

So I guess what you're saying is he was a good boyfriend.

[Isa Gonzalez]

He was an amazing boyfriend. I saw him years later and I thanked him and he was like, did you really?

[Sufi]

Oh, that's really great.

[Isa Gonzalez]

I came back. I was like, shooting this show in Mexico and it was like the best. Like, it was a big ego, like, rug for me.

[Sufi]

I wouldn't have been here. Yeah, I wouldn't have been here without him.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Thank you so much for cheating on me.

[Sufi]

It was the best thing I've ever done. And I don't think this reflects on his sex tape, but. IMD Pro. No calls.

[Isa Gonzalez]

No calls.

[Sufi]

Never reached out after seeing it.

[Isa Gonzalez]

So next time, Josh, you know, you never know. I commend the. You never know. Like, from heartbreak. You can go to movies in Hollywood.

[Sufi]

I guess that's looking back on your trip to Thailand, Josh. You probably should have just auditioned more.

[Bashi]

Yeah.

[Isa Gonzalez]

I can connect you with my mother, by the way.

[Bashi]

Yeah. If I blame anyone, I blame my mother or our mother for not.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Where were you? Where was the IMDb Pro, by the way?

[Sufi]

The whole time he was in Thailand, my mom was calling, being like, well, it's not going well. Yeah.

[Isa Gonzalez]

And you're like, he's pretty far. I can't do anything to help this out.

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Bashi]

I was going to Internet cafes and emailing them and I was basically saying, it is not going well.

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Bashi]

Which only. Which only made everyone.

[Isa Gonzalez]

At what point of the trip did you realize maybe it's time, like, I've had enough not going well emails that I should go back?

[Bashi]

Like, what point did I remember I went back to Bangkok early and I was like, you know, just gonna wait out my time there. And I checked into a higher level hotel than I had been in, which was still not a great hotel. But I went to this hotel and then I just like, sat by the pool and I was like, I'm just gonna take it easy. And that's when I got super sunburnt. I remember going to see Pearl harbor in a movie theater because it was a long movie and they were gonna have air conditioning and it was gonna feel nice on my burnt skin. And then I like, oh, my God, I bought a ring. I like these. They like, sell blue sapphires and there's people like Tuk Tuk drivers for her. No, just. No, just for. To like, to.

[Isa Gonzalez]

For you.

[Bashi]

No. To then be able to sell and make more money. It was then I like, wow, you really. I was living in Amsterdam at the time, and I went to this jeweler and I went in and they're like, we're not a saf. Like, we're a diamond city. And they were. I was like, yeah, I bought this blue sapphire ring. And they were like, were you in Thailand? And they were like. And this guy was like. Well, he did say. I will say this was very good advice from this jeweler in Amsterdam at Skippers and Skippers. But he said, if this is the worst thing that ever happens to you, consider yourself a very lucky man.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Bless him. And how do you feel after that? Was he correct?

[Bashi]

He. I mean, if. Yeah, if that was the. I mean, I feel like worse stuff has happened to me, but if that was the worst, then I would have been very lucky.

[Sufi]

You know, you've had a bad trip to Thailand when the highlight is you saw Pearl harbor in theaters.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Yes, yes. You totally got it.

[Sufi]

You're gonna see Pearl Harbor. You gotta see it in Thailand. That's in Thailand.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Yeah. That doesn't sound like a successful trip. I'm really sorry, Josh. Have we recovered from that heartbreak? We have.

[Sufi]

I mean, do you feel even worse now that you. By telling the story about how your breakup trip launched your career? Which should we have told you? Josh's first. And then maybe you would have, like, tapped the brakes on. Like, it's great. I can't say enough about a breakup trip.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Yeah, I love it. I mean, listen, you gotta make the best of what you have. You know, make lemonade.

[Sufi]

Can you. Very briefly. And then we have to ask our speed round. But Buenos Aires is a city I've always been wanting to go to. Did you love Buenos Aires?

[Isa Gonzalez]

My favorite city to live in? Yeah, my favorite city to live in. I mean, when I got there, I couldn't believe just Argentina, right? Argentina is like one of the most impressive pieces of land in the world because within the same place you have all the tundras, you can go to the desert, you have the triple frontier, you have, close to Punta del Este, the water. Then you have the glaciers. It's like in one trip to Argentina, you can go everywhere. You can see. I don't know if you've ever seen the glaciers in Argentina, but it's unbelievable. And then you go to the other side of Argentina, it's like the triple frontier. And obviously the water, it's just. And then Buenos Aires is one of the cities with most life I've ever seen. Like during the day, during the night, like, the nightlife is pretty fun. The nightlife starts at like 3 in the morning. Like, you go to dinner at.

[Sufi]

I was gonna ask about that. I'M very concerned about that.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

You go to feel like I missed my window.

[Bashi]

Yeah, you'll be sleeping through the nightlife.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Yeah. You'll be like, no, but really, like, the food. You know, you have all the meats that they eat there. I actually kind of became vegetarian there. Because the overwhelming amount of meat sort of made me slightly sick, I think.

[Sufi]

Yeah. I feel like the way to say it is like, the meat was so good, I can't even eat it anymore.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Yeah, that's because I did. I ate so much. So much meat. It was like you had Parisha Argentina every single day, moment of the day. And they have the Fernet. I had some of the most interesting drinks I've ever had. Fernet, which is like a typical drink. You have it, like, with Coca Cola. And I really got into mate. And I now drink mate a lot. But, yeah, I became like, Argentina has a big place in my heart, too. Cause it's the first place I ever moved on my own completely. And I was 18. Imagine I'm 18. I'm doing this Nickelodeon show, by the way. I'm like, during the day of being, like, a child star. But during night, I'm like, whoa. I'm, like, completely unhinged. Because I'm like a teenager living the life they gave me. An apartment, a car. I was like, damn, this is swanky. And it was in the city that never sleeps. So I love Argentina.

[Sufi]

So you've kind of almost always been Hannah Montana? It sounds like I have, yeah. I have, like, double life the whole time.

[Isa Gonzalez]

And that show that I was doing was that premise that in Argentina, I was Hannah Montana in Argentina.

[Sufi]

What is Hannah Montana called in Argentina?

[Isa Gonzalez]

It was Dream with Me. The show was called. And then I played a character where she went to school during the day. And then she was in a reality Pop. Like a.

[Sufi]

What was her pop star name?

[Isa Gonzalez]

Roxy Pop.

[Sufi]

Roxy Pop.

[Bashi]

Oh, great.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Yeah, Roxy Pop. And I wore, like, pink wigs.

[Bashi]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

Dude, I've got a girlfriend. Her name's Roxy Pop.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Roxy Pop, Yeah. By the way, I always thought, if that's not sort of really telling that I'm not a real human. My name could never be Roxy Pop. Like, how did I also kind of look exactly the same. I always thought of these things in.

[Sufi]

These shows, but I was like, there are some. For all the great work they do, there are some plot holes in the.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Nickelodeon oeuvre that it's not really, you know, seeing you get through. But at that age, I guess you're just like, whatever. This is very Shiny and glitzy. I'm into it.

[Sufi]

Well, it's very cool. Thank you so much, Izz. It's been fantastic talking to you.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Thank you guys.

[Sufi]

Ash, by the time you're listening to this is in theaters. Check it out. Ash.

[Bashi]

I think every.

[Sufi]

Is it Ashh.

[Bashi]

Keep saying Ash.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Well, it's Ash.

[Sufi]

Okay, you're right. You are calling it.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Yeah, it is Ash, but it's Ash. Planet Ash. The movie's on Ash.

[Sufi]

Got it. Yeah, that's my son's name is Ash but with an e. Really? Yeah.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Oh, that's a beautiful name.

[Bashi]

Because his wife's last name and. Yeah.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Oh that's cool. What's. What is it Ash?

[Sufi]

Yeah, her last. My. So my wife's maiden name is Ash and so our son's first name is Ash.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Oh, I love that. That's very.

[Sufi]

It's very pretty.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Very.

[Sufi]

And I'll tell him, I'll tell him this is a movie about him.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Yeah, I don't know. You should watch it first and then.

[Sufi]

Make sure that it's about you but you can't see it.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Yes.

[Sufi]

All right, Josh is going to ask you our speed around questions.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Oh, exciting.

[Sufi]

Here we go.

[Bashi]

Easy. You can only pick one of these. Is your ideal vacation relaxing, adventurous or educational?

[Isa Gonzalez]

Ooh, adventurous.

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Bashi]

What is your favorite?

[Sufi]

We know you wanted to say work. Working.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Yes, working.

[Sufi]

But I wanted vacation.

[Isa Gonzalez]

But we've established that.

[Sufi]

Yeah, yeah.

[Bashi]

What is your favorite means of transportation? Train, Plane. Automobile? Boat.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Bike?

[Bashi]

Jet ski? Walking.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Boat.

[Bashi]

Boat. Great. This one gets a little trickier. If you could take a vacation with any family, alive or dead, real or fictional. Other than your family, what family would you like to take a vacation with?

[Isa Gonzalez]

Oh, the Kardashians.

[Sufi]

Great, That's a good answer.

[Bashi]

If you had to be stranded on a desert island with one member of your family, who would it be?

[Isa Gonzalez]

Oh God, my mother, I guess.

[Bashi]

Yeah, it sounds like she was going to be there no matter what.

[Sufi]

That was the answer. That was the answer. She's coming no matter what.

[Isa Gonzalez]

She's coming whether I like it or not.

[Bashi]

Is Mexico City your hometown?

[Isa Gonzalez]

Yes.

[Bashi]

Would you recommend Mexico City as a vacation destination?

[Isa Gonzalez]

Without a doubt. I think it's the best, like one of the best cities in the world.

[Bashi]

Yeah, I've never been and it's high up on my list.

[Isa Gonzalez]

You are missing out. You're also a three hour flight you can go for from Thursday to Sunday and have the best food you'll ever have.

[Bashi]

Great. And then Seth has our last questions.

[Sufi]

Isa, have you been to the Grand Canyon?

[Isa Gonzalez]

Never do.

[Sufi]

You want to go? You're dying to go. Okay. It does seem like the only way you'll go is if you get booked on a show that takes place there in the month. So if anybody's writing a script, either a movie script or a limited series, Iza would love to shoot there. Ideally, maybe third on the call sheet so she has time to look around. Yeah.

[Isa Gonzalez]

So I can have. Thank you. You're really pitching this the right way. You know what you're saying?

[Sufi]

Yeah. I mean, she doesn't want a small part, but, you know, obviously she doesn't want to be in every small.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Enough that I don't have to work. Yes.

[Sufi]

Right. Isa, what a pleasure to meet you and talk to you. This has been a delight.

[Bashi]

Thank you so much.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Thank you so much, guys. Have a wonderful day, all right?

[Sufi]

Be well.

[Isa Gonzalez]

Have a great time. Bye.

[Bashi]

It was a long road to the top for the former Roxy Pop, but she got there. Oh, she got there. Her mother, she was quite the boss. A strong work ethic. She got across was a monster. A good kind of monster. So when Eza's cheating boyfriend made a sex tape, she knew he wasn't gonna be her prince. While in la, mom said, Isa go audition, and Eza's been crushing it ever since.