When Fernando Carsa turns up for an interview, it’s not in the pool boy’s red shorts and white polo shirt viewers have come to love him sporting in Acapulco. Instead, Carsa appears in a flowing blue dress, with coiffed hair and a bold swipe of red lipstick.
It’s an image that perfectly captures the contrast between him and his character Memo Reyes, the lovable, almost childlike sidekick to lead character Máximo Gallardo Ramos (Enrique Arrizon). Memo quickly became one of the most endearing aspects of the Apple TV+ series.
The show ended in September after four seasons. For Carsa, saying goodbye is less about loss and more about gratitude. “It’s definitely bittersweet, for sure,” he says. “But I think there’s been so much history in this show. We started when COVID was still around, and that led us to film and live in the same place, which created this huge family. As sad as we are to say goodbye, we know the family is still going to stick around together.”
What fills him with pride is all that Acapulco has achieved. “It’s such a huge accomplishment to have a Latino-led show go on for four seasons in this climate,” Carsa says. “Most shows don’t even last more than a season. The fact that we went all the way to four, well, it feels more like we won something than lost something. It feels like a celebration of a huge achievement.”
Acapulco tells the story of adult Máximo recounting his past in the 1980s working at one of the nicest hotels in the city and his adventures with Memo and the staff. The show premiered in late 2021, when Carsa was fresh out of the University of California, Los Angeles, graduating into an industry still shuttered by the pandemic.
“When I started Acapulco, it was the beginning of my career and my television debut,” he recalls. “But I was still, quote-unquote, closeted. All my friends knew, the cast knew, but there was always this fear that being so queer-presenting in the media would keep me away from future opportunities.”
A supportive environment helped change his perspective. “It was actually my cast members who pushed me to become my honest self and embrace my truth. I bought my first pair of high heels while filming the second season, and I would wear them on set to break them in. Then I’d put on my costume, film, and later put my heels back on to go out to dinner. Behind the scenes of the show is where the truth you now see of me came out.”
That acceptance culminated in a career milestone in 2024, when he received the Critics Choice Rising Star Award at the LGBTQ+ Celebration of Cinema & Television.
“They asked me who I wanted to present it to me, and I chose Jessica Collins [the show’s fictitious Las Colinas hotel owner, Diane], my costar,” he says. “She and her family have been huge allies in my life. My cast has always cheered me on, whether it’s in my makeup, my hair, or the crazy outfits I wear. They’ve given me space to step into the spotlight. I have to thank them, because they’re a huge part of why I became the person I am today.”
Memo wasn’t written as the stereotypical “funny fat friend,” something Carsa noticed right away. “The character was written to be plus-size, but from the very beginning, there were no jokes about his body or his self-esteem,” he says. “That was huge for me.”
After filming the pilot, Carsa pulled the writers aside to thank them. “I just wanted to say thank you for writing a plus-size character whose comedy doesn’t come from his looks or his insecurity. Memo is confident. He’s ballsy. He believes in himself,” Carsa says. “As a plus-size person, to have a character like this means a lot. Honestly, it doesn’t even happen ‘not often.’ It just doesn’t happen at all.”
That authenticity resonated, Carsa explains.
“The amount of messages I get from people who feel seen by Memo is overwhelming, especially kids. That’s the one that gets me the most. I didn’t have a Memo growing up. The thought that I could be that for a kid who needs it, that’s just the best feeling in the world.”
Landing Acapulco came after a lifetime of putting in the training. “People like to say I had it easy, but no,” Carsa laughs. “I’d been training since I was 7 years old. I’ve been acting, singing, and dancing for over 15 years. I had to move to another country [from Mexico] to feel seen and to continue my training. It was a lot of hard work to get here.”
Still, the audition felt fortuitous. “They were struggling to cast Memo, because he had to be plus-size, speak English and Spanish, and fit this unique energy. I ended up being the first person cast for the show, even before they settled on who would play young Máximo. Everything fell into place exactly the way it was supposed to. It really was a fairy tale.”
Filming in Puerto Vallarta was another gift of the series. It was a queer paradise that was welcoming and made filming a special experience for him, Carsa says.
Special too were his castmates. Regina Orozco, who plays the no-nonsense Lupe, is in real life, he says, “the total opposite. She’s this larger-than-life queer icon in Mexico. When I first met her, I screamed at the top of my lungs. Working with her was a milestone for me.”
And then there was Chord Overstreet. “I was obsessed with Glee as a kid,” Carsa confesses. “So when I got on the van after landing at the airport to begin production, I hopped on and then realized I was sitting next to Chord, I was hyperventilating inside. He’s taller than I expected, even more gorgeous in person, and so kind. That was definitely a full-circle moment.”
Something that has meant a great deal to Carsa is how he’s been embraced, not just as Memo, but as Fernando.
“At first people recognized me as ‘the guy from Acapulco,’” he recalls. “But now they stop me and say, ‘Are you Fernando Carsa?’ That feels very special, being seen beyond the character, being seen as myself.”
With Acapulco behind him, Carsa is entering what he calls his “producer era.” He recently produced La Mosca en la Pared (Fly on the Wall), a short film about workplace violence that has already entered several film festivals.
And he’s about to step into music, his own. He is releasing an EP at the end of 2025, including songs he wrote. “I found this amazing producer, and I’m excited to put my music out into the world.”
Looking back on his journey, Carsa is filled with gratitude. “Luck is when opportunity meets preparedness,” he reflects. “I prepared my whole life for this moment. Memo changed my life, but he also gave me the space to be me. That’s something I’ll carry forever.”
This article is part of The Advocate‘s Nov/Dec 2025 issue, on newsstands now. Support queer media and subscribe — or download the issue through Apple News, Zinio, Nook, or PressReader.
This article originally appeared on Advocate: Queer actor Fernando Casa is ready to take on the world
