Rubirosa with Christopher Rivas
Christopher Rivas takes us on an adventure to explore the life of Porfirio Rubirosa. In this podcast, Christopher Rivas, not only learns about a man who inspired his favorite character, James Bond, but he explores his own experiences, as a person of color, in Hollywood.
This started as a one-man show and has evolved as a Stitcher’s Witness Docs production and could be heard wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. You might recognize Christopher Rivas’s voice from his character, Oscar, on Call Me Kat (Fox), but he is more than just an actor, he is an author (Brown Enough), a speaker, a filmmaker, and an incredible storyteller (just you listen to the podcast), and so much more.
Who was Rubirosa
Porfirio Rubirosa was a diplomat, a recognized Playboy, a race-car driver, and a polo player, the list is long of what this man was known for. His life is literally made (and was made) for Hollywood, you cannot make this up. But there is something deeper that Christopher Rivas uncovers, throughout the 10-episode series, as he gives us a lesson in Latin American history, all while talking about Rubirosa’s life but how those experiences are still taught and are a part of our current life. Rivas teaches us about colonialism, colorism, dictatorship, whitewashing, and codeswitching not only something that Rubirosa lived and had to get through, but who Rivas is also navigating.
Rivas does a phenomenal job by telling, and showing, us how our own history is worth the spotlight because our identities and experiences matter. Our history is so rich, that we might know of another Porfirio Rubirosa, worthy of that Hollywood movie attention, but this time we know better and have actors like Christopher Rivas that can tell their stories.
Also…
If you haven’t yet, order your copy of Christopher Rivas’s new book “Brown Enough: True Stories About Love, Violence, the Student Loan Crisis, Hollywood, Race, Familia, And Making It In America.”
To learn more about Christopher Rivas, please visit his website and follow him on social media: Instagram, and Twitter.