It was a great day to be a bruin last thursday while on the red carpet at LA Live for the premiere of the new Netflix Original Series, “Mr. Iglesias”. Gabriel Iglesias, also known as Fluffy, stars in this hit series as “Mr. Iglesias,” a history teacher at his alma mater, Woodrow Wilson High School. Fluffy, an actual Wilson alum (Class of ‘94), drew much of his inspiration for the show from his time at Wilson. He expressed his appreciation and admiration for his former high school teacher June Garner, who supported him despite the fact that he was not a particularly “straight A” student. She went as far as helping him get to some of his very first standup comedy shows. At the premiere, Iglesias recognized Garner who was a special guest in the audience.
This Netflix show highlights how great life truly is in the 908. The introduction of the show features Iglesias “driving” past some of the most recognizable streets found in Long Beach. Despite Iglesias’ management’s effort to get him to relocate out of Long Beach, Fluffy does not plan to leave Long Beach. In fact, he recently purchased a home in Long Beach. Iglesias stated that he truly wanted local Long Beach residents and Wilson students to realize that anything is possible, despite where you come from. Always ready for a joke, he added that even if your teeth are “chupacabra” anything is possible as long as you do not give up on your goals and dreams.
The show portrays a Wilson staff filled with laid back teachers, passionate teachers, traditional teachers (who seem to have been teaching for ages), and of course administration that does not always see eye-to-eye with teachers. After watching the first two episodes at the premiere, it was evident that the show is going to be filled with hilarious scenes in the teachers lounge, frustration on online dating applications, and classic high school crushes. The students in Iglesias’ class are a diverse group of students, very much like the actual demographics of the Wilson High School student body. In the show, the students are struggling to be successful in high school and Iglesias tries his best to be a consistent resource for them.
Fluffy was surrounded by an amazing and talented cast to support him in making his vision come to life. Oscar Nuñez, most recognized for his role as “Oscar” from the sitcom “The Office,” plays the antagonist who is constantly butting heads with Mr. Iglesias. Nuñez explained the pleasure it was for him to work with Gabriel Iglesias and admired Iglesias’ ability to tackle topics like politics, race, and education through social commentary and a comedic plot. The show also stars Sherri Shepherd, a famous actress and comedian. She plays the principal at Wilson, a fun and energetic woman struggling with her love life. Shepherd and actor Fabrizio Zacharee Guido, who played Mikey on the show, both explained while not originally being from Long Beach they have visited multiple times and overall enjoy the 908.
Mr. Iglesias is available for streaming on Netflix now to be enjoyed by the whole family! Long Beach 908 Magazine is all about supporting local businesses, we are excited to pour our support to a great local comedian. Great work Fluffy!