Having both actors on the same show was a revolutionary move at the time — in 2013, only 6.5% of lead actors in broadcast television were people of color, according to the UCLA Hollywood Diversity report.

Both actresses originally auditioned for the role of Amy Santiago, the only character written as Latina and eventual love interest to Andy Samberg’s kooky, laissez-faire Jake Peralta. When Beatriz got word that Fumero was cast as Amy, she thought her dreams of starring in the show were over.

“There’s no way that a network is going to cast two Latinas. It doesn’t happen,” Beatriz revealed in a 2017 interview.

Two days later, Beatriz learned that she had landed the role of Megan, a character that would be rewritten as ever mysterious and somewhat dangerous Rosa Diaz.

“When we first started, everybody was freaking out about two Latinas being on a network show,” Fumero said.

Instead of being fired, both actors saw their careers flourish. In 2019, Beatriz and Fumero made their directorial TV debut — an impressive feat given that only 5% of TV episodes from 2017-2018 were directed by Latinos, according to the Directors Guild of America.

After “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” Fumero starred opposite Randall Park in the 2021 Netflix sitcom “Blockbuster,” voiced the characters of Melissa Tarleton in the animated Marvel series “M.O.D.O.K” and Belle in the second season of “Digman, a Comedy Central animated sitcom co-created by Samberg. She also directed two episodes of “Primo,” the semi-autobiographical coming-of-age sitcom created by Shea Serrano. Primo was unceremoniously canceled last month after only one season. The Jersey-born Cuban actress is now prepping for her role in season two of “Based on a True Story,” starring Kaley Cuoco.

Beatriz has stayed equally as busy since the series ended in 2021. She starred as Carla in the film adaptation of “In the Heights,” and voiced Mirabel in Disney’s Oscar winning “Encanto.” Now the Argentine-born, Colombian Bolivian actress is on her way to filming season two of “Twisted Metal,” a Peacock series inspired by the video game of the same name, acting opposite Anthony Mackie. That’s on top of wrapping up filming the upcoming Netflix series “A Classic Spy,” starring Ted Danson.

While Fumero believes Latinos have made strides in the world of television and film, she admits the process has been a “slow crawl.” She says that she often wonders if writers and producers feel conflicted about casting Latino characters because they think it means they have to service the entire culture in their writing.

“Is that why we’re not included in some of these cast breakdowns or story ideas?” Fumero said rhetorically.

Beatriz quickly jumped in with some suggestions for Hollywood.

“If you need help [writing Latino characters], we will help you,” she said. “You can cast us as your romantic lead. You can cast us as your badass whatever! We’ll bring our Latinidad — we can’t leave it at home.”

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