A STAR
If you’ve been tuning into Netflix for new episodes of the rebooted Dynasty, you’ll no doubt have noticed smoking-hot Rafael de la Fuente, who plays Sammy Joe — a gay male version of Sammy Jo, played by Heather Locklear in the original. The 31-year-old Venezuelan is no stranger to playing gay characters on hit TV shows, having starred as Jussie Smollett’s on-off love interest in Empire, and in Dustin Lance Black’s mini-series When We Rise, as activist Cleve Jones’s boyfriend. Originally from Caracas, Rafael moved to the US to study and has stayed there ever since, eventually being scouted by a casting director who noticed a photo of him in his father’s office. His Hispanic heritage has led to him being an advocate for increased representation of Latinx culture in Hollywood, calling for not only more Latinx actors to be cast, but also more writers and creators to be given opportunities. With Dynasty being picked up for a full season of 22 episodes, you can tune in every Thursday for your fix.