Belissa Escobedo Is Leaning Into Her "Very Dry Humor"

It’s 2 p.m. in London when Belissa Escobedo joins our Zoom call. She’s wearing a black jacket with a Las Vegas graphic tee, a pair of oversized eyeglasses, and silver hoops, which are faintly disguised by her shoulder-length brown curls. There’s a slight swipe of nude lipstick on her lips, and aside from a curtain of blunt bangs, it’s like she hasn’t aged a day since we last talked almost two years ago.

The 27-year-old actor may appear the same on the outside, but a lot has happened since 2024. Back then, she was nervous for the premiere of NBC’s Happy’s Place, where she’d star alongside country superstar Reba McEntire. Now, she’s a seasoned sitcom veteran with two full seasons under her belt and the green light for a Season 3 renewal. And she’s finally ready to embrace her character, Isabella, in all her messy glory.

In two seasons, Isabella moves across the country to meet her half-sister, Bobbie (McEntire), who never knew she existed, steps into her own as she navigates the rather bleak dating market, and returns to school after dropping out of Stanford. Fans have also watched Escobedo step into her own as a rising comedy star, holding her own alongside not only McEntire but a slew of big-name celebrity guests like Christopher Lloyd, JoAnna García Swisher, and Jane Lynch.

Of course, having spent the last two years starring opposite the “sitcom queen,” Escobedo has learned even more about comedy — especially how to perform in front of a live studio audience with multiple cameras on you at all times. “Reba’s comedy is very joyful and leads with grace and silliness; it always makes you feel warm,” she says. “That’s something I learned from her, because I usually go for the loud, crazy comedy.”

It’s only natural, though — Escobedo has always loved making people laugh, but it wasn’t until she played Grandpa Joe in her fifth-grade play that everything clicked. “That was my first and last time doing a musical, mind you, I cannot sing,” she laughs. Still, the revelation was more important than pitchy notes in an elementary school rendition of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Inspired by her comedy idols Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, and America Ferrera (who she says is “underrated for her comedy”), she registered for acting classes and began studying sitcoms like The George Lopez Show and Everybody Hates Chris. Eventually, she’d be accepted to the top-ranked Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, whose alumni include the likes of Zoey Deutch, the Haim sisters, and Elizabeth Olsen.

“My parents drove me an hour away to the performing arts high school every day for four years,” Escobedo says. “They were very committed to helping me in any way they could.” Despite supporting her Hollywood dreams, she says her father always urged her to have a backup plan. But, after dropping out of college — she briefly attended The New School in New York City — Escobedo moved back home to give acting a real chance. “I always said there was no backup plan,” she says. “I ignored everybody whenever they would try to tell me it’s too hard. I would just be like, ‘Yeah, I know, but there’s nothing else I want to do, so why wouldn’t I do it?’”

Honing her skills at CASA 0101, a performing arts theater in Boyle Heights founded by Josefina Lopez, the author of Real Women Have Curves, her big break came in 2020 when she landed a role on ABC’s The Bake and the Beauty. She’d eventually go on to star in Disney’s Hocus Pocus 2 alongside Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy, and, a year later in 2023, share a screen with Xolo Maridueña, Susan Sarandon, and George Lopez in Blue Beetle.

I had a lot of conversations with George [Lopez] about comedy. He told me to lean into the uncertainty of it all — act on the doubt.

“I’ve been so lucky to work with such big actors,” Escobedo says. “It taught me how to hold my ground and hold my own in this space. I had a lot of conversations with George about comedy. He told me to lean into the uncertainty of it all — act on the doubt. If you’re scared of doing it, do it, because it’s probably going to be the funniest take.”

Currently on a filming hiatus, Escobedo isn’t letting her comedy chops sit idle. She re-enrolled in improv classes and is starting to lean into her own “very dry” humor. (Escobedo jokes that her Happy’s Place castmate, Pablo Castelblanco, might jokingly call her a bully, but she argues she’s merely observational.)

But whatever she’s doing, it’s working. A proud Chicana, Escobedo’s comedy skills have made her one of the 6% of actors in U.S. broadcast television who are Latino. “I haven’t been working professionally in the industry for very long, but even then, I was one of the few Latinas. It’s so much more pronounced right now, being on a network television show,” Escobedo says.

The beauty of Escobedo’s character on Happy’s Place is that there isn’t a specific focus on her heritage — she exists as a person who happens to be a Latina. “I’ve always felt comedy is something that can unify people,” she says, adding that she wants more Latinx actors to lean into the genre. “It’s so freeing. I feel like so many people think they can’t do comedy because they’re not a big jokester in real life, which is just so not true. Comedy, just like drama, is a muscle.”

I feel like so many people think they can’t do comedy because they’re not a big jokester in real life, which is just so not true.

Surrounded by other up-and-coming Latinx comedians, Escobedo calls Keyla Monterroso Mejia and Michelladonna close friends. In fact, Escobedo’s first executive producer credit will be on Michelladonna’s short film, Azucar, which is set to start filming in April. “These connections, when they come up, are so kismet… and so random,” she says of the way their relationship has evolved.

While Escobedo is currently enjoying her time off as Happy’s Place airs, she’s looking forward to rejoining her castmates soon. “Isabella’s the most open-ended character I’ve played. There’s so much she could do, and who knows what she’s going to be like in the third season. I have no clue, I’m excited to find out.”

Until then, Escobedo will keep trying to win at pub trivia — she’s had no success yet — and keep dreaming big in her career. “I would love to do a comedy horror. Start writing more or working with a writer. I’m manifesting an abundance of creativity, whatever that may look like for me.”