2 l August
8 - 14, 2021
Northeast Oregon TV Weekly
BY JAY BOBBIN
Roselyn Sanchez stars in Fox’s
update of “Fantasy Island,”
premiering Tuesday.
Welcome again to ‘Fantasy Island’:
Series gets an update
If you think you know everything about
“Fantasy Island,” get ready for some surprises.
After two television-series incarnations and
a 2020 feature film, the concept of a lush
paradise where guests pay handsomely – often
in more ways than one – to live their dreams
gets another revival as Fox’s weekly version
debuts Tuesday, Aug. 10. (A preview special
airs Sunday, Aug. 8.) “Without a Trace”
and “Grand Hotel” alum Roselyn Sanchez
now plays the site’s host, a descendant of the
enigmatic Mr. Roarke character originated
by Ricardo Montalban; she maintains
mysteries of her own as assistants help her
add surprises, and not always welcome ones,
to visitors’ made-to-order fantasies.
The friendly Sanchez reports that she
looked again at executive producers Aaron
Spelling and Leonard Goldberg’s 1977-84
“Fantasy Island” series “once I started doing
this new reboot, just to get more familiar
with it. It’s a big responsibility to do a
reimagining of the whole thing. We feel
honored and grateful, but the showrunners
(”The Shield“ and ”The 100“ veterans Liz
Craft and Sarah Fain) have taken some
liberties.”
Sanchez certainly applauds “Fantasy
Island’s” former Mr. Roarke being succeeded
by her Elena Roarke: “I had no idea they
were going to make the character a woman.
When my team was told I had an offer for
the show, I didn’t think it was for that role.
I read the first script and thought, ‘I think I
can do something really special with this.’ ”
There may not be a literal Tattoo – the
diminutive sidekick Herve Villechaize played
opposite Montalban – but Sanchez cryptically
notes her “Fantasy Island” has a parallel
character, and possibly even a variation on the
famous opening line, “The plane! The plane!”
“The premise is very similar,” the actress
allows. “Everyone goes in with an idea of
what they need, and they usually come off
the island as better people, with lessons they
had no idea they needed.” One upcoming
“Fantasy Island” guest star is Sanchez’s fellow-
actor husband, Eric Winter (“The Rookie”).
Sanchez is having an active year on both
sides of the camera, since she was prepping
her feature-directing debut (“Diario: Mujer y
Cafe”) when she got the call to join “Fantasy
Island.” A huge bonus for the San Juan native
is that both projects are being made in her
homeland of Puerto Rico.
“It’s unbelievable,” Sanchez enthuses. “Two
of my three brothers, my parents, my cousins
... just about my whole family lives here.
When I was scouting locations for my movie,
a couple of them weren’t available because of
‘Fantasy Island,’ me not knowing at the time
that I was going to end up doing ‘Fantasy
Island!’ God works in mysterious ways.”
Call for the
Best Deal
541-963-3161 or 541-523-3673
Are Your Feet Ready to Camp?
We specialize in quality medical and surgical care
for all types of foot and ankle problems.
FREE eBooks
and audiobooks
Thousands of titles
AVAILABLE DAILY
Noon to midnight
Unlimited # of sessions at NO CHARGE!
It’s PRE-PAID with your taxes.
Access with
your Baker County Library Card
from www.bakerlib.org/kids-teens
Explore the ONLINE LIBRARY at www.bakerlib.org
541.523.6419
info@bakerlib.org
Travis T. Hampton, D.P.M.
Foot and Ankle Surgeon
541-963-0265
888-843-9090
www.GVfoot.com
La Grande
1408 N Hall Street
Enterprise
601 Medical Parkway
Baker
3175 Pocahontas Rd.