Dallas returns on TNT on August 18 for the second half of their new third season, and involved in a lot of that drama is the Ramos family — matriarch Carmen Ramos (Marlene Forte); her daughter, Elena (Jordana Brewster); and her son, Drew (Kuno Becker). We spoke with the very talented Marlene Forte about what is coming up for Carmen Ramos as well as several other projects she currently has in development.
KSITETV’s CRAIG BYRNE: For those who aren’t familiar with the newest version of Dallas, can you tell us about Carmen Ramos?
MARLENE FORTE: Carmen was not in the first incarnation of Dallas. She came with Brenda’s character, I like to say, which is Bobby’s new wife. Basically, the Ramos [family] – which is Carmen Ramos and [daughter] Elena – were taken in when my husband dies in an oil rig accident on our land, J.R., in all his ruthlessness, takes us in, and he decides that he’s going to take care of me and Elena. I’ve been living with them as part of the family since the accident and Elena was nine. And of course, now she’s really betrayed by all this new stuff that’s come out, that J.R. may have stolen our land and all that. So it’s a big old family feud.
If they came when Elena, does that mean that Elena was definitely not named after Ellie Ewing, the matriarch of the Ewing family?
No, no, no. I don’t think so. Although I like to think that they’re [the Ramos family] going to own it all soon, so she’ll be the matriarch of the Ramos family! We’ll see what happens.
Elena wants revenge for what J.R. did with the father’s land. Wouldn’t it be easier to just go to Bobby and be like “Look what J.R. did?”
Yes, but then there’s no drama in that, is there?
How do you think Carmen would handle the situation?
It’s funny, because just ’til last season, we used to have a joke that the only people that didn’t lie on the ranch were Elena and Carmen. But that has gone right out the window this year. [laughs] We’re just a bunch of lying, conniving… I don’t even know. I think Carmen would have handled it a little differently. I think Elena gets her emotions mixed up because of the boys, and the relationship that she’s had with both of them at this point. So, yes. Carmen would definitely have handled it a little different. I think Carmen would have gone to Bobby, but that’s why I think Elena didn’t tell me about it, either. She keeps her secret ’til the end, almost. This is all new.
What other challenges are coming for the Ramos family once Dallas comes back in August?
Well, the biggest challenge will be to heal the mistrust between the families at this point. At this point, we feel betrayed, and they feel really betrayed by us, as they should. I mean, Elena is really conniving and contriving right now! It’s not what I taught her. But she’s angry… she’s not as angry as my son, as Kuno’s character Drew is… I think he’s more of a loose cannon… but I think she’s angry, so I think the biggest challenge would be to find the trust again; because I always considered them [the Ewings] to be my family, and I fiercely protected them. But she’s just so… her head is reeling. I mean, everything for the last twenty years has been a lie! Or whatever, 15 years… since Elena was 9. This guy killed my husband! I mean, not literally, but he might as well have by stealing that land from us. It’s the Revenge of the Mexicans! [laughs]
Oh, man. It’s not good for Joaquin. [laughs] I’ve already warned him early in the season, “don’t mess with my kids!” You know, right now I think he has the upper hand, because he has them duped. He has them really thinking that he’s our champion, and that he’s fighting for us, and to regain what we lost… but it’s all a lie. He’s selfish and EVIL! And let me tell you, [Juan Pablo Di Pace] is one of the nicest guys I’ve ever worked with! Just like Larry Hagman was… you know, sometimes the worst villains on TV are played by the nicest people!
Is there any chance that we might see some flashbacks involving Carmen, Elena, Drew and possibly even Joaquin?
Hmm. There is nothing like that planned on this season, but that doesn’t mean that – when we get picked up, knock on wood – we haven’t been picked up yet – there’s no reason why they wouldn’t do something like that next year, if it came up. But there’s no flashbacks planned for this year.
Do you have a dream storyline for Carmen that you would like to see?
Oh God, yes. I want her to take over Southfork! [laughs] I do. I want them to take back that land! It’s not gonna happen, trust me. But if I were writing it? I’d have Brenda making tamales for ME!
I read an interview with you where you said that you weren’t a regular viewer of the original Dallas, but upon getting the role, did you look back and watch any episodes to try to figure out where Carmen might have fit in?
I was not a regular viewer because I was a young mom, and trying to get through college at the time. I really was introduced later on with the spin-off, Knots Landing, and that’s when I went back, then, to really catch up, and of course, you had to be living under a rock not to know who J.R. was back then, or who shot J.R. and all that stuff. But I was really just trying to get through college at the time. But then I went back, and I saw everything.
I am a huge fan of Larry Hagman. I always have been, from I Dream Of Jeannie. So I was just thrilled to see how he became the superstar that he became with the Dallas series. He was just brilliant. But I didn’t really look at it for Carmen, as far as the background of Carmen, because Carmen didn’t come [until later]. Carmen came with Bobby’s new life, and his new wife, and of course, that’s not true, because if you track it back the way they have it set up, I’ve been living with them since she was 9; so in that case, so of course Bobby might have still been married to Pamela, but we haven’t really talked about that.
So Carmen was just there on Teresa’s off days?
Yeah, exactly! [laughs] Carmen was Teresa’s sister! She went back to Mexico, and I took over for the Ewings.
You mentioned you had been a fan of Knots Landing. Did you get to work with Ted Shackelford when he guest starred on a few episodes in Dallas Season 2?
I did! I got to work with him. We don’t actually have scenes together, but we were in some episodes together and we got to hang out. Everybody was there at the funeral.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of scenes with people outside of the main family, because I’m always at home, basically, so if they’re not at the Ranch, there’s really no reason for me to be talking to anybody.
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