The actor, who is of Cuban descent, plays meteorologist Yanko Flores, who has to deal with the reverberations of a workplace romance.
Nestor Carbonell, who plays weatherman Yanko Flores in the hit Apple TV+ show “The Morning Show,” hopes that fans will still like his character in season two.
“I felt a lot of sympathy from women and men from the first season,” Carbonell told NBC News in a video interview. “I hope that’s the case in season two when Yanko steps into it and someone threatens to cancel him.”
Carbonell plays an endearing meteorologist who is committed to his work. But he’s romantically involved with Claire Conway (played by Bel Powley), a production assistant, in season one.
However, after Mitch Kessler (Steve Carell) gets abruptly terminated for sexual misconduct as co-host of UBA’s “The Morning Show,” Carbonell’s character struggles to explain what he perceives as an innocent but complex relationship with the younger production assistant.
“He feels he may be judged by HR for being involved in a dynamic that is not appropriate and he feels completely innocent of that,” Carbonell said, “but doesn’t know how to explain it to them.”
For Carbonell, this stressful situation creates an opportunity for him to interpret a likable character who can represent ordinary people stuck in morally ambiguous situations.
“I think the key for him that’s interesting for me to play is that he’s a character that is underappreciated at work. And now, this season more so than ever, really misunderstood. Particularly by his own boss,” Carbonell said.
Season one was praised for the way it built up to a tough and shocking ending, showing the different angles around workplace gender and sexual dynamics, including sexual misconduct and issues around the #MeToo movement.
