One Major Brooklyn Nine-Nine Character Almost Never Existed
Brooklyn Nine-Nine has been one of the hottest comedies on television following the days of The Office and Parks & Rec.
The police procedural comedy borrows several elements from its predecessors yet has also created its own legacy thanks to outstanding performances from its ensemble cast.
The Brooklyn Nine-Nine cast includes stars Andy Samberg, Melissa Fumero, Terry Crews, and Chelsea Peretti. It's nearly impossible to imagine Brooklyn Nine-Nine without its main cast yet at least one character almost never existed.
It's true, Rosa Diaz, one of the most beloved characters on Brooklyn Nine-Nine actually didn't exist in the original pilot script. As Stephanie Beatriz, the actress that portrays Rosa in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, explained, she initially auditioned for the role of Amy Santiago. Beatriz, who admitted she was extremely nervous for the screen test, failed to land the role yet her audition was impressive enough to inspire another character.
So, as fate would have it, the writers of Brooklyn Nine-Nine changed a character named Megan into Rosa to reflect her personality: "smart, and scary as hell," Beatriz summarized. The actress, who confessed she always wanted to be in a TV comedy like Parks & Rec, arrived at the second audition looking fierce in a black leather jacket and boots. It was enough to convince the creators of Brooklyn Nine-Nine that she deserved a spot on the cast.
Fast forward and Stephanie Beatriz is incredibly proud of her time on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. In fact, she couldn't be happier with the role. Beatriz agrees that Melissa Romero was "born to play Amy" and that the show was unique in featuring two strong, independent, feisty Latina characters. She also went on to praise Andy Samberg for being put on this planet "to make people laugh".
Meanwhile, speaking of cast members that almost didn't make it on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, how about Chelsea Peretti?
In another bombshell revelation, Peretti recently revealed that the character Gina Linetti was written specifically for her after she also auditioned for the role of Megan (which would eventually become the character Rosa). Yes, it's hard to picture Chelsea Peretti playing anyone else but the sarcastic Gina yet that's the reality.
According to Peretti, she initially auditioned for Rosa yet, like Beatriz, was offered a consolation prize. Peretti, who had previously worked with Brooklyn Nine-Nine creators Dan Goor and Michael Schur (Parks and Recreation ), was destined to have some role on the show. In fact, the writers modeled much of her character in Brooklyn Nine-Nine off her stand-up persona.
"Do I love the part?" she rhetorically joked to HuffPost.com. "Yes, it's a miracle".