An Interview with Luna Lauren Velez & Rob Yang from ‘American Rust: Broken Justice’

Luna Lauren Velez and Rob Yang as Detective Angela Burgos and Steve Park in ‘American Rust: Broken Justice’ (Photos Courtesy of Dennis Mong/Prime Video.)

Luna Lauren Velez and Rob Yang are a pair of accomplished actors who have graced our television screens often over the course of their wondrous careers. Currently, they star as Detective Angela Burgos and Steve Park in the Prime Video series, American Rust: Broken Justice, and we had the distinct honor of sitting with both of them to discuss year two of this wondrous show. 
 
John Betancourt: I’m very curious as to what you think each of your characters are searching for in season two, because this season is just grounded in want.
 
Luna Lauren Velez: That's interesting. It does have a lot of want, doesn't it? And since this is a introduction to Angela, I don't think we know that much about her. But definitely connection. You know, I feel that, you know, this woman in this typically male dominated world, arena, is looking for somebody that she can connect to. And she connects almost immediately to Del Harris, and feels like they they're simpatico, right, they have this unspoken connection. And then weird stuff starts to happen. That's like, “Oh, boy, are you one of us or are you one of them?” And I think the idea of her really looking, wanting, connection and to have to be on the right side of things is… yeah, that's her quest. 
 
Rob Yang: Yeah, there's a lot of the pursuit of like, “Look, I'm not crazy. This, I think this happened. And everyone's ignoring me.” You know, like that, that feeling? I think there's a real like, need to just be acknowledged. That's, that's driving Steve Park in this this second season.
 
John Betancourt: There are so many layers and themes to this season’s storylines, what are you hoping audiences latch onto this year? 
 
Rob Yang: Hopefully, they'll be able to see… I always like, conflicts that you can understand both sides of it, like why someone might be doing something that they shouldn't be doing. And I hope, I hope audiences really get that. You know, because, like, all these characters are trying to live and do the right thing, in a way, in their version of it. So that'd be a great thing for people to take away. That’s good storytelling, I think.
 
Luna Lauren Velez: Kind of to jump on that I think there's, you know, we have such an idea, such a linear idea of what is, the right, moral thing to do. And I think they're gonna walk away with the idea that that's not always true. It's not always a linear, you know, way that you're going to find the right thing to do, or the truth, sometimes there's different ways to go about it. And I think that's one of the most compelling aspects of this season.
 
John Betancourt: This is obviously a season of storytelling that fans of this show have been anxiously awaiting, what are you most excited for audiences to enjoy in season two in general? 
 
Luna Lauren Velez: That’s almost impossible. (Laughter) So, there's so much that happens. Truly, honestly, there's so much that happens that I'm even excited to revisit it. Because some of it I might have sort of buried away, like, I can't believe that had happened. But I think audiences are in for something, something really unique, something truly riveting, honestly, and really cool characters.
 
Rob Yang: Yeah, you know, when I read these scripts, as they were coming out, I couldn't wait to find out what happens. It was just so… you know, I think we do that justice. Like, people walk away with that, there's so much happening in the second season. It really takes off. Going back to revisit it, there’s just so much. I can't wait to watch it again. Because there's just too much that it touches on, you know?
 
John Betancourt: The last question that I have for each of you today, if you had to describe the season in one word, what would that one word be? 
 
Rob Yang: Determination. Determination.
 
Luna Lauren Velez: I'm going to use the word I’ve used before and say, it's explosive.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. 

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