Crafting “Brookie” for NBC's Lopez vs. Lopez with Laci Mosley

Photo by: Nicole Weingart/NBC

By: Rashida Ashley

Lopez vs. Lopez’s star, Laci Mosley, talks about her industry experiences, crafting her role, and the importance of comedy for all.

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of comedy besides a good ol’ laugh? For Laci Mosley, it’s a comfort woven in one of the most prominent art forms that allow one to feel companionship amid feelings of loneliness. In NBC’s Lopez vs Lopez, Mosley takes her understanding, dedication, and passion for comedy and fuses it into her character “Brookie” by bringing light to trauma for not only young black girls but for all.

Mosley is most known for her roles on Insecure, Kenan, A Black Lady Sketch Show, iCarly, Sherman’s Showcase, The Wedding Year, I Want My Phone Back, and more. As a comedian and award-winning podcast host of Scam Goddess, which is keen on contemporary scams and cons, Mosley is an expert on the ins and outs of comedy.

In April 2022, Laci Mosley was cast as Brookie, a recurring role, in Lopez vs. Lopez. The show is a comedy about a working-class family and their dysfunction, reconnection, and joy. Including cast members George Lopez, Mayan Lopez, Selenis Leyva, Brice Gonzalez, Matt Shively, and Laci Mosley (recurring). The show’s writers include showrunner Debby Wolfe, who is the writer and executive producer, and supervising writer and executive producer Bruce Helford. The show is also executive produced by Katie Newman, Michael Rotenberg, and George Lopez. With Mayan Lopez as a producer. Universal Television, Mohawk Productions, Travieso Productions, Mi Vida Loba, and 3 arts have also produced the show.

As you’ve prepared for your role as Brookie in Lopez vs. Lopez, what lessons from your previous experiences have you taken with you that you’ve incorporated into your new role?

I would say the preparation to play Brookie was unique because this character kind of pops in and out. So the preparation for Brookie was actually really fun. Having the experience of doing a multi-cam coming from iCarly, I had a lot more tools in my belt than I did previously. And I love the writing staff of the show. I love the showrunner, Debbie Wolfe, and the co-creators because she cares about all the characters and makes them as authentic as possible.

She invited me to the writer's room to just talk for an hour with all of the writers, and they got a real sense of who I am as a person and how they can incorporate little parts of myself into the character, which I thought was incredibly smart and really generous. As an actor, sometimes you're an actor who gets to contribute, and sometimes you’re a model. You get there, and if you mess up, they come over with the script say oh, wait a minute, you didn't say that “the” so next take. So to have a little bit of input, although it'd be quite small because they are geniuses over there and they are killing it, but even to be heard was really amazing. I'm incredibly grateful.

If you could describe Brookie in three words, what would they be?

If I were to describe Brookie in three words, it would be fun, tenacious, and audacious because Brookie’s got that audacity! She stole her boss's parking spot, her license plate is bad, you know, she has confidence.

Photo by: Casey Durkin/NBC

Lopez vs. Lopez is a show about family dysfunction, reconnection, and the pain and joy in between. How have these themes, along with the comedic undertone of the show, influenced your understanding of your role as Brookie and what you intend to convey to your audience?

There are many things that I love about playing Brookie, but one thing that I do extremely well when it comes to trauma is taking darkness and turning it into light. I have so much experience with that. I used to get in trouble with my family because I would be cracking jokes on the way to the funeral or whatever- for a lot of us comedians, our coping mechanism is a punch line; is a joke. Even though there's a lot of pain there, comedy is not funny unless it's true. You know what I mean? It's only resonating if it's a shared experience, and that's what I really love about doing comedy. Especially on Lopez versus Lopez, because a lot of people have family dysfunction. A lot of us have generational trauma. So to have a cathartic moment, and also have a laugh, and also have a heartwarming conversation, I think it's something that's really beautiful and necessary. I'm really excited for people to continue to see more of it.

Photo by: Chris Haston/ NBC

Given your exceptional experiences, what does it mean to be in the industry for you now that it’s 2023?

My journey has been interesting. I still perform live- that was taken away from us, you know, during the pandemic, and rightfully so, because we needed to do everything we could to stop the loss of life. So, that period was tumultuous, I will say.

I went back to filming pretty early. I was shooting a black lady sketch show very much in the height of COVID. To the point where I got on a set and saw someone who had on the jacket from that show. I was like, oh, did you work on the show? (They said) I was your stand-in. I was like, what? Everyone's masked, and they had us in these little groups, so you never even saw the other people. There was such a loss of connection on set that I'm used to. I'm used to knowing everyone's names, whether you’re the camera operator or the grip, and so now that things-Ms. Rona’s still out here, so I won't say things have changed, but we've learned how to adapt to this new normal. It's been really fun to be able to engage with people on set again and not be as stressed out about-I wouldn’t say that I’m going to be stressed out surviving every day, but it's a less stressful environment. Before, it was panic, and nobody knew what to do, and now we have systems in place, and we have safety, and we test, so it's nice. It's a change, and I love it.

What is the biggest thing you’re looking forward to with the premiere of the show?

I'm looking forward to people watching Lopez versus Lopez and seeing more of Brookie’s personality and getting to know that she is a three-dimensional human being even further than what's already been displayed. I think that’s necessary and really wonderful. Especially for young black girls but also for everyone. I really enjoy this show because it’s a comfort. I think comedy gets a little bit of a slight because it’s “bigger” or “goofier.”You know, we’re making jokes but people watch comedy for comfort, for companionship when you’re lonely when you feel down so being able to work with such amazing comedians like George and Mayan and Selenis and Matt and Al and create something that I know is gonna bring people joy, that really excites me so I can't wait to see what people think or how they feel.

Photo by: Nicole Weingart/NBC

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