We were excited when Freeform announced the reboot of Party of Five and wondered how they were going to put a 2020 twist on a ‘90s show.
The new version of the family drama premiered in January and follows five siblings as they navigate life without their parents, who were deported back to Mexico. The show brings awareness to today’s realities for many and is told through the eyes of its stars, including newcomer Emily Tosta. Here’s everything you need to know about the up-and-coming actress.
Tosta is a Dominican Republic-born actress, who worked on local print campaigns and acting projects in the D.R. before moving to Miami, Florida. After small roles in Rosewood and NCIS: Los Angeles, she got her big break playing Leticia Cruz in Mayans M.C. before booking Party of Five as Lucia Acosta.
Lucia Acosta is a straight-A student and Beto Acosta’s twin. After the deportation of her parents, she struggles to focus on school anymore and turns to the wrong crowd. However, one talk inspires her to start helping others and even sparks a new interest in social justice.
"She has a very complex road throughout this season. She goes through a lot of things," she said of her character in an interview with Pop Culturalist about her character. "Even at the end of the season, the last two episodes, you’ll see her struggle with something really important about her identity that she’s trying to grow into. People will find out soon what that is. She’s trying to grow in the midst of this chaos."
Her first paid acting job was in the musical Annie. Afterwards, she did local roles in Alice in Wonderland, Cats and The Miracle of Fatima. (She’s also a huge fan of Hamilton, which was the first Broadway show she ever saw.) Maybe there’s a chance we’ll see her hitting the Broadway stage in the future?
When she’s not on the small screen or on stage, she’s giving back to her community and supports causes like Music For Your Heart Foundation, St. Jude’s Hospital and Feed America, to name a few.
Recently, she launched Karttos International, a charity that sends care packages to Venezuela. The packages include food, medicine and other necessities for people in need.
"To see people dying, hundreds of people dying every single day I want to cry just thinking about it. All [of my mom’s] family and my family is there," she told Refinery29.
She broke the news to her IG followers that she will be starring in the thriller Wally’s Wonderland alongside Nicholas Cage. She will be playing a rebellious teenager who tries to survive in an abandoned entertainment center possessed by animatronics. (We’re confused yet intrigued on the concept.)
"So excited to work alongside someone I've watched & admired since I was a lil girl. Bless to have such a lovely cast & crew. Let’s make this movie," she captioned the post.
Tosta has a big following on Instagram with over 201k followers, where she highlights snapshots of her life (and her impressive fashion style). When she’s not on IG, you can find her live-tweeting the episodes with fans and showcasing Lucia’s best moments.
