How Does The New ‘Blue’s Clues’ Host Work? Joshua Dela Cruz is transforming children’s television
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Blues clues josh : After six seasons of Blue’s Clues, which ran from 1996 to 2006, an entire generation grew up without the thrill of mail time and the satisfaction of solving puzzles.
However, the show was resurrected on Nickelodeon last month as Blue’s Clues & You, with a new host, 29-year-old Joshua Dela Cruz.
The Broadway veteran from New Milford, New Jersey, was chosen from a field of over 3,000 applicants, including WWE superstar John Cena.
Dela Cruz, according to original Blue’s Clues host Steve Burns, was meant to wear the striped shirt for the following generation.
Dela Cruz is the legendary show’s first Asian American host, and his casting in the titular role has been hailed as a big step forward for diversity in children’s television.
During our phone conversation, he added, “I never believed in a million years that something like this would happen.”
“I used to watch the show with my younger sister and never imagined that one day I would be on TV. It’s been a very humbling experience for me.”
Feeling down in the dumps?
Dela Cruz, who was born in Dubai, was introduced to the theatre by his older sister when he was in eighth school, and went on to perform on Broadway in The King & I and Aladdin after training at the Paper Mill Playhouse’s musical theatre conservatory in Millburn, NJ.
While he enjoyed working at the theatre, he began to want for a project that would allow him to reach a larger audience.
“The issue with musical theatre is that it’s really expensive to watch a play, and bringing a family to see a production is impossible,” he explains.
“I wanted to do something that would allow me to put my strengths and skills to good use and benefit others. I had no idea what that was.”
When his agent told him about Blue’s Clues, he began reminiscing with his Aladdin cast mates about the show and recognised that this may be the next step. Dela Cruz comments, “This is just what I was searching for.”
However, he felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. “I was really reluctant and nervous about doing a decent enough job because they’re such large shoes to fill since they’re such essential elements of people’s life and how they grew up,” he says.
During one of the first work sessions, though, everything changed. “Steve Burns approached me and said, ‘We cast you for you.’
We adore what you’re doing and bringing to the table, so don’t feel obligated to copy or duplicate anything I or Donovan Patton have done previously. ‘This is now your home.’
Dela Cruz delved into the role and forged his own path thanks to the original host’s vote of confidence.
It’s Important to Value Diversity
Having spent his entire life on stage, the delayed audience response required some patience.
Even though the first episode of Blue’s Clues & You aired on November 11, it took a while for the ratings to show that the show was doing well.
But then the more significant feedback began to arrive.
He explains, “I started getting tagged in videos, and people started sending me photographs of their kids watching the show.”
“They’re totally engrossed in it, yelling and laughing along with it. In every sense, it’s been such a rewarding experience for me. And I couldn’t be more pleased.”
The reaction from populations that rarely see themselves on TV, particularly on children’s television, has another level.
“I got texts from friends saying, ‘My kid’s pointing at the television and saying, ‘He looks like me!’”
That is what distinguishes his performance. According to a survey by the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, at least half of all storylines on TV, movies, and streaming “fail to present one speaking or named Asian or Asian American on screen.”
So the fact that Dela Cruz could be the host of a preschool show is nothing short of historic.
Dela Cruz didn’t see Asian Americans on television when he was a kid.
“There were a few people who missed my generation,” he recalls, referring to Jeff Fatts of The Wiggles and Alan Muraoka of Sesame Street.
“However, as a kid, I never saw somebody who looked like me on television. That most likely explains why I’ve never seen myself on television — or even in popular media.”
When Dante Bosco played Rufio in 1991’s Hook, it was one of his first memories of watching an Asian American actor. Dela Cruz compares him like a rare butterfly.
But it was precisely because of this lack of inclusion that he never considered a career outside of the theatre, where he did see Asian Americans in Asian-themed productions like Miss Saigon and The King & I.
At Its Finest, Inclusion
The desire for diversity frequently leads to checklist casting, in which every ethnic group is represented, as in a United Colors of Benetton commercial.
While it contributes to broadcast diversity, it can often feel forced. “I hope that as a society, we will continue to adapt and improve, and that media will continue to reflect ordinary life,” Dela Cruz says, adding that ticking boxes may be a necessary instrument to get there.
What makes his character on Blue’s Clues even more remarkable is that he was cast without regard for ethnicity.
“Being cast in this part without needing to be specifically Filipino or Asian is extremely important because that is true inclusion,” Dela Cruz says.
“It’s not like we’re looking for an Asian to hire. We’re recruiting you because we like you and because you’re Asian, which we’re going to celebrate.”
He cited Filipino American Jacob Batalon’s participation in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, as well as the widespread acceptance of 2018’s Crazy Rich Asians and this year’s The Farewell, as examples of a changing world.
When he watches it, he adds, “The Farewell transcends an Asian American storey where it’s just about family and people.”
“It was very specifically a Chinese thing, but I was laughing because I could relate, and my wife [actor Amanda Dela Cruz, who just featured in off-Jersey Broadway’s Boys] was laughing because she could relate to situations in her life as well.”
Families of Today
His character is introduced as a “cousin” to the previous two Caucasian hosts, Burns and Patton, adding to the progressive aspect of his work on the children’s show.
He says, “It’s such a tremendous change for our show and for America because when I look at my family, everyone is Modern Family different.”
“We’re not only talking about the people you work with; we’re also talking about the people you live with.
I commend our producers and Nickelodeon for bringing more diversity to the show. We’re not going to explain it. It wasn’t a need; it simply is.”
Other forms of media consumption, such as web series, social media, and streaming, have also opened up new avenues.
He continues, “Diversity and inclusion are accelerating now because there are so many ways to interpret it.”
“People are thirsty for inclusiveness, and there are plenty of venues where they can see it.
I believe that if we continue to generate good content and challenge ourselves to create not just diverse but also fantastic material, that will begin to shift and evolve.”
And for those kids, like himself, who still don’t envision themselves on their favourite shows — or even in other industries they want to pursue — Dela Cruz encourages them to dream big. After all, it seemed to work for him.
“If you love something and work hard and are kind, there is no reason why you can’t be the person who opens the door for everyone else when that chance and your preparedness meet,” the actor says.
“Even if you don’t see yourself represented, it doesn’t mean anything because no one saw themselves depicted on the moon until we arrived.”
