Photos Dean Isidro | Words Tamara Rappa

Actor Rafael L. Silva, a Latinx immigrant and member of the LGBTQIA+ community, starred on Ryan Murphy’s 9-1-1 Lone Star, where his character Carlos' story line made notable impact on mainstream television. This summer, he's making waves on The Waterfront, Netflix's summer chart-topper from another salient series showrunner: Kevin Williamson, of Dawson's Creek and Vampire Diaries fame. The intense generational fishing-empire family drama is set against the backdrop of coastal North Carolina, where Silva's character Shawn sails into town under false identity as a staff member at the polished Buckley seafood dining establishment---a counterpoint to the reckless and ruthless family fishing business, where chaos and crime ensue just a few feet away. We reached out to Raf to hear more about the series that everyone is hooked on, learn more about how, exactly, Shawn shakes up his world, get his own take on love and family, hear how he found mentorship on set, and what he'd cook up for his character in season two.

What has surprised and delighted you in working on The Waterfront? This is such a cliche, right? The actor talking about the creator, the showrunner? Kevin Williamson's name speaks for itself, but to be able to work with him---has been truly a privilege. It's a dream, as an actor, to work on a project where you're constantly wanting to turn the pages of your script. It's been such a blessing to watch how Kevin works on set, and get the sort of notes that he would give us. He would be there alongside the director. Kevin is always in search of serving the script in the best way possible, whether he's written it or not. That is such a testament to his artistry. It felt like a sort of mentorship program for me, and I would not trade it for anything.

Was your character Shawn's future storyline described to you beyond what we see this season?  Not yet, but I have my imagination. I haven't discussed this with anyone, but I think the way that Shawn's storyline has been established, is that this is a man who will go beyond comprehension to find family, to find love and acceptance, to find belonging, and in other words, to find home. Based on what [Writer-Producer] Kevin [Williamson] has already established, this is just the beginning of his relationship with Harlan and Belle and Cane and Bree. We were introduced to a family of four, we end with a family of five. We've established Shawn's beautiful character, one with so much tenacity and audacity, but also with a great heart. I see him staying in the family.  I see him staying by Belle's side because we end the season with Belle taking the position of matriarch. They let the boys do it, and they fucked it up. Now it's Belle's turn. I think that Shawn is going to be right there with her, especially given his background as a lawyer.

What are Shawn’s strengths, and where do you think his weaknesses lie? One of his strengths is his loyalty. Shawn is, thunderously and quietly, desperate for belonging. He will do anything to not lose the family he has now, the family whose trust he earned, and the place he's earned in the Buckley family. What's a double-edged sword for him, and what might come back to bite him in the ass, is his heart. This strength can also be a weakness. His heart is what gives him the bravery to accomplish whatever needs to be accomplished in order to have the things that he wants. His heart may also falter, at times. Will it get him in trouble in the future? Will it reveal weakness? If it does, what will that look like, and how will he overcome it? I want to him see rolling with the punches. Who is he now, after going through all he went through in season one? We have only seen the beginning. What does it look like when a strong person like Shawn makes a mistake, and we see that there are flaws?

Where and when should boundaries be kept with family? It's a big question. When people tell you who they are, believe them. You have to believe them when they tell you who they are, and what sort of love they're asking you to give them. It's pointless to think that you can have a relationship, not only with family members but with anyone, based on your preconceived ideas of how that person needs to be loved. First, you need to listen to them. Then they tell you through their actions. Society tells us that family should look a certain way, but it has many definitions, many images. And comparison is the thief of joy. 'I love you' can look like a hug and a kiss, but it can also look like, 'I need to be alone'".

Why does Shawn take the route of placing himself in the family restaurant as a bartender with no skills in order to be near his biological father and family? Why not just approach Harlan, his biological father, directly? It's that universal fear we have of being rejected. We're all scared of receiving a 'No'. We're all scared of taking the risk and putting the work in. In vulnerability, the biggest lengths we go are not external. They're internal, they are inside our hearts and our spirits and our minds. That's where the majority of the blocks in our lives come from. We can pick up the car keys and drive all the way to the destination and say, 'Alright, I'm here for you. Do you accept me?' But there are a lot of mental and emotional obstacles we'd need to get through in order to be in a place to take chances. When it comes to being asked to be loved?  What more courageous and vulnerable a position could we ever find ourselves in, as human beings? Shawn is asking to be loved. He's not even going to give anyone the opportunity to reject him. He's not going to ask permission. He has to be there, he has to know these people. He places himself at the restaurant because he's not even going to give anyone the opportunity to reject him. This also speaks to the history we don't see from Shawn. He's someone who's had to stand up for himself multiple times, being raised by a single mother in Galveston, which is not necessarily an affluent town. It's a humble, developing town. In episode seven, when Belle and Shawn are in the car, she asks him, 'How the hell did you learn how to fight like that?' She was thinking of him as this gay kid growing up in Texas; this is someone who's had to fight for his place in the world...

With the Buckley’s being local public figures of sorts, does Shawn have any idea what he’s in for, in getting close to them? What is associated with the Buckley name that he might be aware of, in terms of their reputation? Is he prepared, on any level? Shawn is the type of person who does his research. He's a lawyer, though not technically so, because he didn't take the bar. He's not reckless. He's not someone who is impulsive. He's calculated, and tries to utilize reasoning and proof for doing certain things. This is why his character arc is so incredible: he is thrown into something completely out of his realm as a lawyer. He tried to learn as much as possible about the Buckley's, but what's behind this facade? We all try to project an image out into the world as to who we are. The Buckley family is so fantastic at it. The way they're able to keep up their facade is by doing dirty work behind the curtains. Shawn doesn't know about that. He only knows about the facade, though he does suspect, which is why he doesn't come knocking at their door. 

Once Belle discovers who Shawn really is, she is quite accepting of the fact that he is her husband’s son, and he becomes a key person in their inner circle. Who does Shawn become to the Buckley’s? Once he's been acknowledged by them, he becomes the newly-discovered family member. At one point, Belle and Dave Annable's character, Wes Larsen, talk about growing up more inland and with less money. Something that Belle recognizes in Shawn, is the fighter in him. In this family if you don't fight, you die. The reason why Shawn is able to walk into this family, is because he didn't ask for permission. The action speaks for itself. And for every single member of the Buckley family, it's the same. Harlan, Belle, Cane, Bree...they don't and cannot ask permission if they want to survive being a part of this family. They're all broken and trying their best under the circumstances to find some good. These are good people who have to do bad things in order to survive. He knows what it's like to survive; he knows what it's like to escape his circumstances. And at the end of the day, Shawn is a Buckley, and this is what they all have in common.

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