Julissa Calderon On Netflix's 'Gentefied': 'These Are The Real People Of Los Angeles':

(CBS Local)-- "Gentefied" is one of the most popular shows on Netflix right now and it demonstrates what life is really like in East LA.

The series from Marvin Lemus and Linda Yvette Chavez takes place in Boyle Heights and was shot there too as it follows a Mexican-American family's pursuit of the American dream. Actor Julissa Calderon says it's a dream come true to be on a show like this.

"It's the authenticity in it. You have all of these brown characters and it's not just about our color, it's about them being humans," said Calderon in an interview with CBS Local's DJ Sixsmith. "We all have love problems and we all have family issues and you see it a raw form. They let people just be themselves. We shot in Boyle Heights and I had never even been there. I live in Los Angeles and hadn't been over to the east side. To be in that and see the culture in it was amazing. These are the real people of Los Angeles"

Calderon had lived in Los Angeles for six years before she finally got the chance to experience Boyle Heights. The actor's character was originally written for a Mexican actor, but it was rewritten specifically for Calderon after she auditioned for Lemus and Chavez.

"Originally the character was a Mexican girl, they wanted a black Mexican girl from East LA," said Calderon. "I am from the east coast and I'm Dominican. Marvin and Linda decided to rewrite the role and took a chance. They made her a Dominican girl from New York that moved to Los Angeles. On episode eight called Brown Love, you get to see them talking about this Dominican girl from New York and her culture. They talk about her food and Washington Heights and that was through me telling them about it. I had some say. I feel like I had my sprinkle in there."

"Gentefied" is streaming on Netflix now.