The Cleaning Lady co-showrunners Jeannine Renshaw and Miranda Kwok detail how the Season 3 premiere of the crime drama paid tribute to the late Adan Canto, who earlier this year passed away after battling appendiceal cancer.
The Mexican actor, who portrayed Arman Morales in The Cleaning Lady, has been one of the show’s most significant characters since it debuted on Fox back in 2022. Of course, with Canto no longer available on set, the showrunners shared on TVLine how they kept the actor’s memory alive and the “Hollywood magic” that went into filming the premiere episode.
“It was really important for us to honor him as a person and also him as a character, and what he meant to the show, and what he meant to fans. It was very carefully thought out and discussed so that we could tell the best story we could that would also honor him and allow our other characters to process his absence,” said Kwok.
Renshaw added, “We originally crafted the season around him. It was an Arman-driven season anyway. And when we first heard he was struggling and having treatment, we wanted to make sure we had a story crafted — like Miranda’s saying — where he could join us at any time and we could open it up for him. We had it all planned to welcome him back at the end of the season. It was so sad for all of us and a very, very tragic moment, but we also felt we honored him in a really nice way. All of the crew and the other actors really got a chance to process it, and hopefully the audience will get that chance, as well.”
Canto’s character was not written off the show
On the character’s brief appearance at the start of the premiere episode, Renshaw revealed that Canto was aware about their plans and was with them along in the process. So, although “it was not him on set,” Renshaw said that it is still Canto in a way.
“He was aware of the story we were telling and was kind of honored to have the season still revolve around him with the option of him coming back,” said Renshaw.
As the premiere episode concludes, the show made it clear that the latest season serves as a tribute to the late actor, ending the episode with a tribute card that reads, “This season is dedicated to our beloved friend Adan Canto.”
Canto is also known for his roles in X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Following, Mixology, Blood & Oil, and Designated Survivor, among others.
