Multi-hyphenated singer-dancer-actor Tonatiuh brought the story of Luis Molina to life in the movie musical Kiss of the Spider Woman, released in theaters in October of 2025. Spider Woman continues to have legs and brought this talented queer performer to town to host a special fundraising screening at Music Box Theatre on Jan. 13. Proceeds from the event benefitted two local organizations, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights and Pilsen Unidos.
Named after an Aztec sun god, Tonatiuh Elizarrazaz [he/they] was born in Los Angeles and their family roots are from Guanajuato, Mexico. After graduating from the University of Southern California, Tonatiuh appeared on television with guest roles on Stargate Origins and Chicago Med. He landed a recurring role on the GLAAD Media Award-winning for Outstanding Comedy Series, Vida, and became a series regular on ABC’s Promised Land.
Film credits include Carry-On in 2024 and Roses on the Vine in 2025. In Kiss of the Spider Woman, Tonatiuh plays dual parts as Molina and Kendall Nesbitt, a fictional, closeted character depicted in Luis’ fantasies. Openly gay director Bill Condon adapted the 1992 stage musical,bringing in powerful performers like Jennifer Lopez as Ingrid Luna and Diego Luna as Valentin Arregui as Tonatiuh’s co-stars.
Chita Rivera originated the Spider Woman/Aurora role on Broadway and in the national tour that brought her to Chicago in early 1996.
Tonatiuh sat down before the Southport Avenue screening to discuss how the story of a window dresser sharing a cell with a political prisoner in 1983 is relevant today.
Windy City Times: What was your favorite musical when you were growing up?
Tonatiuh: My best friend’s mom saved up her pennies to get us Wicked tickets when it came to town. I remember seeing the Wizard singing “Wonderful” and I was blown away.
WCT: How did you prepare for the Kiss of the Spider Woman musical?
T: It was a lot of work and the first time I had ever done a musical professionally. From an acting perspective, I saw the possibilities in front of me and a body transformation for Molina. I lost about 35 pounds in 50 days to give the character the aesthetic that I wanted.
I wanted to focus on genderless expression. For some audience members, Molina might be the only person they have ever met who is gender nonconforming. I wanted people to see their body, their heart and their spirit.
Fortunately, the music was well within my range. I asked Bill Condon to give me every musical that he was going to reference, so I watched movies for two weeks and wanted to embed things in my performance.
For Kendall, I focused on making him a classic Hollywood star and I thought of Montgomery Clift in The Heiress. He was closeted and always seemed to be in agony.
I had to dance with THE Jennifer Lopez and I felt the pressure coming on. We had a little Broadway boot camp during rehearsals. and I took dance classes to obtain a level where the musical numbers would appear seamless. The disbelief was real [laughs].
WCT: I was on the conference call with you and Jennifer about the film recently. What was it like working with her?
T: We only had about 17 days to shoot many musical numbers. We just went in and knocked it out, then went home.
It went great and all three of us felt like we were going to our favorite class in school. How many times in life does someone get to travel back in time to a 1940s musical? Those grandiose sets and the costumes by Colleen Atwood. It felt like we were transported when we were on set and the theater kids inside us were smiling the whole time.
WCT: I bumped into Diego Luna at the Critics Choice ceremony.
T: He’s a good man and in Spanish his jokes are especially hilarious.
WCT: Did you keep any props from the set?
T: I kept a few things like the cigarette holder and rosary my character had.
WCT: How did the organizations highlighted tonight become involved with the screening?
T: My mission statement as an artist is to ensure the communities I come from feel a part of the celebration of my career. My parents were immigrants who came to the United States. Everything that was happening with ICE in 2025 shocked my consciousness.
I pitched an impact campaign to go with the premieres of the film to the production team. I ended up raising money to give tickets away to the communities that are affected and I bought an entire screening for the Los Angeles LGBT Center, because of their queer services youth program. We gifted it to organizations like CHIRLA (Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights), the Hispanic Federation and NDLON (National Day Laborer Organizing Network).
We started building momentum and people were getting wind of it. The Music Box reached out to program something with the film and we found these two organizations. The tickets are almost sold out tonight and some big donors are contributing on top of it. During a meet and greet, we can take pictures and raise even more money.
WCT: Pilsen Unidos and the Illinois Coalition focus on different aspects of immigrant communities, so you are reaching a wide variety of people with these organizations.
T: Yes. The parallels continue to echo what is happening inside the film in Argentina during the Dirty War, where people were being illegally detained and taken off the streets by the militia. What I love about the film is that it’s not just a movie, but a movement.
The intersections of being both Latino and queer are those of resistance and resilience. So why can’t art be the catalyst for those things as well?
WCT: Why do you think Kiss of the Spider Woman wasn’t a big hit at the box office? Do you think it was viewed as too heavy or political?
T: I don’t know. It wasn’t sold as a political film, but more of an escapist musical. I have looked at other films and many of the current big Oscar contenders didn’t have huge box office numbers.
The country is hurting financially and everything is expensive. If someone has a family of four, it can be quite challenging to go to the theater.
I do know the people who have seen the film are very into it.
WCT: What have you heard from fans of Kiss of the Spider Woman?
T: They will message me on social media and I have seen various Molina tattoos. One person saw the film 35 times and said it helped him process everything that is happening right now. He told me he felt less alone in the world after watching it.
I have watched the film five times and the last time I saw it, the movie hit me in a way it never had before because I was no longer surprised about what I was going to see. I wasn’t anxious about what the audience might think and just enjoyed it. The ending number really took me aback and I thought about how America is hurting right now.
WCT: Luis Molina asks his cellmate in Kiss of the Spider Woman what his favorite movie is. What is your favorite film of all time?
T: I have a few favorite movies and it’s difficult for me to pick just one. Some favorites are Jeux d’enfants, Titanic, We Need to Talk About Kevin and Singin’ in the Rain. Never Been Kissed is silly, but has a warm place in my heart. I love Pedro Almodovar’s films like Todo Sobre Mi Madreor La Mala Educación.
WCT: Would you like to work with him?
T: That would be incredible.
WCT: What about Ryan Murphy?
T: I already worked with him on American Love Story. That comes out on Valentine’s Day and is the love story about Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and John F. Kennedy Jr.
I worked with Jeremy O. Harris this past summer on the Spirit of the People play at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, so I have been catching up on some projects.
WCT: What did you think of Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein?
T: I was really surprised by it. I didn’t think all of my daddy triggers would come up [laughs].
WCT: How was being on the queer TV series Vida?
T: That was years ago, but weirdly enough, I was just texting the show creator Tanya Saracho, who, you know, is from Chicago. That series was amazing and really put me on the map. Tanya saw me in a play and messaged me on Instagram for a part. It was just a day player and I was only in one scene. I decided to take up as much time as I could and do the most with it. She wound up writing me in for all three seasons and I was on the cover of the Los Angeles Times before the GLAAD Media Awards. It was a great experience.
WCT: You have built a solid career.
T: I have been on an upward trajectory. I started on Jane the Virgin and Vida did well then COVID hit. I was on Carry On and Promised Land before Kiss of the Spider Woman. Those were the five projects that raised me to the next level.
WCT: Luis Molina is such a wonderful showcase for your talents.
T: I think it’s the best work that I have done so far. It’s not from lack of talent, but lack of opportunity. It’s a difficult business and this was a rare opportunity, especially if you aren’t already rich, famous or have nepotism.
I was part of a worldwide search. When Jennifer Lopez and Diego Luna were on the cast list, that afforded the production the opportunity to hire a basically unknown person like me. I was given a shot and I was ready for it.
WCT: I read that the casting call brought in a huge number of people to the audition.
T: I heard they had about 2,000 submissions and read about 900 people. Bill said that was more people than read for Effie in Dreamgirls. I was the last person to receive the casting notice because it was in December they had been looking since October. I think what is meant to happen for a person will never pass them by.
WCT: What advice would you give to hopeful actors?
T: I would tell people to ask why they are performers in the first place and center themselves. Is it time for fame or money? If it is for artistry, then still create personal art. I am constantly collaborating and fundraising for organizations that I value. That has not changed and when an opportunity is in front of me, I take it.
They should strike as hard as they can when an opportunity presents itself and do their best. Staying a little delusional also helps and hopefully, one day it will happen to them, as it has for me.
Kiss of the Spider Woman is available digitally on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.
The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights connects organizations to diverse communities for assistance and Pilsen Unidos por Nuestro Orgullo prepares locals for hostile deportations. For resources and donation opportunities, click icirr.org and pilsenunidos.org.