The first two episodes of National Treasure: Edge of History are now available for subscribers to watch on Disney+. The streaming series is an expansion of the National Treasure movie franchise and includes several returning cast and crew members. Created for television by Cormac and Marianne Wibberley, Lisette Olivera plays the leading role of Jess Valenzuela, a 22-year-old whose life is turned upside down when she is accidentally caught up in an elaborate treasure hunt.
Jess’s problem-solving skills don’t go unnoticed, and it doesn’t take long for a ruthless black-market antiquities dealer to see her as a threat. With both her own and her friends’ lives at risk, Jess must decide how far she’ll go to solve the centuries-old puzzle and uncover the truth of her family history. Lisette Olivera can also be seen in the Tribeca Film Festival selection, We Need to Do Something, and the 2018 television series, Total Eclipse.
Star Lisette Olivera chats exclusively with Screen Rant about the importance of showcasing a different American experience and how the National Treasure hunt may finally shed light on Jess’ family history.
Lisette Olivera Talks National Treasure: Edge of History
Screen Rant: Unlike the original films, the series has a female protagonist, and on top of that, she’s not an American citizen. What’s most important to you about these changes?
Lisette Olivera: What’s most important to me is that people get to see that there is another American experience that exists and is important and valid. Jess is somebody who was not born in the United States, but she has every intention to want to be American. I think that’s a really beautiful symbolism that’s implemented in our story.
Similar to Ben, she has a very, very strong mind and is very courageous in the sense, but for her, she operates a lot from her heart. I think that’s really beautiful. It is a continuation of the story, though. So we do have a lot of other characters coming back, and we get to see how they interact and move Jess’ story forward.
What is it that you like most about playing Jess? Does she have any qualities that really stood out to you?
Lisette Olivera: Yes, one thousand percent. I think it’s her courage, and how she faces worldly adversities in her life, and her relationships. Just in general, she, quite frankly, is one of the bravest people, I’ve come to know. I know she’s fictional in the sense, but I put a lot of my heart into her, so to me, she feels real. She is real because she’s a reflection of multiple stories here in the United States that don’t always get to see light and be told in a really big franchise like this. I think that’s really special.
We know from the first episode that Jess doesn’t have a very fond opinion of her father. Is this something that the search might change?
Lisette Olivera: I think it wasn’t that she didn’t have a fond opinion of him, it was what her mother told her as a child. I think she loves her mother so much, she never felt the need to overstep or to want to push to figure out who her father was. Unfortunately, she’s still grieving the loss of her mother. We pick up the story about a year after she passes away.
Her life’s at a standstill, and so when she hears that her father may or may not have something to do with something incredibly crazy, like a Pan-American treasure, she starts getting really curious. She feels like she has nothing really going for her, and so she takes it upon herself to have the courage, despite her being DACA, to go after the treasure. I think that’s a testament to how important that treasure is to her because she decides to risk it all.
Do you enjoy solving puzzles like Jess? Do you two have that in common?
Lisette Olivera: I think she’s definitely better at solving puzzles. I would like to think that I could do it because I played her. But honestly, I’m going to bow down and give her all my respect because she definitely takes the cake.
Let’s say that you’re going on this treasure hunt, and you can have one skill. What do you think would be the most helpful?
Lisette Olivera: A perfect memory. I guess it’s similar to Jess. She doesn’t forget any details. She knows everything and can take herself back into a moment in time and remember something important that helps further her story. If I could have her superpower in a way, that would be really cool.
About National Treasure: Edge of History
Jess Valenzuela’s life is turned upside down when an enigmatic stranger gives her a clue to a centuries-old treasure that might be connected to her long-dead father. Jess has a knack for solving puzzles, and her skills are put to the test as she and her friends follow a series of clues hidden in American artifacts and landmarks. But can Jess outsmart a black-market antiquities dealer in a race to find history’s greatest lost treasure and unbury the truth about her family’s past?
Check out our other interviews with the National Treasure: Edge of History cast:
- Catherine Zeta-Jones
- Zuri Reed & Lyndon Smith
- Jerry Bruckheimer
- Jordan Rodrigues, Antonio Cipriano, & Jake Austin Walker
The first two episodes of National Treasure: Edge of History are now available to stream on Disney+.
