‘Grand Hotel’ Star Chris Warren Teases Eva Longoria-Directed Episode 3

Grand Hotel is getting a dose of Eva Longoria in Episode 3 both in front and behind the camera. ABC’s summer soap will return with a new episode Monday — set to introduce Longoria’s Beatriz Mendoza in flashbacks — in addition to marking the Desperate Housewives alum’s directorial debut on the series.

Chris Warren, who plays server Jason on the ABC drama series, spoke exclusively with PopCulture.com and teased the upcoming twisty episode, set to continue to unravel the many twists and turns at the Riviera Grand hotel.

At the end of Episode 2, Jason became the first person to discover Danny’s (Lincoln Younes) real identity as the brother of missing worker Sky (Arielle Kebbel). Rather than going straight to his mother and manager Mrs. P (Wendy Raquel Robinson), the pair formed a new bond that will have them working together to solve the mystery of what happened to Sky the night of the hurricane in future episodes.

“I think his loyalty starts to become a bit torn between his loyalty to his family and his mom and the hotel, and then his loyalty to this new friend that he has, where he is trying to help him solve this mystery of what happened to his sister,” Warren told PopCulture.com in a phone interview Thursday, June 27. “Throughout the season, it becomes a real struggle between the two.”

The new dynamic adds an extra layer of drama to the summer series, which Warren teased the show will slowly bring together in future episodes.

“Curveball” will add more information into the hotel’s big mysteries, as the official description for the episode teases Danny will find a new piece of evidence related to his sister’s disappearance. Meanwhile, Alicia (Denyse Tontz) and Gigi (Roselyn Sanchez) will struggle with their new roles at the hotel, when Gigi gives a glimpse into Alicia’s mother, Beatriz’s mysterious past.

“We will learn a lot about Eva’s character,” Warren said of the upcoming hour. “I think that backstory is going to help connect a lot of dots with a lot of things that we know so far.”

The hour will also be a big one for Jason, as he helps Danny with the mystery of Sky’s disappearance. Warren praised Longoria for showcasing her talents as a director, producer and actress on the big episode.

“To have someone who’s that experienced, and who understands what it’s like to be on this side of the camera and to be on a show like this, she was able to speak to us in a way that I think it made everybody on set a lot more comfortable,” he said. “She’s so talented as an actress and as a director, so to be able to be that close to her, and learn from her and from her guidance, it’s pretty amazing.”

Grand Hotel airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.