Melissa Fumero on Filming While Pregnant: ‘I Don’t Recommend It!’
Melissa Fumero is used to playing goody detective Amy Santiago on the hit Fox comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine — but that didn’t prepare her for the long hours filming while nine months pregnant with her son.
“My ankles would get really swollen,” the actress, 33, told PEOPLE while supporting husband of eight years David Fumero at the season 3 premiere of his Starz show Power.
“[Enzo] was born, like, five days after we wrapped. I don’t recommend it,” Melissa, whose son is now 3 months, warned on the red carpet outside the SVA Theatre in New York City.
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The new parents came out to celebrate season 3 of the Starz show, premiering July 17, in which David has a supporting role. Produced by rapper 50 Cent and his production company, the show is turning heads for its first two seasons filled with tons of drama, deceit and betrayal. Centered around a drug kingpin who is trying to distance himself from his illicit life and instead focus on opening nightclubs, the third season promises even more tension.
Melissa also confessed that she now understands why expecting actresses usually take the last month of their pregnancies off.
“It’s hard to think about anything other than being pregnant when you’re that pregnant,” she explains, adding that it only makes it more difficult to remember lines and “what you’re doing in the scene.”
Although her acting didn’t seem to suffer at all during the last few episodes of the third season, Melissa jokes that she barely made it through.
RELATED VIDEO: Brooklyn Nine-Nine Star Melissa Fumero Welcomes a Baby Boy!
“I think every actress that’s done it is really amazing,” she says. “I feel like I just got by.”
Her husband, on the other hand, commented on the difficulties (and joys!) of parenting a newborn.
“It’s amazing, but it’s rough,” David, 43, says. “Lots of sleepless nights.”
The One Life to Live alum and former model, who jokes that his first child “just started paying his rent by smiling and actually caring about his dad,” says he enjoyed a simple first Father’s Day.
“We went to brunch — he’s really good at brunch,” David reveals. “He doesn’t scream or anything.”
Want to take a great nap? Just hold a baby while he screams and cries for 30 minutes and then you'll both pass out blissfully. You're welcome. #mineallmine
Sweetest face I've ever held. Enzo 3/24
When asked about his favorite moments with Enzo, however, David couldn’t help but reference a recent obsession.
“It’s true what they say: When your kid looks at you and they smile at you, you become undone. Actually, that’s a line from Hamilton,” he admits, adding that he plays the soundtrack “over and over again.”
When asked about their parenting style, David also commented on how he and his wife are doing through this new stage in their relationship.
“We talk about everything we do. It’s been fun,” he says.
Power premieres July 17 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Starz.
— Ale Russian