'Diary of a Future President' star Tess Romero talks Disney+ series

Tess Romero is not your typical Long Island eighth grader, but during the current coronavirus health crisis, she's no different than any other student whose school is closed.

"It's really crazy that they're closing just because this has never happened before, and this is all new to everybody," she said. "But my teachers are good. They're going to keep me updated with all the stuff we need to learn and know."

Tess is a middle-schooler who also plays one named Elena on TV.

"She's just so powerful, and she does her thing so it's really cool," she said. "She's inspired me to try and be more confident like her."

The "Diary of a Future President" is written by a young woman who grows up to become our nation's first Latina commander in chief.

"It's a day by day account of how I got here," she tells a staffer on the show.

Gina Rodriguez, who helped to develop this series, plays the future head of state.

"She wanted to make sure that I felt at home, and safe, and I felt supported," said Romero, who is playing a regular on a TV series for the first time in her young life.

All 10 episodes were filmed last year and are now available on the Disney+ streaming service at a time when movie theaters are shut down, along with almost all movie and TV production.

Romero said she feels fortunate the series was finished before the coronavirus outbreak.

"I feel really bad for everybody who's out of work and missing stuff, but I feel lucky that I got to do what I got to do," she said.

What she does is provide a ray of sunshine.

"I think it can definitely offer a little bit of happiness in these crazy times," she said.

The complete season of this show is now available for streaming on Disney+, owned by the same parent company as this ABC station.