Page 17 - Demo

MOST MAGAZINE - ISSUE 8017MOSTMAGAZINEQ: YOUR DREAM COLLABORATION IS WORKING WITH MARION COTILLARD. WHAT IS IT ABOUT HER WORK THAT INSPIRES YOU? A: I think the first time I saw Marion Cotillard%u2019s work, I was like%u2014who the F is that?!She had that subtlety I mentioned earlier%u2014I believed every single word that came out of her mouth. Then I saw her in La Vie en Rose, playing Edith Piaf, and that%u2019s when I truly understood the magic of an actor. The transformation was so seamless, so complete%u2014it was unreal.Then I heard how she landed the role, and I was like, okay%u2026 she%u2019s a BADDIEEEE. Not only do I want to work with her, I want to be buds with her. She%u2019s the kind of actor that inspires you to level up%u2014on screen and in life. Q: WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST CHALLENGING ROLE YOU%u2019VE PLAYED SO FAR, AND WHY?A: Without a doubt, it%u2019s Raquel in The Low End Theory.She was the most emotionally complex character I%u2019ve ever played%u2014and she was heavy. I was filming almost every day for about four weeks, carrying this intense emotional weight the entire time. It was exhausting in the best, most demanding way.What made it so challenging was how much Raquel lives in the gray%u2014constantly balancing survival, guilt, rage, and love. She%u2019s not a clear-cut hero or villain, and stepping into that kind of moral ambiguity took everything I had, as a performer and as a person.I had to sit with some really uncomfortable questions about what I would do in her position. And I didn%u2019t always like the answers. But that%u2019s what made her so real%u2014and why I%u2019m so proud of the work we did.Playing Raquel changed me. It cracked something open. It reminded me that as an actor, I%u2019m not just here to perform%u2014I%u2019m here to tell the hard truths. Even when they%u2019re messy. Especially when they%u2019re messy.Q: HOLLYWOOD IS EVOLVING, BUT THERE%u2019S STILL A LONG WAY TO GO WHEN IT COMES TO REPRESENTATION. WHAT CHANGES WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN THE INDUSTRY? A: Hollywood is evolving%u2014but let%u2019s be real, we%u2019re still not there.I want to see more courage when it comes to greenlighting stories%u2014especially ones that don%u2019t fit the usual formula. Representation shouldn%u2019t be about meeting a quota%u2014it should be about reflecting the real world, with all its complexity and richness.I want to see more Latinas, more queer folks, more Indigenous and Afro-Latino creatives%u2014not just in front of the camera, but behind it, in the writers%u2019 rooms, in the decision-making seats. And I want us to exist in stories that aren%u2019t always about identity or trauma. Sometimes we%u2019re the hero. Sometimes we%u2019re messy. But we should always be there.Because visibility isn%u2019t just about being seen%u2014it%u2019s about being valued.