The Peruvian actress you don’t know, but triumphs in Hollywood: “They told me I wasn’t going to be able to”

TO claudia zevallos They told him that his dreams were impossible, not to pursue them, not even to try. They told her that being an actress in a market as competitive as the United States was a utopia for Latinos, especially for Peruvians. They told her to stop, but she continued until she reached her ideals. Currently we see her share roles with the actor Barkhad Abdi and Major Dodson in “The Miracle of the Tayson.” She is Peruvian and to make it clear that she loves Peru very much, she interceded so that the red-and-white flag appears in one of the scenes of the film.

The drama directed by Kim Bass and starring Major Dodson tells the story of a boy with autism who strives to become a marathon champion, with the main goal of reconnecting with his father. The film is currently in national theaters.

“I play Fernández, a Peruvian Spanish teacher who plays an important role in Tayson’s life. I become a great support for him after she decides to change his life by participating in a marathon, thanks to the advice she receives from the character of Barkhad Abdi”highlights the actress from Arequipa.

_How did you build Professor Fernández?

When I create a character I search and learn as much as I can, and when I learned more about autism I was able to see things from my past that happened in my house. I understood why my grandparents, who raised me, had a special relationship with my aunt Lulu, the oldest of my mother’s sisters who never married or had children and was like my second mother. They always said that she did things differently and asked us to understand her. That’s why this character was for me like a gift from God.

_Was your aunt on the autistic spectrum?

That’s right, just then I was able to understand why my grandparents had so much patience with him, why they even broke some rules in which they remained very firm. This character allowed me to get to know my aunt much more, even after her death. Also Major Dodson, the actor who plays Tayson, who is autistic in real life. A cute and charismatic boy.

_Did you encounter any obstacles in this process?

The intolerance of some people towards this group, which we really shouldn’t call them a group. It doesn’t seem fair to me that they are not given the same opportunities that you and I have, or are seen differently just because they take a little longer to learn something.

_How did you get to this production?

Kim Bass, the director of the film with whom he had previously worked on “Day of Days”, he told me about this character. He told me that to get the role he had to pass a test with the executive producer. So I did and I stayed with great actors. I was very excited when I found out that Barkhad Abdi was part of the cast. He is an extremely gentlemanly, professional, generous man… Reno Wilson, with whom he had already worked, is also an incredible person. I learned a lot from everyone.

_How did you manage to enter this competitive market?

I was working in a restaurant as a waitress when a friend calls me to tell me that they need an assistant, and that I have to report at 3:00 pm in Los Angeles. I changed shifts at work so I could go to the interview with this man, who turned out to be Harry Abraham Castillo, director of programming for Telemundo and a gift from God to me. He was like a godfather, a beloved uncle. He told me that he had to perfect my English, forget about soap operas and surround myself with people who only speak that language if he wanted to enter that market. I also studied acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse and was trained by René Pereyra, an artist who has given many workshops for Televisa.

_Did you get to “Day of days” through an audition?

It was something of destiny. My first audition was terrible, in fact they didn’t call me, but I learned a lot. When I left the place I could not hide how terrible I felt and it seems that the casting director and the producer realized that I left with a broken soul, because they registered my name in their files and then they contacted me for “Day of days”. . That was the happiest day of my life because I was going to work with Tom Skerritt (“Combate”, “The Good Wife”), although I was scared, I was excited, I couldn’t sleep. I cried a lot because it was a dream come true.

_What does it represent for you, as a Peruvian, to have achieved this dream?

It moves me very much and I feel a great responsibility because we Peruvians are experiencing difficult economic, social and political times. I love Peru, that’s why I asked for the Peruvian flag to appear in “Tyson’s Miracle”, in Professor Fernández’s classroom. I tell everyone to never give up and don’t listen when someone tells them they won’t be able to because that comes from negative and bad people, it has nothing to do with us.

-Has anyone ever told you that you won’t be able to?

Ten thousand, a hundred thousand, a million times they told me not to continue. Even my own aunt told me that she was not going to be able to; but I showed her that she was wrong and that all the effort my grandparents made for me paid off. I feel super lucky to be part of this cast and proud of what I’m achieving.

_How did you get to the United States?

Since I was little, my grandfather always pushed me to come here to learn English. My aunts lived here, I wasn’t going to be alone. I always came and went, and it was only ten years ago that I decided to stay and live here to pursue my dreams of being an actress.

_Do you have plans to perform in Peru?

I would very much like to work in Peru with a Peruvian director and actors, and for me, as with Tyson, nothing is impossible. I hope to achieve it soon. I also dream of creating a foundation in honor of my aunt, who was like a mother to me. I have several projects, I am going through a very beautiful stage.