WEBVTT - Melissa Barrera’s Big Year: From Broadway to Hollywood Executive 0:00:00.920 --> 0:00:04.160 Why do some women yearn for Shakida's Black Hair to 0:00:04.240 --> 0:00:07.600 make a comeback? And whatever happened to the power couple 0:00:07.640 --> 0:00:10.960 of My Dreams, Mariah Carey and Luis Miguel. 0:00:11.560 --> 0:00:12.640 I'm Maria Garcia. 0:00:12.840 --> 0:00:15.600 You may remember me for my podcast Anything for Selena 0:00:16.000 --> 0:00:19.360 or my Devo and now I'm back to unpack more 0:00:19.400 --> 0:00:20.880 stories from the present. 0:00:20.560 --> 0:00:21.680 And the past. 0:00:22.040 --> 0:00:25.560 Listen to me Excited with Maria Garcia on the iHeartRadio app, 0:00:25.600 --> 0:00:35.560 Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. 0:00:37.240 --> 0:00:40.000 You could say that twenty twenty six is the year 0:00:40.080 --> 0:00:45.519 Melissa Barera's dreams came true. The Mexican actress produced an 0:00:45.560 --> 0:00:48.839 award winning film, is launching her very own production company, 0:00:49.120 --> 0:00:52.520 and made her Broadway debut, all in one year. 0:00:55.760 --> 0:00:58.240 But getting here has been a journey. 0:00:59.320 --> 0:01:02.960 You may know Melissa Brera from the Stars series Vida, 0:01:03.560 --> 0:01:06.520 or maybe from the film In the Heights or from 0:01:06.560 --> 0:01:10.840 the horror movie franchise Scream, But you may also know 0:01:11.000 --> 0:01:14.800 her because of her speaking out against the genocide Agasa. 0:01:15.400 --> 0:01:19.760 It's that outspokenness that got Melissa Verrera dropped from the 0:01:19.800 --> 0:01:25.360 Scream franchise. Now, more than two years later, Melissa has 0:01:25.480 --> 0:01:29.360 landed her perfect role and It's probably about as far 0:01:29.400 --> 0:01:33.480 away from scream as you can get. Melissa is starring 0:01:33.880 --> 0:01:38.760 in an absurd musical parody. It is so campy. I 0:01:38.800 --> 0:01:42.280 saw it myself recently on Broadway, just before sitting down 0:01:42.480 --> 0:01:46.160 with Melissa Barrera herself. 0:01:51.400 --> 0:01:55.720 It's the story of Titanic, but told through the eyes 0:01:55.720 --> 0:01:59.400 of Celine Dion because she thinks that she was a 0:01:59.440 --> 0:02:00.800 passenger the Titanic. 0:02:01.920 --> 0:02:04.600 I was so shocked that I didn't know what to do. 0:02:04.680 --> 0:02:05.760 So I just dimmed. 0:02:06.720 --> 0:02:11.880 I started to sing. I started to sing very well. 0:02:12.320 --> 0:02:14.680 And so she tells you the story of Jack and 0:02:14.800 --> 0:02:17.600 Rose as if she was there witnessing it all. 0:02:18.120 --> 0:02:22.480 Melissa plays Rose, adapting the role Kate Winslet played in 0:02:22.520 --> 0:02:23.919 the James Cameron film. 0:02:24.200 --> 0:02:27.360 And it works because we all know and loves Celindion, 0:02:27.480 --> 0:02:30.360 and we know that she's a kooky lady. You know, 0:02:30.960 --> 0:02:34.320 she's a character, and she's you know, like very eccentric 0:02:34.320 --> 0:02:35.680 and like out there and funny. 0:02:36.040 --> 0:02:40.960 The Iceberg is also a character, Donnie a Tina Turner wig, 0:02:41.280 --> 0:02:42.200 who the hell are you? 0:02:43.320 --> 0:02:45.760 I'm the Iceberg bitch. 0:02:48.400 --> 0:02:52.320 And so Marlon Mindell, who plays Celindion in our show, 0:02:53.120 --> 0:02:57.359 has done an incredible job of like capturing the essence 0:02:57.400 --> 0:03:01.480 of Celendion in this campy way, this story that's so 0:03:01.919 --> 0:03:07.080 cooky crazy, and that's what the musical is. 0:03:07.560 --> 0:03:10.399 The show first opened off Broadway in twenty twenty two 0:03:10.480 --> 0:03:13.519 and has built something of a cult following since then. 0:03:14.080 --> 0:03:17.120 It won two Olivier Awards when it debuted at the 0:03:17.160 --> 0:03:20.440 West End in London in twenty twenty five, and then 0:03:20.639 --> 0:03:24.760 in April of this year, Titanique finally opened on Broadway, 0:03:25.040 --> 0:03:29.639 earning four Tony Award nominations for Melissa Barrera. It was 0:03:29.680 --> 0:03:48.160 a return to her musical theater roots. From Futuro Media, 0:03:48.240 --> 0:03:52.760 It's Latino Usay. I'm Mariaokosa Today a conversation with actress 0:03:52.800 --> 0:03:56.920 Melissa Barrera. We talk about her Broadway debut, her decision 0:03:57.000 --> 0:04:00.840 to become a Hollywood executive, and the consequences she faced 0:04:00.840 --> 0:04:03.160 for speaking up against injustice. 0:04:04.520 --> 0:04:08.240 You probably don't remember this, sure I do. I don't know. 0:04:08.280 --> 0:04:10.040 It was twenty twenty four when we last did the 0:04:10.080 --> 0:04:12.880 interview with you. You said that one of your dreams 0:04:13.040 --> 0:04:13.960 was to be on Broadway. 0:04:14.480 --> 0:04:18.039 I mean, it's always been my dream. My north star 0:04:18.560 --> 0:04:22.799 was always Broadway. That's what got me into acting, was theater, 0:04:23.040 --> 0:04:26.200 musical theater that was always kind of like top of 0:04:26.240 --> 0:04:29.920 my bucket list. So I feel like there were moments 0:04:29.920 --> 0:04:32.680 in my life where I was like afraid to say 0:04:32.720 --> 0:04:36.520 it out loud because I didn't think that it was 0:04:36.600 --> 0:04:39.760 ever going to happen. So I would be careful about 0:04:39.800 --> 0:04:41.719 mentioning that dream because I was like, what if I 0:04:41.800 --> 0:04:43.880 never do it and then people think that I'm a failure, 0:04:43.960 --> 0:04:46.000 you know, like that kind of like weird thing. But 0:04:46.120 --> 0:04:48.760 then I started thinking about, like, no, actually I have 0:04:48.839 --> 0:04:51.320 to say it because that's manifesting. I just have to 0:04:51.320 --> 0:04:52.360 put it out in the universe. 0:04:52.400 --> 0:04:54.240 Asked for it, and then what they were just like, 0:04:54.279 --> 0:04:56.200 would you like to audition for Titanique? 0:04:56.320 --> 0:04:58.080 Yeah, well I so you had to audition. 0:04:58.200 --> 0:05:02.440 I had to audition. I actually I told my team 0:05:02.640 --> 0:05:04.600 at the end of last year, I was like, I 0:05:04.839 --> 0:05:07.640 really want to do theater this year. I had been 0:05:07.680 --> 0:05:09.039 trying for a couple of years. 0:05:09.320 --> 0:05:10.560 I was in talks of. 0:05:10.520 --> 0:05:13.279 Like joining a few shows, but there was a way 0:05:13.320 --> 0:05:16.200 that I wanted this dream to come true, Like there 0:05:16.279 --> 0:05:19.920 was a like an ultimate version of this stream of 0:05:19.960 --> 0:05:24.760 like originating a role for a Broadway show, being on 0:05:24.920 --> 0:05:28.040 like a cast album if you do that, being part 0:05:28.080 --> 0:05:31.440 of like the whole rehearsal process with the company, and 0:05:31.520 --> 0:05:34.560 that doesn't happen if you're coming into a show that's already. 0:05:34.360 --> 0:05:37.919 Running, oh right, of course as a replacement. As a replacement, right. 0:05:40.040 --> 0:05:43.679 So I was waiting for the show where I got 0:05:43.720 --> 0:05:46.160 to like do it from, you know, the whole rehearsal 0:05:46.200 --> 0:05:50.400 process and you know, being the original, even though in Titanique, 0:05:50.440 --> 0:05:52.880 you know, it's been running off Broadway and off off 0:05:52.920 --> 0:05:55.800 Broadway for years, so there's been many many roses who 0:05:55.800 --> 0:05:56.560 have been incredible. 0:05:56.839 --> 0:05:58.920 So I'm saying it wrong. It's not the technique. I'm 0:05:58.960 --> 0:05:59.640 making a mistake. 0:06:00.480 --> 0:06:04.080 So it's because we're lapping now because we say Titanic 0:06:05.120 --> 0:06:12.800 and that's no. But it's Titanic, right and English okay, 0:06:14.600 --> 0:06:18.599 And so people come and love it because it's just fun. 0:06:19.200 --> 0:06:20.600 It's just two hours of laughter. 0:06:21.040 --> 0:06:21.240 You know. 0:06:21.400 --> 0:06:25.320 I have to tell you, Melissa, sometimes I'll be getting 0:06:25.360 --> 0:06:27.600 into bed because you know, I'm I go to bed 0:06:27.760 --> 0:06:30.239 very early because I wake up, yeah, very very early, 0:06:31.000 --> 0:06:34.040 and I'm like getting ready for my you know, nighttime routine. 0:06:34.080 --> 0:06:36.880 It's like nine or nine thirty and I'm like, Melissa 0:06:37.080 --> 0:06:38.039 just got off stage. 0:06:38.200 --> 0:06:40.680 Oh yeah, And I live the life of a vampire. 0:06:41.040 --> 0:06:43.440 How are you feeling about that? Because how many shows 0:06:43.480 --> 0:06:44.080 do you do a week? 0:06:44.160 --> 0:06:45.120 Eight shows a week. 0:06:45.680 --> 0:06:50.200 It's no joke, no, because you're also you're dancing, you're moving, 0:06:50.240 --> 0:06:53.359 you're going up, you're going down, you're singing. Yeah, like 0:06:53.520 --> 0:06:55.320 you're carrying the show with your voice. 0:06:55.480 --> 0:06:55.960 Yeah. 0:06:56.320 --> 0:07:00.880 And I've always known that doing Broadway is hard. That's 0:07:00.920 --> 0:07:01.960 just something. 0:07:01.640 --> 0:07:04.240 That physically emotionally. 0:07:03.520 --> 0:07:06.240 Physically and emotionally and like everything that you require stamina, 0:07:06.279 --> 0:07:10.360 you require discipline, and it's like endurance, like a high 0:07:10.440 --> 0:07:15.600 performance athlete kind of career. I've always known that to 0:07:15.680 --> 0:07:19.920 be true, and so I just think, like, not everybody 0:07:19.960 --> 0:07:23.560 can do Broadway for an extended period of time. Then 0:07:23.600 --> 0:07:25.440 I come and I'm doing this, and I'm like, yeah, 0:07:25.480 --> 0:07:28.600 I'm ready. And I usually, like I'm very good at 0:07:28.600 --> 0:07:32.600 like programming myself mentally when I'm going to go on 0:07:32.640 --> 0:07:34.280 a shoot or something, I'm like, all right, we're on 0:07:34.280 --> 0:07:37.640 this shoot for five months, and for five months, I 0:07:37.680 --> 0:07:40.280 am just going. And then as soon as the shoot 0:07:40.320 --> 0:07:41.960 is over, I'm in bed for a week. You know, 0:07:42.000 --> 0:07:45.120 it's like your body kind of like relaxes. But during 0:07:46.080 --> 0:07:49.160 I'm good, Like I'm not even tired. I'm like because 0:07:49.240 --> 0:07:51.240 I've told myself, this is the amount of time that 0:07:51.280 --> 0:07:54.400 you just have to be on and for this, Like 0:07:54.440 --> 0:07:56.880 we were two weeks into rehearsals and I was I 0:07:56.880 --> 0:07:59.960 felt like I had gone run over by ten trucks 0:08:00.560 --> 0:08:02.840 and I was like, how am I going to survive this? 0:08:03.560 --> 0:08:08.000 And it's hard and I'm doing a show that's fun. 0:08:08.240 --> 0:08:12.720 I'm laughing and you know, it's silly and it's not 0:08:12.920 --> 0:08:15.360 it's not two acts, it's one act. So I have 0:08:15.520 --> 0:08:18.600 like the easiest, I think version of this because I 0:08:18.640 --> 0:08:22.040 love the show. It's a comedy. We have fun every night. 0:08:22.360 --> 0:08:30.000 It's one act, under two hours done. And still I'm like, 0:08:31.200 --> 0:08:33.839 I'm pulling myself out of bed because I get home 0:08:34.000 --> 0:08:36.840 like the show ends. I get home around eleven pm 0:08:36.920 --> 0:08:39.240 every night, and then I have to walk my dogs, 0:08:39.880 --> 0:08:42.079 feed them, walk them again. 0:08:42.000 --> 0:08:44.120 Cuddle, yeah, play with them twice. Yeah. 0:08:44.120 --> 0:08:46.040 I walk them as soon as I get home, feed them, 0:08:46.240 --> 0:08:48.360 and then wait a little bit, like I shower, get 0:08:48.400 --> 0:08:51.199 ready for bed. Then I walk them again because I'm 0:08:51.200 --> 0:08:53.920 going to sleep for ten hours at least, so they're 0:08:53.960 --> 0:08:56.040 not going to go until the morning, so I have 0:08:56.080 --> 0:08:58.560 to give them, you know. But I just think about 0:08:58.600 --> 0:09:02.200 the people that have kids that like get home that 0:09:02.320 --> 0:09:04.760 have to like make lunches or make dinner or you 0:09:04.760 --> 0:09:07.200 know something like that. And I'm like, how do people 0:09:07.240 --> 0:09:10.720 do this? How have people been doing this for so long? 0:09:12.120 --> 0:09:12.400 Why? 0:09:13.200 --> 0:09:20.440 I'm like, why, it's Monday. We're doing this interview on 0:09:20.440 --> 0:09:24.040 a Monday. Yes, you're about to go perform. Yes, so 0:09:24.160 --> 0:09:25.000 how do you prepare? 0:09:25.200 --> 0:09:27.320 I drink water all throughout the day. 0:09:27.480 --> 0:09:29.199 Well, but don't you have to go to the bathroom 0:09:29.240 --> 0:09:30.280 then if you're on stage? 0:09:30.520 --> 0:09:35.600 So Maria, every day, every day during the show, Yes, 0:09:35.720 --> 0:09:39.959 I am peeing my pants And there are there are 0:09:40.040 --> 0:09:42.559 two more. I only have two months because my track, 0:09:43.200 --> 0:09:46.480 I'm on stage like ninety percent of the show. Yes, 0:09:46.840 --> 0:09:51.400 so there are two moments where I run to the bathroom. 0:09:52.040 --> 0:09:55.319 It's during Jim's monologue. He has this big monologue in 0:09:55.360 --> 0:09:57.600 the middle, and so that's a moment where I can pee, 0:09:57.640 --> 0:10:00.439 and I literally go to the stage manager's office bathroom 0:10:00.440 --> 0:10:02.120 because it's right there. I couldn't there's no way that 0:10:02.160 --> 0:10:04.120 I could go up to my room. And then there's 0:10:04.120 --> 0:10:07.720 another moment during River Deep that I could potentially if 0:10:07.760 --> 0:10:10.920 I need to go again go But for the most part, 0:10:11.360 --> 0:10:13.839 like ten or fifteen minutes into the show, I'm already like, oh, 0:10:13.840 --> 0:10:14.160 I have to. 0:10:14.160 --> 0:10:14.880 Go to the bathroom. 0:10:16.640 --> 0:10:18.920 It's true, Melsa is saying that, but your character is 0:10:18.960 --> 0:10:21.319 like I'm trying to focus and trying to not think 0:10:21.360 --> 0:10:24.680 about it, but it's impossible because I'm uncomfortable. 0:10:24.720 --> 0:10:24.920 You know. 0:10:28.040 --> 0:10:31.800 Well, it doesn't show and when people go see this show, 0:10:31.840 --> 0:10:33.280 I think one of the things that they love and 0:10:33.320 --> 0:10:36.120 why it's gone extended. I mean, yes, you're part of 0:10:36.160 --> 0:10:39.080 an ensemble, but I think people who know your work 0:10:39.600 --> 0:10:43.520 have this unexpected moment with you, which is like, Melissa 0:10:43.559 --> 0:10:46.440 Barera is a very I mean she's a trained actor. 0:10:47.080 --> 0:10:49.679 She's often very serious, taking on very. 0:10:49.520 --> 0:10:52.720 Serious issues, and in this one, the best word to 0:10:52.880 --> 0:10:56.280 use is a very Mexican word, which is moikas. 0:10:57.240 --> 0:11:01.000 Can't even translate mikas. Yeah, it's like faces. 0:11:01.040 --> 0:11:04.960 You're making faces all the time, silly faces, you're hamming 0:11:05.000 --> 0:11:07.480 it up. Can you just talk a little bit about 0:11:07.800 --> 0:11:11.840 that and bringing that Melissa Brera, Yeah, with the funny 0:11:11.880 --> 0:11:13.040 faces onto Broadway. 0:11:13.240 --> 0:11:17.880 I love it because it's so fun and I'm surrounded by, like, legit, 0:11:18.120 --> 0:11:21.200 the funniest people on earth in every other role, so 0:11:21.520 --> 0:11:25.400 I feel very protected and very uplifted and like safe 0:11:25.480 --> 0:11:28.440 to be silly and try things, and you know, just 0:11:28.880 --> 0:11:32.360 like everybody knows who Rose is. Rose is Kate Winslet, right, 0:11:32.440 --> 0:11:36.400 And the movie it's like she's the angenenue, the lead girl. 0:11:36.480 --> 0:11:39.240 She's gonna fall in love and the steaks are real. 0:11:39.320 --> 0:11:41.520 She's engaged to this man that she doesn't want to marry, 0:11:41.960 --> 0:11:44.439 and she falls in love with this like guy from 0:11:44.440 --> 0:11:47.120 like the third class cabin and they have this like 0:11:47.120 --> 0:11:50.560 beautiful love affair and it's very romantic and serious, and 0:11:50.600 --> 0:11:53.120 it's you know, the steaks are life and death. It's 0:11:53.200 --> 0:11:54.319 Romeo and Juliet, right. 0:11:56.840 --> 0:12:00.160 But our version is Rose. 0:12:00.160 --> 0:12:04.120 Is horny because teenagers are horny. You know, It's just 0:12:04.160 --> 0:12:04.480 a fact. 0:12:04.640 --> 0:12:05.480 It's just a fact. 0:12:06.120 --> 0:12:08.960 And so I get to like really play with that 0:12:09.160 --> 0:12:12.400 side of her and really explore that and bring that 0:12:12.480 --> 0:12:14.800 in and play with how funny that is and not 0:12:14.920 --> 0:12:18.920 have to worry about being proper or pretty or anything. 0:12:18.960 --> 0:12:24.559 I'm just having fun and trying to show this other 0:12:24.720 --> 0:12:27.480 side of the character that I think would have made 0:12:27.520 --> 0:12:31.760 the movie great if they had like, you know, that 0:12:32.080 --> 0:12:34.160 very real like horniness of teenagers. 0:12:34.200 --> 0:12:38.800 Oh my god, that's so funny. 0:12:39.760 --> 0:12:41.280 Coming up on Latino Us say. 0:12:41.440 --> 0:12:44.800 Melissa Barrera talks about the cost of speaking out. 0:12:45.400 --> 0:12:47.240 There are a lot of people that got fired for 0:12:47.679 --> 0:12:53.360 basically saying Palestinians deserve human rights and they shouldn't be 0:12:53.400 --> 0:12:56.839 getting bombed. And it's sad to me that there are 0:12:57.080 --> 0:13:02.480 interests that are more important to certain people of power 0:13:02.600 --> 0:13:06.120 and money, and that they will do everything they can 0:13:06.200 --> 0:13:09.720 to shut people up from saying that people deserve to live. 0:13:10.320 --> 0:13:11.520 It's hard to comprehend. 0:13:12.480 --> 0:13:28.839 Stay with us, Elardo present our podcast percent See Join 0:13:31.040 --> 0:13:37.760 Luna Perciento, The take a Control Mundo, percent. 0:13:37.880 --> 0:13:38.439 Treva I see It. 0:13:38.880 --> 0:13:48.280 Oh so Lamola or the Tears goes Bia Divas in 0:13:48.559 --> 0:13:51.360 percenta format podcast. 0:14:00.600 --> 0:14:01.360 Hey We're back. 0:14:01.760 --> 0:14:05.560 Mexican actress Melissa Barera has been telling us how much 0:14:05.640 --> 0:14:09.120 she's loving getting to play Rose in the Broadway production 0:14:09.280 --> 0:14:12.560 of Titanique. The show was originally supposed to end in 0:14:12.600 --> 0:14:16.559 mid July, but it was so well received it got extended. 0:14:16.920 --> 0:14:20.760 And the thing is, this very funny production is serving 0:14:20.880 --> 0:14:24.120 as a breath of fresh air, not just for Melissa, 0:14:24.480 --> 0:14:28.520 but also for audiences too. Let's get back to our conversation. 0:14:29.680 --> 0:14:32.880 We're living through a very difficult political time. But when 0:14:32.920 --> 0:14:37.520 I came out of the theater, I was like smiling, laughing, 0:14:38.160 --> 0:14:41.400 cracking up about the fact that I just spent this 0:14:41.440 --> 0:14:44.480 time in the theater laughing my head off. So how 0:14:44.480 --> 0:14:47.320 do you put those two things together? Like the serious 0:14:47.360 --> 0:14:50.360 stuff that is happening and here we are on Broadway, 0:14:50.960 --> 0:14:54.560 you every night making people laugh like crazy. 0:14:55.400 --> 0:15:01.200 I think this kind of show is like a medicine 0:15:01.240 --> 0:15:03.960 for people at a time like this where everything like 0:15:03.960 --> 0:15:08.120 feels dark and heavy. I do think that for me specifically, 0:15:08.680 --> 0:15:12.000 being a part of the show, doing this job is 0:15:12.000 --> 0:15:15.240 helping me not go crazy, you know, because it's it's 0:15:15.240 --> 0:15:21.560 a balance. Like my algorithm is war and ice and 0:15:21.600 --> 0:15:25.880 deportations and families being separated in bombs and like ugly 0:15:25.960 --> 0:15:28.920 things that I think it's my responsibility to know what 0:15:29.040 --> 0:15:31.440 is going on in the world. And then I get 0:15:31.480 --> 0:15:33.680 to come here and it's a safe haven for me 0:15:34.000 --> 0:15:36.160 where I get to like be silly for two hours 0:15:36.240 --> 0:15:39.640 and remind myself that it's okay to laugh and to 0:15:39.720 --> 0:15:43.560 find like the joy in these times. And we give 0:15:43.600 --> 0:15:46.840 that gift to the audience as well. Of like here, 0:15:47.440 --> 0:15:50.040 you can leave all that at the door. This is 0:15:50.080 --> 0:15:53.560 a safe haven. We're here to give you joy to 0:15:53.680 --> 0:15:57.120 remind you that, like it's okay to like be silly 0:15:57.160 --> 0:16:00.000 and joke around, and hopefully you feel a little lighter 0:16:00.120 --> 0:16:06.520 when you leave. I think historically when people need it 0:16:06.600 --> 0:16:12.080 the most is when creatives and artists start making comedies 0:16:12.160 --> 0:16:18.000 like this, because people need that. Entertainment is a lifeline. 0:16:18.120 --> 0:16:20.160 You know, like people are always like so ready to 0:16:20.160 --> 0:16:22.640 dismiss artists like, oh, come on, you're just an actor, 0:16:22.680 --> 0:16:25.520 like shut up, and it's like, no, when you were 0:16:25.640 --> 0:16:28.480 during the pandemic, locked up? What were you doing? What 0:16:28.600 --> 0:16:33.760 kept you saying? TV and movies and podcasts and podcasts 0:16:33.800 --> 0:16:37.120 like just everything that is part of the entertainment industry 0:16:37.120 --> 0:16:42.880 that creatives are giving you a lifeline of conversation starters, 0:16:42.920 --> 0:16:48.000 of not feeling alone, of seeing yourself represented, of seeing 0:16:48.360 --> 0:16:52.520 maybe something that makes you think, oh, man, I never 0:16:52.560 --> 0:16:55.200 saw myself in that space, but because I saw that person, 0:16:55.880 --> 0:16:57.840 I know that I can do it too. And I 0:16:57.880 --> 0:17:02.320 think that Titanic being on Broadway six is what was 0:17:02.400 --> 0:17:06.399 meant to be because the times call for something like that. 0:17:11.840 --> 0:17:14.680 The thing is, Melissa, the things that you have talked 0:17:14.680 --> 0:17:18.520 about are in fact life and death, and you've borne 0:17:18.520 --> 0:17:22.159 the consequences right about speaking out about the genocide and 0:17:22.200 --> 0:17:23.160 the war on Gaza. 0:17:23.760 --> 0:17:26.800 Would you say you were blacklisted? Would you use that term? 0:17:26.920 --> 0:17:29.320 A yeah, definitely, which is. 0:17:29.320 --> 0:17:33.760 Like terrible as an artist, And so how do you 0:17:33.920 --> 0:17:39.280 put that the fact that because of your humanity, your consciousness, 0:17:40.160 --> 0:17:44.000 your international awareness, that you say no, no, no. In 0:17:44.040 --> 0:17:47.480 the United States, I was actually blacklisted for for my 0:17:47.520 --> 0:17:50.760 political thought, not for my actingah, my political thought. 0:17:51.160 --> 0:17:54.919 It's hard to comprehend. But it's also not the first 0:17:54.960 --> 0:17:58.840 time that that has happened to someone, and it won't 0:17:58.880 --> 0:18:01.080 be the last. There are a lot of people that 0:18:01.640 --> 0:18:08.800 got fired for basically saying Palestinians deserve human rights and 0:18:08.920 --> 0:18:13.240 they shouldn't be getting bombed and attacked in this way. 0:18:13.840 --> 0:18:19.000 And it's sad to me that there are interests that 0:18:19.119 --> 0:18:23.600 are more important to certain people of power and money, 0:18:23.800 --> 0:18:27.359 and that they don't care about people's lives, and that 0:18:27.480 --> 0:18:30.840 they will do everything they can to shut people up 0:18:30.880 --> 0:18:35.840 from saying that people deserve to live, that children deserve 0:18:35.880 --> 0:18:39.600 to grow up. It's hard to comprehend, but I also 0:18:39.760 --> 0:18:40.280 feel like. 0:18:42.160 --> 0:18:43.000 The tide has. 0:18:42.920 --> 0:18:45.880 Turned so much and like everybody kind of just seeing 0:18:46.080 --> 0:18:49.800 things for what they are, even if they were resisting 0:18:49.880 --> 0:18:52.960 at the beginning. And so I try to continue to 0:18:52.960 --> 0:18:54.680 have hope because I do feel that there's a lot 0:18:54.720 --> 0:18:57.360 more people out there that care, that actually do care 0:18:57.400 --> 0:19:01.639 about each other, and that understand that we're all connected. 0:19:02.400 --> 0:19:04.480 That we can't turn a blind eye to something that 0:19:04.560 --> 0:19:06.080 is happening on the other side of the world just 0:19:06.080 --> 0:19:07.879 because it's on the other side of the world, because 0:19:08.200 --> 0:19:10.800 before we know it, it's right here on our doorstep. 0:19:11.440 --> 0:19:14.919 And I think people, especially in this country realize that 0:19:15.480 --> 0:19:19.520 this year where it's like, oh wow, the same tactics 0:19:19.520 --> 0:19:23.920 that were used over there, the same surveillance mechanisms, the 0:19:23.960 --> 0:19:30.320 techniques used by like police are they're the same, yeah, 0:19:30.359 --> 0:19:34.080 and the checkpoint And so I do think that we 0:19:34.240 --> 0:19:38.960 just have to name things for what they are, even 0:19:39.000 --> 0:19:44.840 if there's consequences. I was one of a lot of 0:19:44.840 --> 0:19:48.760 people that face consequences. But I'm on Broadway now. 0:19:49.119 --> 0:19:52.320 So who's laughing last, you know, like. 0:19:52.359 --> 0:19:54.520 I'm still here and I'm and I'm you know, about 0:19:54.520 --> 0:19:58.720 to launch my production company. And everything happens for a reason, 0:19:58.760 --> 0:20:01.679 and it kind of it took me in a direction 0:20:01.800 --> 0:20:04.199 of like actually taking more control of my life and 0:20:04.240 --> 0:20:09.960 not allowing other people to have control over my life. 0:20:10.680 --> 0:20:11.400 We'll be right back. 0:20:12.200 --> 0:20:26.600 Yes, hey, we're back. Let's jump back into my conversation 0:20:26.720 --> 0:20:30.600 with actress Melissa Barrera. So you decide to launch your 0:20:30.600 --> 0:20:34.239 own production company, Yeah, which is not easy. Can you 0:20:34.280 --> 0:20:36.640 tell me a little bit about this, Like, No, I'm 0:20:36.640 --> 0:20:37.760 going to become an executive. 0:20:38.280 --> 0:20:41.439 I've always wanted to do that. I just didn't know 0:20:41.520 --> 0:20:44.600 how to go about it. And I got very lucky 0:20:44.920 --> 0:20:48.600 that I started working with this other production company and 0:20:48.880 --> 0:20:51.639 my producing partner was running that company at the time, 0:20:52.480 --> 0:20:54.720 and she was actually the one that suggested that I 0:20:54.720 --> 0:20:56.160 start my own production company. 0:20:56.240 --> 0:20:58.280 And your immediate reaction was like what me? 0:20:58.720 --> 0:21:02.320 My immediate reaction was like really, I was like, you 0:21:02.320 --> 0:21:05.120 don't have to be like knighted by someone to do this, 0:21:05.280 --> 0:21:06.320 Like can I just do it? 0:21:06.520 --> 0:21:08.560 Like the gods of Hollywood say you can create a 0:21:08.560 --> 0:21:09.200 production Yeah? 0:21:09.359 --> 0:21:11.560 I didn't know, because I was like, I can't do 0:21:11.640 --> 0:21:14.199 it by myself, Like I have to have someone with 0:21:14.600 --> 0:21:18.720 experience helping me run this, and who's going to want 0:21:18.760 --> 0:21:21.320 to come work with me? You know what I mean? 0:21:21.359 --> 0:21:24.560 That was like my thought. She kind of gave me 0:21:24.720 --> 0:21:28.960 like the little kick, yeah, the little kick of luck 0:21:29.000 --> 0:21:32.080 and of kind of like just go for it. And 0:21:32.119 --> 0:21:36.439 obviously you need money, right for an overhead and to 0:21:36.520 --> 0:21:40.080 produce movies. And so now it's like I'm getting to 0:21:40.160 --> 0:21:43.960 learn that side of the industry where you have to 0:21:44.800 --> 0:21:49.080 go and find financiers. And in our position, I'm like, 0:21:49.800 --> 0:21:52.760 I can't just take money from anybody. I want to 0:21:52.800 --> 0:21:56.840 be working with like hearted people, people that care about 0:21:56.880 --> 0:21:59.960 the world. And hopefully it's not just like a busy 0:22:00.000 --> 0:22:02.159 in this transaction where it's like I'll take your money 0:22:02.200 --> 0:22:05.119 and whatever I want them invested in the stories that 0:22:05.160 --> 0:22:09.120 we're telling. Because my idea of anything that I ever 0:22:09.200 --> 0:22:12.359 do is if I do well, we all do well. 0:22:13.000 --> 0:22:16.720 This is a team, and I want to surround myself 0:22:16.760 --> 0:22:19.159 with good people because we're all going to rise together. 0:22:24.680 --> 0:22:26.520 So what are the stories that you feel? 0:22:26.560 --> 0:22:30.000 Because your company is about telling the stories that aren't 0:22:30.040 --> 0:22:32.280 being told, right, so kind of what's on your slate 0:22:32.359 --> 0:22:33.720 in terms of what's not being told? 0:22:33.760 --> 0:22:35.400 What needs to we have? We have? 0:22:36.480 --> 0:22:42.000 Our mission is focused on human connection. I'm a love 0:22:42.720 --> 0:22:43.440 what do you call it? 0:22:43.520 --> 0:22:46.840 Like love? Love language? Person love? No, I love love 0:22:47.200 --> 0:22:49.400 love love. You're romantic? 0:22:49.480 --> 0:22:53.719 A romantic and I grew up watching rom coms, but 0:22:53.760 --> 0:22:56.240 I also grew up watching a lot of genre and 0:22:56.320 --> 0:23:00.480 like big action adventure things. But always what hooked me 0:23:00.680 --> 0:23:06.520 into a story was the love. So that's like what 0:23:06.600 --> 0:23:10.720 we're gravitating towards as we build our slate is we 0:23:10.760 --> 0:23:15.560 want all of our projects to have love in them somehow, 0:23:15.560 --> 0:23:18.679 no matter the genre. And we're also you know, like 0:23:18.800 --> 0:23:22.680 we're looking for new voices, like up and coming filmmakers. 0:23:22.920 --> 0:23:26.000 I love working with first time directors or like people 0:23:26.040 --> 0:23:31.520 that really have a unique visual storytelling voice. And so 0:23:32.240 --> 0:23:36.879 we're looking for like talent in writing, in filmmaking and 0:23:37.240 --> 0:23:41.640 trying to like help bring the new generation of filmmakers 0:23:41.720 --> 0:23:45.440 that are telling original stories, that are telling like new things. 0:23:45.840 --> 0:23:48.679 All right, So when we were last together, you were like, 0:23:48.760 --> 0:23:50.840 I'm dreaming of Broadway. So we're going to give you 0:23:50.920 --> 0:23:54.480