Angelic Zambrana – Girls (TV)

It’s been six years since Latina actress Angelic Zambrana made heads turn as part of the young ensemble cast in the Oscar-winning film “Precious.” In the film, Zambrana played Consuelo, an at-risk teenager opposite Oscar-nominated actress Gabourey Sidibe’s title character. Since the 2009 drama, Zambrana has starred in a number of independent films, including “Sleepwalk with Me” and “Rites of Passage.”

Zambrana’s 2012 film, “Musical Chairs” will be airing throughout the month of April on HBO & will be available on demand via HBO GO! In “Musical Chairs,” the inspiring romantic film from renowned director Susan Seidelman (“Desperately Seeking Susan”), Angelic stars alongside EJ Bonilla, Leah Pipes, Laverne Cox, Morgan Spector, Auti Angel, Jerome Preston Bates, and Nelson R. Landrieu.

During an interview with me on her birthday (Feb. 21), Zambrana and I talked about what’s she’s been up to since her role in “Precious,” how she feels about nudity as an actress and explains what the situation would have to be if she said yes to playing a role as a chola.

How has life changed for you over the last five years since your film “Precious” received so much attention back in 2009?

I think more than my life, I have changed over the last few years. “Precious” was a really beautiful experience. It catapulted me. I got to meet all of my idols – Oprah Winfrey, Sidney Poitier. It was crazy. I changed as a person. I became more humble. I focused more on the art of acting and caring less about the sparkle. We were all kids when we did “Precious.” We were all mature and talented, but I needed to grow as an actor. That’s what I’ve been working on.

What about professionally? Did your role in “Precious” give you more opportunities in the industry? Did you have the advantage of being able to say “no” to some of those things if they weren’t right for you?

Even before “Precious,” I would already say no to things that were badly written. (Laughs) There’s nothing you can do to save a badly-written script. No good actor could save a badly-written script. Some of the scripts were just overtly sexual. I mean, if [the sex] has something to do with the story, I’m all for it. But if it’s just gratuitous, then I’m not. But “Precious” did open the doors for more auditions, to meet studio heads, to go to meetings. It gave me so much confidence and I had so much fun doing those things. Sometimes I wouldn’t get into auditions because I was typecast, but for the most part “Precious” did open doors for me. Even today, “Precious” still helps with the pitch.

Give me an example of something you’ve said “no” to.

The thing is I’ve said yes to things I thought were going to be great, but they didn’t pan out. (Laughs) I think what I’m trying to do now is take care of who I am as an actor and really do things that I want to do. I won’t name specific things I’ve said no to, but I would say no to things that I didn’t feel comfortable doing. I mean, I like a good challenge, but if it’s something I don’t agree with or felt was gratuitously sexual for no purpose, I wouldn’t do it.

So, nudity, in general, wouldn’t be out of the question for you, but it would have to serve a purpose in the story, correct?

Yeah. I mean, I love my body. It’s my instrument. I’ve been an athlete since I was a child. I work out now. I don’t know if I would do nudity or not. I’m still young in my career. I don’t know if I would want to put myself out there like that. For me to expose my intimate parts to the world, I feel like it would really need to be worth it. (Laughs) I’m not going to be like, “Wooo! Here are my tits!”

Nudity on TV has been a hot-button topic recently since “Girls” debuted on HBO. I know you recently had a small part on that show. What’s your take on the show and how it’s been criticized by some as including nudity simply for nudity’s sake?

I think that each artist has different things they are willing to compromise and not compromise on. It’s [Lena Dunham’s] show. It’s her baby. If she sees a reason why [there should be nudity], it will have its benefits in the long run. She believes in what she is doing. If you want to be naked and it makes sense to you, it will be fine. If you are uncomfortable and you’re out there and you’re naked, it’s going to be [uncomfortable].

Another criticism about “Girls” is that, until recently, there haven’t been any Latina actresses on the show. This season we have Melonie Diaz in a supporting role. Did you see this as a problem in past seasons, especially since the show is set in a city as diverse as New York?

I always felt these shows that cast in New York City really do a good job at casting diverse characters. With a show like “Girls” I think that’s starting to change and I think that it’s happening overall. I mean, I have an audition for something soon that I never thought would be open to a Latina. I can’t say what it is yet, but it’s a period piece. But I think the media is finally getting it and the doors are finally opening up. There are more things opening for [Latinos]. We don’t have to be the drug dealers anymore. But I love “Girls” because it’s true to what it is. That’s her and her group of friends. As long as it’s realistic, then I’m OK with that. I don’t feel like there has to be a minority in everything.

You mentioned earlier about getting typecast, which I know is not something you want as a Latina in this industry. But at the same time, your role in “Girls” is a nanny. Talk to me about that. How do you make a decision to play a nanny in “Girls” but you might pass on playing a chola on another project?

The thing is, I wouldn’t pass on playing a chola unless it was badly written and cheap. A chola is a real person. If the role is great, give me the chola! For “Girls,” I went in for a bigger part and almost got it, but I was too young. So, they offered me [the nanny] role. So, I said, “Why not!?” I had fun with it.

I’m sure over the last five years there have been ups and downs for you going into auditions. Have you felt the cutthroat nature of the industry yet?

Yes, of course. I’m not this supermodel soap star. (Laughs) A lot of the times, there is this idea of what a Latina woman is supposed to look like. But I don’t focus on that. I focus on the fact that I have been given this gift and that I work really hard to improve on my art. But, yeah, I’ve felt the cutthroat nature of it all. When you do anything for TV or film, you’re put on this platform. [Actors] have a product to sell and people go to them when they want their product. But you have to have tough skin in this industry. Sometimes you don’t get a role because they wanted someone who is a blonde or someone tall or someone more ghetto. It’s all about how you fit into the story. As long as you audition your behind off, it’ll pay off somehow.

E.J. Bonilla – Musical Chairs

For Puerto Rican actor E.J. Bonilla, acting is an artistic outlet he hopes will allow him to affect people in positive ways. In 2009, Bonilla starred in the drama “Don’t Let Me Drown” as a New York City teenager who starts to have feelings for a girl in his neighborhood who lost her sister on 9/11. Bonilla maintains his enthusiasm for dramatic roles in “Musical Chairs,” the story of a dancer named Mia (Leah Pipes) who must learn to perform differently after an accidents confines her to a wheelchair. In “Musical Chairs,” Bonilla plays Armando, a young man who motivates Mia to enter a wheelchair ballroom dance competition.

During an interview with me, Bonilla talked about his dance background and how movies like “Musical Chairs” coincide with his career plans as an actor.

How close are you to your character in terms of dancing in public?

(Laughs) It’s something I actually do. I’ll run out into the street and start dancing. It sounds a little crazy, but when you’re in New York people don’t really care. Most people in New York are crazy anyway. I love dancing.

What is your background in dance?

Even before I knew I wanted to be an actor I knew I wanted to perform. I found that in different outlets like choir and dancing in a ballet company. I took ballet for a while and modern dance for a couple of summers. I trained hard because I wanted to see if dancing was the way I wanted to go. But acting just worked out.

Were you a fan of dance movies in general?

Yeah, “You Got Served” is my generation. I had some friends that would tell me, “We can do that! If we start training right now, we could be great when we’re in our 20s.” But we never actually battled anybody. There’ve been a couple of bad [dance movies], but most of them are fun.

Do you feel closer to some of the Latin genres of dance because you are Latino, or is it just as fun to dance to hip-hop?

When you’re boricua and you’re raised New York, salsa music is always playing somewhere in your house. In my neighborhood, the salsa music had to be blasting louder than your heartbeat. I always danced with my mom in the living room, but I really didn’t feel it like my mother felt it. But one day I woke up and it was on and the rhythm hit me.

In “Musical Chairs,” you get to dance with someone who is confined to a wheelchair. What were the challenges in doing that just from a technical aspect?

Yeah, there is a different type of physicality to wheelchair ballroom dancing I didn’t know about. It’s fascinating. You’re using all these muscles, but you have to make it look fluid. When you dancing with someone in a wheelchair you have to retrain yourself on where to put all your weight and use all these different techniques. It’s like you become they’re anchor. It’s really challenging, but beautiful, too.

I really loved one of your last films “Don’t Let Me Drown.” Now with “Musical Chairs” out at theaters, where do you go from here? What kind of roles are you looking for?

I’m glad you’ve seen “Don’t Let Me Drown.” I knew when I finished that film I wanted to tell more stories like that. That movie taught me a lot about acting. I want to tell real human stories like that – stories that affect people. I hope to be recognized for my talent and as someone who can take people away from their everyday lives even if it’s just for an hour and a half.