By Cris Franco
Ana Nicolle Chavez co-stars in Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Martyna Majok´s two-person play Sanctuary City at the Pasadena Playhouse now through October 9th.
A tale of two, average American teens struggling with crushes, prom, graduation – and deportation. We caught up with this very busy young actor who states that her mission is to be part of the “necessary wave of Latinx representation and storytelling.” Here’s how Ms. Chavez tells her story.
Cris Franco (CF): What about your childhood inspired you to pursue acting?
Ana Nicolle Chavez (ANC): I was born and raised in the Tucson, Arizona desert. Where it’s hot and sunny year-round. It does get cold– eventually, a little bit. There wasn’t much to do besides going to the movies or sporting events. I only cared for the movies due to the magic combination of theater’s strong A/C and how it allowed me to venture into a new world. I’d return to the movies for that feeling of being completely swallowed by the world of that giant screen presenter. It’s a comforting feeling of forgetting you exist! I have always been inspired by how storytelling can transport me to places I otherwise would have never known. Movies were the closest I could come to experiencing that in Arizona. Theatre has that same magic. I guess that it was my longing to be part of that magic that drew me to perform.
CF: What was your most memorable early acting job and how did you come to land your role on the series Truth Be Told?
ANC: My first acting job in Los Angeles was a commercial for TEXTNOW the app. It was a thrilling experience to be on set. It fired my determination to get more work. That determination led me to land my part on Truth Be Told.
CF: In Sanctuary City, your co-star MILES FOWLER plays “B” and you play “G.” What do the initials stand for and what is B and G’s relationship?
ANC: The initials “B” and “G” are placeholders for “Boy” and “Girl.” But their names might begin with those letters as well. The point is that these two characters live in a world where they don’t exist on paper, unknown to the government. Being undocumented comes with a lot of hiding. I think that not assigning these characters real names amplifies how the world treats those among us without legal identification.
CF: Two-handers like Sanctuary City, require a certain trust and chemistry between the two actors. How do you and your co-star get along?
ANC: I’m lucky because Miles (my co-star) and I really trusted and connected pretty early on in the rehearsal process. I can’t imagine spending this much time, working this intensely with someone I didn’t like. There’s a lot of trust and playfulness that makes it so much easier to feel safe in accessing the darker places we go into in this play.
CF: Tell us about your heritage and how being a Latinx performer has affected your artistic path.
ANC: I have always been proud of being Mexican. My parents and younger brother were born in Mexico. Which frankly made me feel a little left out. I’m joking, but I’m grateful to have grown up near the border so I could see my extended family a little more often. I would say noticing the lack of Latinx representation growing up ignited my conviction towards pursuing an acting career full throttle. All it took was Selena Gomez’s portrayal of Alex Russo in Wizards of Waverly Place for me to realize it would be possible for me, too.
CF: Who inspired you?
ANC: Growing up I loved Disney Channel. As I mentioned earlier, the character Alex Russo was monumental for me. I always loved action movies, especially how epic they felt in a movie theater. Musicals and their spectacle also left their mark on my imagination. Chicago, Moulin Rouge, and the like were a part of the same magic I later found in Shakespeare as well. Especially in Baz Luhrmann’s version of Romeo + Juliet, which had all the elements of storytelling that I love.
CF: I understand that Sanctuary City addresses the question: How much do we as humans owe each other? If that is, indeed, the play’s central question – what do you feel is the answer?
ANC: I’m not sure we owe each other anything aside from perhaps kindness, respect, and compassion. And those expectations don’t apply unless a person holds themselves equally accountable to them, too. The truth is we are all free to do as we please, technically.
CF: What do you hope audiences take away from the play?
ANC: I hope people remember that undocumented people are already a part of your lives. Some are your friends and many are part of your community. They are people just like you and me and the status of their paperwork does not change their value as fellow human beings.
CF: Along with the joy of creation, every actor experiences the feeling of rejection at not getting a part they truly wanted to portray. How do you handle those disappointments?
ANC: Rejection is normal, I am a big believer in destiny and so when things don’t pan out the way I thought or wished they could I just remember it’s because it wasn’t meant to be.
CF: You’re a graduate of State University of New York, Purchase College Acting Conservatory. Along with your formal education what personal qualities have helped you succeed at the acting profession?
ANC: I am stubborn. And I like what I do.
CF: Is anyone in your family in the arts and how do your parents and family feel about your career choice?
ANC: My family has always known that I wanted to be an actress. Both my parents have artistic talents in writing, painting, and sculpting so the desire to be creative never felt strange. I’m endlessly grateful to my family for their support.
CF: Do you have any advice for aspiring young actors?
ANC: Do what your heart desires. No one but you can stop you from being creative!
To see Ms. Anna Nicolle Chavez do what her heart desires in Sanctuary City at the Pasadena Playhouse log onto: www.pasadenaplayhouse.org or call 626-356-7529.