By Elia Esparza
The first time I met Laura Patalano (Alex, Inc., Vida) was in 2017 when by coincidence I ended up working on an indie film where she was one of the lead actresses. I was in awe of her natural ability to embrace her character in full mode– she portrayed a traditional Mexican mom to a modern, rebellious and independent daughter– who had come home for the annual tamalada to reveal a major secret or in the case for this traditional mother, it was more like a nuclear bomb. Since then Patalano has continued to rack up plenty of films, videos, and TV credits that only serve to increase her IMDB STARmeter. Currently, she has a recurring role on Netflix’s Latinx drama series, Gentefied, from Marvin Lemus and Linda Yvette Chavez, and executive produced by America Ferrera.
Check out her impressive acting reel: CLICK HERE
Patalano has continued to steadily build on her acting career as if she’s following a carefully crafted blueprint. No doubt about it, she is on her way up and there is no stopping her. The little girl born in Merida, Yucatan (southeast of Mexico), and raised in Mexico City, has come a long way!
Finally, the interview I’ve wanted to conduct since the day we met!
Latin Heat: At what age did you realize you wanted to be an actress?
Laura Patalano: It was in my teenage years that I knew I wanted to be an actress. From a very young age, I was exposed to many kinds of artistic manifestations from concerts to theatre. My aunt Isabel used to take me to see plays every other weekend, and when I was a child my games were many times related to some kind of performance, but I didn’t know that one day I’d be doing it for a living. In high school, my first acting teacher was Alejandro Bichir, a well-known director. When he saw me in an improvisation class, he approached me and said, ‘You should go to drama school, you are so good.’ Later he sent me the information about El Instituto de Arte Escénico. I was fortunate enough to be the first generation from that school and studied with the best teachers. It is a challenging and prestigious acting school.
LH: After spending 10 years building up credits in New York City, what inspired you to pick up and move to Los Angeles?
LP: A few factors that inspired me to come to Los Angeles were my professor Jorge Zepeda, the fact that I wanted to be part of a community, and a dream I had one night. My professor from drama school back in Mexico told me that I would have more opportunities in L
LH: Tell us about your current role on Gentefied?
LP: I play the role of Beatriz. She is a tough, single mother who is very stubborn, sarcastic and works in a sewing factory in the Fashion District. She is a loving mother who sacrifices so much to keep a roof over her girls’ heads. She is just like many other single mothers out there who for different reasons have to raise their kids on their own. She is pretty much a tough cookie. Unfortunately, Latinas, especially my age and type, don’t have many opportunities to play complex roles in Hollywood as they are constantly typecast. Beatriz, on the other hand, is a multi-dimensional character.
LH: What is it about Gentefied that you hope viewers will most appreciate?
LP: I hope it’s the authenticity of each character and the fact that people will be able to relate to the story and to the characters. Gentrification affects many people in many communities, It is complicated and painful for so many, but most especially for the most vulnerable in communities: low-income, working-class, immigrants, and POC. The show looks at gentrification [displacement] through a lens of humanity, and I really hope that viewers appreciate and learn how the characters deal with gentrification in their community. Gentefied talks about a variety of issues and portrayal of Latinos, and it speaks directly to Latinx communities. Gentefied has a lot of heart and soul, and I am so proud to be part of telling the story.
LH: You’re also currently on the animation Victor & Valentino TV series. How are you enjoying voice-over work? Tell us about Grandma Chata.
LP: Animation is a lot of fun. I love playing Grandma Chata. She is pretty much like my own Grandmother Mamá Grande. She was such a sweet lady and a second mother to me. I tried incorporating all the sweetness from my own Grandmother into Grandma Chata’s character. Victor and Valentino
LH: You’ve worked on so many important TV series — Mayans MC, Shameless, Alex Inc., Dexter, The Bridge, and you were even on Jimmy Kimmel playing Guillermo’s mother-in-law, which of these has been most rewarding and, why?
LP: Each role that I played was important in one way or another. One of the most rewarding roles I played was Rosalba in Alex, Inc. The fact that I was given the opportunity to be part of the show, for such a big network like ABC as a guest star gave me the opportunity to show that I am able to do it, handle it and be good at it. Often times we are not given enough opportunities to show our talent, but I feel like that is changing. I also loved that I was part of the full episode rather than a single scene. Being on set with Zach Braff and Michael Imperioli was such a great and fun experience!
LH: What is more challenging for you—a comedic or dramatic role?
LP: When I was young and I was studying at drama school, my teachers would give me comedic parts and I used to hate those roles. I wanted to be a dramatic actress. I didn’t know back then that comedy is one of the hardest things to play. Most of the actors can play dramatic roles but not everybody can do comedy. But I am happy [and blessed] that so far, both have come easy for me.
LH: The late Lupe Ontiveros left a void… Is there anything in the way she worked interpreting her characters that is relatable to you? Tell us about your own style of comedic timing. I know you’ve been compared to her, yet you’re different–
LP: Lupe Ontiveros was a very talented actress, so it’s always an honor to be compared to her. Sadly, I wasn’t lucky enough to meet her in person. I can relate to her because I have a strong personality just like she did and because she played complex characters just like I do. I believe that comedic timing is something innate and in my personal opinion, you either have the timing or you don’t. I feel like this is not something that can be easily learned.
LH: Where do you hope you’ll be in 5 years?
LP: I hope that in five years I will continue to be working a lot and inspiring other women through the characters I portray. Even though acting is my passion, I have an idea for a movie I want to direct about something that happened to my family related to my brother’s death back when I was a teenager. I also have a couple of scripts in mind that I would love to turn into movies as well.
LH: What advice do you give to younger actresses who get frustrated because work isn’t coming soon enough or consistently?
LP: My best advice for future generations is go
LH: What is the most gratifying memory or experience you’ve ever had in your acting career that most definitely help reshape how you viewed the future?
LP: The movie Mosquita y Mari marked my life in a very special way. I was cast from my demo reel three days before they started shooting. When the movie screened at Outfest there was a party after the screening and a young fellow approached me and asked, ‘May I hug you? You look a lot like my mother, she passed away three years ago and she never accepted the fact that I was gay.’ That broke my heart. I am a mother of twin daughters and I can’t imagine not having them in my life. I told him, ‘I do believe that we come to this world to be happy. Your mom was raised in a very traditional household. That’s probably why she was unable to understand you. The important thing is that you are here, somebody loves you, embrace who you are!’ We said goodbye and the next day he commented on the film’s Facebook page giving thanks to the movie, and that he had the opportunity to speak to me and that he was able to have closure on his mom’s passing.
After reading his post, I realized work as an actor is very important. We are healers and with the characters that we play, we can touch people’s lives in a very special way. I guess that is what really made me look at the future in a different way.
Thank you, Laura!
Laura Patalano is repped by Daniel Rojo Management. Follow her on social media:
Instagram: @lpatalano
Twitter: @LPatalano
Facebook: Laura Patalano
Website: www.laurapatalano.com
