Oscar-nominated actress Catalina Sandino Moreno is trying horror again, a genre she has explored only a few times in her career. 

The  Colombian-born artist stars in the current Epix television series From, about a mysterious town that traps everyone who arrives, in the middle of a large forest and with terrifying creatures that come out at night.

“This show can be very scary,” Moreno says. For starters, once newcomers set foot in the town, there is seemingly no road that can lead them out of the nightmare they just entered. That is exactly what Moreno’s character discovered one day when she and her family arrived in their recreational vehicle and asked for directions to a highway whose sign they may have missed. After getting directions from a resident, the family tries to leave but soon find themselves back in the town, over and over again. Nighttime bring only more surprises and terror. 

“It is meant to be very scary,” chimes in show’s creator and writer John Griffin, a budding filmmaker whose only other credit on the website IMDb is writer of one episode for the TV horror series The Twilight Zone. “The show really began with the idea of what it would be like if the reality that you knew were taken away and your day-to-day reality literally became a nightmare.”

Interjects Moreno, “And there are monsters in those nightmares.” She plays Tabitha Matthews, a wife and the mother of a young boy and teen daughter. “My husband, my son and I have moved into a town in middle America that traps everyone who enters. We are plagued by the threats, including terrifying nocturnal creatures.” 

Cast as Tabitha’s family are Eion Bailey (Once Upon a Time) as husband Jim, Simon Webster (Lucas the Spider) as son Ethan and Hannah Cheramy (Van Helsing, series) as daughter Julie. Other cast members include Harold Perrineau, Shaun Majumder, Avery Konrad, Ricky He, Elizabeth Saunders and Cynthia Jimenez-Hicks.

A native of Bogotá, Moreno was studying acting at the Colombian capital’s Pontificia Universidad Javeriana when she was plucked out to play the lead in Maria Full of Grace (Maria: Llena de Gracia ) in 2004. In the U.S.-Colombian co-production, Moreno is Maria Álvarez, a pregnant Colombian teenager who becomes a drug mule to make some desperately needed money for her family. That first role launched Moreno’s international career, receiving an Academy Awards nomination for her performance and earning her the Silver Berlin Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin International Film Festival 2004, an honor she shared in a tie with Charlize Theron for Monster.

Her acclaimed debut performance led her to move to New York to continue studying acting and soon joined other international and Hollywood movies like France’s Paris, Je T’Aime, Fast Food Nation and Love in the Time of Cholera, co-starring with actors like Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Javier Bardem, Benjamin Bratt and Benicio Del Toro. She also has appeared in the TV series The Bridge, American Gothic and East Los High.

To dramas, thrillers and comedies, she also added horror projects like the TV movie Incarnate and the indie films Pure Magic and At the Devil’s Door.

The new Epix series brings Moreno back to the scary genre. 

“In From, I think my first meeting of ‘the creatures’ is in episode three, we’re moving into our house,” she says. “And they’re not that scary, at first. I mean like they’re just normal people walking towards you, but then you learn what they can do.” In those encounters, death is a strong possibility.

The horror sometimes felt real in the set, according to the director. “I’ll add one more thing about the monsters,” says Bailey, the show’s creator. He recalled the filming of a dream sequence in which a creature frightened Simon, the child actor playing the son. “And if we ever had a chance to see how sufficiently frightening these creatures are, we saw it by how Simon responded,” stated the filmmaker. “One of the cast members, very thankfully, recognized that Simon was definitely afraid. We had to comfort him and put an arm around him and tell him, ‘It’s going to be okay.’”

Echoing the director’s concerns, Moreno also considered the need to address the impact of horror scenes on the cast members, especially children. “I remember me asking, ‘Can we just talk about this scene?’,” recalls the actress, adding that throughout the shooting of the episodes the collaboration with the cast and crew felt great. Her personal experience and Latino culture also helped Moreno with the role of Tabitha. “I think it’s helpful to just imprint some of (myself) into my character,” explains the Colombian thespian. “I think we all did that. I hope so. As a Latinx mother of a 13-year-old, I think we do things differently from other cultures.” She concludes, “I think it was interesting to bring myself into this woman I was playing. I really enjoyed doing that.”

The From crew features other filmmakers who have worked in major Hollywood productions, including an award-winning Puerto Rican.

Joining Bailey as a writer is Javier Grillo-Marxuach, a Boricua whose writing and producing credits include the series Lost and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, both of which earned him Primetime Emmys for production. 

The series is executive produced by Josh Appelbaum (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Jack Bender (Lost), Anthony Russo (Avengers: Endgame) and Jeff Pinkner (Fringe). Tom Luse (The Walking Dead) is a consulting producer.

From premiered Feb. 20 and airs Sundays. For international audiences, the show streams on Netflix.

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By Elia Esparza

After hearing about Eliana Alexander (Gossip Girl, Sin Verguenza, Desire) being cast in a new Neo-noir-thriller television series, set to premiere on EPIX on Sunday, June 2, 2019, we had to catch up with her to get the scoop on her new gig.

What we know so far about Perpetual Grace, LTD is that it’s a story that follows James, (Jimmi Simpson), a young grifter, as he attempts to prey upon Pastor Bryon Brown, (Sir Ben Kingsley), who turns out to be far more dangerous than he suspects.

Let’s see what the consummate artist who has been immersed in the entertainment industry for over 30 years, had to share:

Latin Heat: Tell us about your new role as “Marisol Contreras” 

Eliana Alexander: I love Marisol Contreras! What a treat to work on a series that is incredibly well written and stylized. Marisol truly values strong family life. She is proactive as a Mom raising her boys; two very smart teens Emile and Mathias played by Alonso Alvarez (Emile) and Calvin Benuto (Mathias) who are amazing actors. She knows something is going on with her husband Hector (Guzman) and through the series you see her step up for her family. She is proud of Hector who is the town sheriff of Hermosillo, Mexico yet she wishes he would spend more time at home and with his boys. 

LH: What was it about the series that really drew you in? 

EA: The writing was unique. I knew by reading the pilot episode this series was going to be powerful. I could tell that it was going to be stylized. I am a Shakespeare fan and the way it was written I could tell it had that essence. Then once I read the rest of the script I felt a huge Shakespeare presence in the episodes. Then I found out that I was going to work with Sir Ben Kingsley and I was beyond thrilled. I was eager to get on set to see more of what was to come! 

LH: Can you speak briefly about the audition process and how it led to you being cast? 

EA: When I received the sides I was happy that they were all in Spanish. Even in Spanish, I could see that this was just a touch of something that is brewing. Rachel Tenner casting and her team were absolutely amazing. I am a creature of habit and prepared well. I came in with a strong choice. I gave her my read, she said ‘love it’ and that was it. I thought she said that just to be nice yet I know my work so I left it there and went on my way. Next thing I know I am pinned and within two days I was booked. I was extremely thrilled that I was going to be part of a series that is cool, edgy and filmed modern noir. 

LH: How excited are you to be working with Sir Ben Kingsley and Luis Guzman? 

EA: Of course, I’m thrilled to be working with both actors. Sir Ben was powerful and especially on one particular day, we worked long hours and very hard. He is very focused. Of course, it is a dream to work with a powerful actor and an Oscar winner. Luis is funny and easy going, playing his wife was a riot. 

LH: Have you worked with Luis before? 

EA: My husband John and I had the pleasure of meeting Luis at the Imagen Awards a few years ago. However, on Perpetual Grace, Ltd it was the first time working with Luis. We did a lot together so it did feel that we had worked on other projects together. 

LH: We read that Perpetual Grace, LTD is being labeled a “modern noir” – is this the first time you’ve worked on a project in this genre? 

EA: I have worked on a modern noir genre before. I absolutely love it! I played Magdalena Linney on a modern film noir titled Agenda directed by Jon de la Luz where I played a femme fatal. So you can imagine my excitement knowing that I was now going to be a part of a series filmed in this genre. I got to see the playback and the style of cinematography and the lighting was spectacular. I look forward to seeing the final product. 

LH: Have you met the show’s masterminds, Steve Conrad and Bruce Terris? 

EA: I have had the huge pleasure of being on set with the creator Steven Conrad and his talented writing and producing partner Bruce Terris. They are both super nice and calm. Steven directed six out of ten episodes and Jimmy Whitaker [also directed]. They are encouraging and always very grateful for your time. I am beyond lucky to be a part of a congenial cast and crew!! 

LH: From what we’ve read, Kingsley refers to this drama like “The Macbeths in Shakespeare’s great play”… do you agree?

EA: I do agree. As I mentioned before there are many times I would look up after reading the episodes and say ‘Some of this has a Shakespeare vibe.’ Then I would hear Sir Ben speak and it all came together. In Spanish, we kept that noir feel yet as a Latina, I made sure to intertwine all of that essence with the stylized writing. I really love this series for it gave me an opportunity to act in Spanish in a very stylized project and then speak perfect English while acting with Sir Ben. 

LH: We understand the series is filmed in New Mexico, serving as the story’s “modern Wild West” backdrop – do you agree? 

EA: Yes, one hundred percent! Santa Fe is beautiful with colorful sunsets, glorious mountains and the vast red desert land is perfect for a modern Wild West noir backdrop. 

LH: How different was it to work in New Mexico versus L.A. or N.Y. big metropolitans? 

EA: Working in Santa Fe was absolutely spectacular! Small town yet has everything you need. I personally fell in love with Santa Fe, so much so that I would move there in a heartbeat. I loved the small town and the glorious panoramic views. This town has so much history and full of arts and theaters. You can get around very easily without the congestion or the traffic; to be able to live and work there would be awesome. My bags are packed! 

LH: Is it true you have a new book coming out soon?

EA: I am very excited to share that my new novel, “TILT: Magic Ei8hts” will be released August 8th of this year. “TILT” is a Sci-Fi genre and is the first installment of the series. The story follows Blane and Jake, two teens that inadvertently set off an inter-dimensional time vortex that takes them on adventures to exciting and dangerous new worlds and times while learning about themselves and the Universe. 

LH: Sounds like an amazing novel!

EA: Thank you. I am in great hopes that readers get a chance to lose themselves in their imagination and live in these worlds and dimensions with Blane and Jake.

Thank you, Eliana!

Eliana Alexander is repped by Momentum Talent and Literary Agency, Robertson/Taylor Agency and Olive Productions & Publicity (Publicist).

Perpetual Grace, LTD is a 10-episode drama series executive produced by Steve Conrad (Wonder, Patriot) and Bruce Terris (Patriot), who are also the showrunners. The cast also includes Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook), Damon Herriman (100 Bloody Acres), Terry O’Quinn (Patriot, Lost), Kurtwood Smith (The Ranch, That ’70 Show) and Hana Mae Lee (Pitch Perfect).

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