Melissa Barrera is on fire - 'In the Heights' was just the beginning
Melissa Barrera's career from the start could easily be assumed that the actress became an overnight star, but that's far from the truth. Barrera, who was born and raised in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, has worked hard for years. She started out in passionate telenovelas and even did a Mexican reality show called "La Academia", where she met her husband, Paco Zazueta. She landed a starring role as Lyn in Starz's "Vida," which ran for three seasons, then had her Hollywood role as Vanessa in the film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's "In the Heights." Things really started to take off for her from there. She played the lead role of Chama in an independent film called "Everyone Sleeps," about a struggling 30-year-old Chicana woman in New Mexico who fights for her life as she faces drug addiction and loses. custody of her daughter. . Next came a role in the fifth film in the hit horror franchise Scream, which she says was a dream come true. And it does not stop there. Barrera's latest Netflix series, "Keep Breathing," debuts July 28, with two more theatrical productions, "Bed Rest" and "Carmen," due out later this year. Between all of her acting endeavors, she also managed to buy time to become Clinique's first Latina Global Beauty Ambassador. Many actresses could only dream of achieving this caliber so early in their Hollywood careers - Barrera's success is impressive and worth looking into.
For Latin actresses in particular, there was a time when going as far as Barrera wasn't even conceivable, let alone possible. For years, if you got a role, it was often limited to the “sexy Latina” with a heavy accent and big tits, the maid or something related to the drug trade – that was it. Many of these roles generally did not drive the plot; actresses often didn't have many lines. One that comes to mind is Eva Mendes in "We Own the Night," where she plays Bobby Green's (played by Joaquin Phoenix) hot Latina girlfriend, Amada. Her character didn't say much, but almost everyone remembers her masturbation scene.
While there is still a lot of work to do, Barrera believes the industry is changing. She is also grateful to have set foot in Hollywood when the industry finally became a place where women could feel safe.
"I think there's definitely a shift - it's definitely happening - and I've definitely benefited from this wave of vocalization and demand for representation. I entered the industry with the MeToo movement, basically," Barrera told POPSUGAR. "So I've always felt safe because I know now that we're not afraid or ashamed to speak up when we don't feel comfortable or when someone crosses a line."
Barrera is very intentional in the roles she takes on. She admits turning down work that she felt was stereotypical or that she feared would label her. She had the privilege of being able to turn down jobs that didn't feel like a lineup because of the opportunity...
Melissa Barrera's career from the start could easily be assumed that the actress became an overnight star, but that's far from the truth. Barrera, who was born and raised in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, has worked hard for years. She started out in passionate telenovelas and even did a Mexican reality show called "La Academia", where she met her husband, Paco Zazueta. She landed a starring role as Lyn in Starz's "Vida," which ran for three seasons, then had her Hollywood role as Vanessa in the film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's "In the Heights." Things really started to take off for her from there. She played the lead role of Chama in an independent film called "Everyone Sleeps," about a struggling 30-year-old Chicana woman in New Mexico who fights for her life as she faces drug addiction and loses. custody of her daughter. . Next came a role in the fifth film in the hit horror franchise Scream, which she says was a dream come true. And it does not stop there. Barrera's latest Netflix series, "Keep Breathing," debuts July 28, with two more theatrical productions, "Bed Rest" and "Carmen," due out later this year. Between all of her acting endeavors, she also managed to buy time to become Clinique's first Latina Global Beauty Ambassador. Many actresses could only dream of achieving this caliber so early in their Hollywood careers - Barrera's success is impressive and worth looking into.
For Latin actresses in particular, there was a time when going as far as Barrera wasn't even conceivable, let alone possible. For years, if you got a role, it was often limited to the “sexy Latina” with a heavy accent and big tits, the maid or something related to the drug trade – that was it. Many of these roles generally did not drive the plot; actresses often didn't have many lines. One that comes to mind is Eva Mendes in "We Own the Night," where she plays Bobby Green's (played by Joaquin Phoenix) hot Latina girlfriend, Amada. Her character didn't say much, but almost everyone remembers her masturbation scene.
While there is still a lot of work to do, Barrera believes the industry is changing. She is also grateful to have set foot in Hollywood when the industry finally became a place where women could feel safe.
"I think there's definitely a shift - it's definitely happening - and I've definitely benefited from this wave of vocalization and demand for representation. I entered the industry with the MeToo movement, basically," Barrera told POPSUGAR. "So I've always felt safe because I know now that we're not afraid or ashamed to speak up when we don't feel comfortable or when someone crosses a line."
Barrera is very intentional in the roles she takes on. She admits turning down work that she felt was stereotypical or that she feared would label her. She had the privilege of being able to turn down jobs that didn't feel like a lineup because of the opportunity...
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