Melissa Barrera’s Journey to Land Roles on the Big Screen

Mexican actress Melissa Barrera has always shown her interest and excelled in theater and musicals, as we can see on her most recent role of Vanessa in the critically-acclaimed adaptation of the Broadway musical, In the Heights.

Melissa studied theater in New York, however, she interrupted her studies after getting a spot on the reality show La Academia in 2011. Soon after, she began to receive offers to work as an actress in telenovelas, movies, and since then she has not left the industry.

But it was not always easy for her as even some of the most talented actors need to go through an audition process and stand out among others going for the same role.

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How was her process?

“I heard when I first moved to LA that [In the Heights] was happening and I was so desperate. I said ‘I need to get in that room. I need to be able to audition’ because once I audition, then it will be up to me and my talent to get them to give me a call back, but if I don’t have the chance to audition, I’ll always feel like I wasted a big opportunity,” the actress shared with Cultura Shock. It was a nerve wracking process for her. “From the first time I sent in my tape, to the moment I got a call back, a year and a half went by,” she says.

Since the premiere of In the Heights, Melissa has been in the spotlight, even becoming the face of Clinique and also is set to headline Netflix’s survival drama series Breathe.

We can’t wait to see more from this beautiful mexicana!

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