WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTERVIEW NEWEST MEMBER FOR THE PARLIAMENTARY SOCIETY FOR ARTS, ACTRESS GRECIA DE LA PAZ
1. Please could you tell us about your background and how it leads to the work you do today?
I am a British trained Mexican actress, model and influencer. I grew up very fond of film, everything art related really. I always wanted to dedicate my life to art. I used to dream about becoming a best selling writer, a painter and dancer besides wanting to be an actress. I found a way of letting myself go and surrender to storytelling in acting. and hopefully, inspire people from my country and around the world to follow their passions too. Also, fun fact, my full name is Grecia Castillo De la Paz which translates to Greece Castle of Peace, the most dramatic character name ever, so I felt the need to do something with it hahaha.
2. Why did you choose to develop your career in the UK?
It merely happened by accident. I was looking to move to LA 5 years ago whilst I was living in Mexico City. One day I saved enough to do my first solo euro trip and my first stop was London. It was instant love. The city really caught you. I had to start from scratch, getting used to speaking (and thinking) in another language, catching the accents, and the slang. All very different from American English, which is the way I originally learned the language.
3. Tell us about your latest project?
I recently performed at LatinXctors UK Showcase in Soho Theatre. A project focused on giving visibility to Latin American talent for the industry to know more about our work. If we don’t support each other, we become invisible. Just before this I was also in FRIDA:The Colours, a play about the life and death of one of the most legendary Mexican painters and feminist icon, Frida Kahlo. I played her sister, Cristina. It really was an honour to bring her story back to life in UK lands and see the audience's positive reactions to it!
4. How important do you think as an artist to take care of mental health?
Mental health to me is everything. Dramaturgy is a profession that is closely connected to psychology and body language.There are some acting techniques that can trigger some personal things in you and you have to learn to use those emotions as fuel for certain characters.What I’ve been doing lately to not go crazy is get into breathe-work, yoga and meditation. I try to do Yoga at least twice a week. it just helps me feel grounded and in calm in my body
5. How would you describe your work to someone who hasn't seen it before? I won’t claim it to be something that you haven’t seen before, but it’s about how I do it that matters :D 6. Who else it’s behind your work ? Years of trauma! (lol) 7. What or who has been the biggest singular influence on your work? I have always admired Stefanni Germanotta, better known as Lady Gaga. Her determination, dedication, persistence and hard work for what she loves is truly remarkable. The lady has achieved it all! Oscar, Grammy, Emmy, Tony, Golden Globe, you name it! That is something I aspire to become one day. 8. How do you think the economic uncertainty in the UK can affect the artists? It’s something I am actually struggling with at the moment. I am quite uncertain about the future most of the time because as a performer you never know when your next job is gonna be.You need to count on different factors to secure a role and if you do so, the next thing to worry about is, when does it pay off? I'm unsure about where the country is heading with all the inflation but I hope for the best indeed. 9. Which project have you enjoyed working on the most so far and what would you like to achieve in the near future? One of the biggest projects that I have the opportunity to work on was George Clooney’s The Midnight Sky movie for Netflix. It was surreal! He was so cool and gave us great tips for controlling the nerves on camera. I also met one of the biggest Mexican actors on set as well, Demian Bichir. It turned out I was on the same scene. It was honestly a magical project to be a part of. 10. Where people can find more about you and your future projects You can find me on IMDB, and social channels Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok as @greciadelapaz