Meet Elienai Escudero | Actor, writer and producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elienai Escudero and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi ELIENAI, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I’m an actor from Mexico, born and raised in a little town called Pachuca. As a proud Mexican I think that we very passionate people when it comes to fight for what we want in life. We will do it for our family, friends, for ourselves and for our country.

A moment that It’s stuck in my mind, It’s when I was a kid and I used to listen to my dad’s stories when he was my age.
He would tell me how life wasn’t easy, it was really hard and sometimes cruel, and how that didn’t stop him from working and persevering.
In a place where there was no food, no clothing or even a bed, he decided to move from his hometown and work really hard. No matter if it was Christmas or a weekend or even if he was sick, he wouldn’t stop. Deep in his heart knew he deserved something better.
Even though a lot of people tried to put him down, he became a really successful man.

My dad and the story of millions of people in my country impact me to be the person that I am today. To stay motivated and to member where I came from.
I’ve been putting a lot of effort in my career, sometimes sacrificing a lot but knowing that it’ll be worth it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I feel like I’m the kind of actor that it’s willing to do anything for the art. Even if that means to be covered in blood or be in an uncomfortable wardrobe for an entire day, or doing an emotional demanding scene. I feel happy to be in a production, big or small, I try to give my all.

I find it exciting when I have to do a really strong character, that challenges me to do more and specially when it gets me out of my comfort zone.
A character that I find challenging is Frida Khalo, she was a mexican painter who had a life full of pain, and her only way to cope with it, was through her paintings.
I was really amazed by her and I wanted to know more about her. So I decided to produce my first solo show called ” Pain-things”. I’m really proud of this piece. I was deeply connected with Frida and with my heritage. It made me feel proud of where I came from. It was a tough process, a lot of ups and downs, but it turned out to be great, thanks to all the support and guidance that my professor Miguel Perez gave me during this time.
It’s a piece where you can see how far passion can take you. It was so rewarding to find the audience enjoying and learning more about Frida. Hopefully I can bring this show to theatre again, so more people can enjoy this experience like I did on stage.

A lot of people think that being an actor is easy, that it’s not a real job. That’s because they don’t see all the work that we put behind the curtain. My first challenge as an actor was to get rid of all judgement, from the way I talk to the way a walk. I used to feel unhappy with the way I was. I couldn’t see myself on the screen. Later I learned, that if you’re open and comfortable with your body, you can explore your character in many ways. Our bodies are the most important instruments. It took me a while to achieve that, but once I knew what to do, it became more exciting to work on different plays. Something that helped me with my acting is to see the stage as a playground where we can all play and explore like when we were kids. With no judgement.

Being an actor has allowed me to feel more empathy, I’ve learned that we cannot judge someone from their apparence. It’s like when you see your character in one way, but after multiple readings and research you’ll see them in another way, and sometimes you may realize that you have something in common.
I apply this to my daily life. Try to always be kind to people, you can always learn something new from them.

I’m a person who is willing to face life’s challenges, even if I’m scared to death, I’ll do it. No matter what, at the end of the day, we learn and we grow from our experiences and maybe get a good laugh from them.
Being an ordinary girl with big dreams is hard, but not impossible. I want to do something that inspires people to be themselves, that no matter what or who tries to change their minds, they stay true to their goals.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
For the first spot that I would take them is to Santa Monica Pier, there’s a lot of restaurants, from mexican to asian food, so if we’re craving something in particular we have options.
We would go on all the rides and have a good time playing arcade games and take some pictures of the sunset.
For the second spot we could go to Griffith Observatory, It’s such beautiful place where you can learn so much about space and have a good pic for the gram, of course. It’s my favorite spot because, everytime I go there I feel 2x smarter, even though I can’t remember all the elements of the periodic table.
If they like speeding without getting a ticket, I would take them to an indoor karting called K1 Speed, where we can race each other and possibly wonder how we got a driver’s license in the first place.
Going to museums is a most, we would go to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Getty Museum, one of my all time favorites The Petersen Automotive Museum and last but not least The Broad.
And finally I’ll take them for a drive through Sunset Boulevard.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’ll give a massive Shoutout to the most loving and supporting dad in the whole universe. Mi papito. He’s been my biggest supporter and my mentor, without him I’ll never be here. I’m forever grateful for everything he has done for me.
To my little sister Elieth who inspires me to be a better person.
Also a massive thank you to all my acting teachers for making me fall in love with the art. I want to thank my friends and the people that I meet on set, for allowing me to learn something new everyday.

Website: https://www.backstage.com/u/elienai-escudero/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eliescudero7/?igsh=YTQwZjQ0NmI0OA%3D%3D

Other: IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm16130141/bio/?ref_=nmbio_ql_1

Image Credits
Art of Acting Studio Stella Adler