Meet Evelyn Lorena | Actress/Filmmaker

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

Hi Evelyn, what role has risk played in your life or career?
For me, I guess risks don’t really feel like risks if it’s authentic. People always talk about the “right thing to do” because they heard it from someone else, but it was only “right” because it worked for this other party – and hearing someone else’s authority on a subject can sometimes make you start believing in someone else’s experience as fact or ultimate truth. But really, there isn’t a right thing, except the choice you make. I’m not talking morally necessarily, I just really believe that if you’re coming from an authentic intention in your choice, it pays off because it’s your truth. Truth feels so loud to me. I’m not sure how it will all play out for me exactly— I’m just starting out — but I can say I’ve tried to do whatever feels right for me regardless of others perception. And I’ve tried to be innovative for myself and look to what’s coming next. That’s always been more interesting to me. It’s a weird game of being in the moment, and also making sure you’re forward-thinking. Don’t get me wrong, doubt does creep in: am I just on my own with this? Will this be the right move for me? But I have to trust it because at least it’s my decision, and that feels freeing. I like to believe people connect to the truth, so I’m going to encourage following that in whatever choice a person has to make. (Plus, I’m beginning to believe we always know the answer deep down, we’re just playing this game of external validation for extra assurance, haha.)

Please tell us more about your career. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I was discussing with someone the other day about whether it’s hard to stay in the industry or not – not for the creative part, but because I have trouble committing to trends. Not because I can’t, or can’t find a way to enjoy it, but because on some level, broadly speaking, trends end up feeling unimportant to me — and so much of the industry at times can feel like a big trend, with pressure that you have to get caught up in it, or compromise … and of course you don’t have to at all, but in moments, that part of sticking to your guns and your instincts with 100% confidence has felt a little hard. Especially as a woman at times. There’s a strange and different layer of restriction on that — but I do want to stick to my instincts! I suppose I like challenges though because they can be very useful in discovering yourself.

If I have to describe what other people will take from my work … gosh, I don’t know. I suppose to feel alive, to remember the poetry in your soul, to see the world with a little more beauty or more nuance than you saw it before. Lofty goal, but you know, I see empathy as a bridging between souls. I tend to find myself seeing a deeper harmony between things or a common ground between dissimilar ideas or people, and so I really do want empathy to be at the crux of what I do. I like understanding another human being differently and more closely, and hopefully entertain in the process. It’s a form of love. I’m not sure how to articulate the importance of that; it might seem silly to an outsider looking in on others playing dress up or creating imaginary worlds, but somehow it’s what keeps us humans going. In telling stories, we keep our souls engaged. It’s where we see ourselves mirrored back in real-time … I tend to give the esoteric answers, huh?

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love any body of water in Los Angeles – some of my favorite memories have been around the beaches off Pacific Highway. I love spending time there – or on the complete opposite end, watching a classic film at Beverly Cinema. (And if we’re hungry for a snack, we might have to pop-in to Erewhon for something healthy!)

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Always my family, but recently, I have to thank LALIFF & Netflix for believing in my recent project, Gabriela. Everyone on the LALIFF team, from Diana Cadavid, Sergio Monserrate, Rafael Agustin, and Pete Corona over at Netflix, were all such champions of my work and our work in the fellowship. Oscar Torres and Michael Knue as mentors – I really felt blessed having them be so careful about my project, and really ushering it into the film it is today. My producing partners Maris Lidaka and Isabelle Boulton have been a beautiful support system – not just in the film, but in my life, and taught me a deeper meaning of friendship. People can say a lot of things about the cutthroat nature of our industry, but finding people that not only support you professionally, but spiritually is such a beautiful gift. I feel extremely grateful to all of them. Lastly, the cast and crew, my gosh. I have so many different fond memories with them that I can keep in my heart.

Website: imdb.me/evelynlorena

Instagram: evelynlorenaofficial

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFRSl0sd7NM

Other: https://deadline.com/2021/12/laliff-latinx-inclusion-fellowship-cohorts-1234890578/

Image Credits
Greta High, Alisha Peats