Meet Natasha Perez | Performer (Actress/Musician/Comedian) Writer

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

Hi Natasha, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
Family, Education, mediation, envisioning, preparation, hard work, and luck

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I see myself as a performer. I love acting and singing and doing comedy (improv/stand-up) and voiceovers for animation and commercials. I enjoy writing with others and by myself. I love playing music, with others and by myself. All of these are fulfilling and fun for me. I’m a graduate of communications science with a specialty in audiovisual studies and a minor in performance arts but then I also went to Strasberg and did years of Improv. I’ve been very fortunate because I had access to education and a solid foundation. It has not been easy in the sense that I came from Venezuela with nothing but a dream and $12 in my pockets, not knowing anyone in this city except for my sister who had just moved to Los Angeles with her partner so I slept on their couch for a few months till I was able to stand on my feet. All my life I felt I had to prove to those around me I was serious about my artistic journey because growing up, it seemed to me that the arts were seen more like a pass time in Latin America. Even though my mom always supported me in her way. She made sure I had formal studies to rely on in case this hobby of mine would not work.

I’ve had A LOT of ups and downs because the immigrant experience and this business are insane. I’ve also had several five minutes of fame. Like when I hosted and produced the second most popular morning show on a pop and rock radio station in Los Angeles (Viva 107.1 FM) or when I had a pivotal role in M. Night Shyamalan’s film Lady in The Water. Followed by having to couch-surf and sleeping in my car for almost 2 years. So I’ve learned a few lessons. I learned that what we are sold as “success” in this industry can be smoke and mirrors, it’s ephemeral and, as the Little Prince says, the essential is invisible to the eyes. For me, it’s important to keep myself grounded and focused on what we consider to be important because fame, money, and shiny objects can easily derail us from our center.

I have kept my studies to keep my sanity. I’d say I’m a student of life. I dabble in science and spirituality because I am very curious about health and healing. Three of my uncles and my favorite cousin are doctors. So, I love to balance arts and science to feel complete, like Greek philosophers used to suggest. I’ve studied Reiki, Qigong, Tachi, Emotion Code, and other spiritual traditions because I’m curious about how humans that have been on earth a lot longer than us, have dealt with the anguish of being human with new technologies. I’m an avid meditator and I love alternative medicine when it has been proven to work.

Proud of my journey as an artist? More like happy in my journey as a human. I’ve been told artists should focus 100% on one area to be successful but for me, it has been challenging to not explore other avenues. I’ve been playing the guitar and singing since I was 8 years old but I’ve been acting since I was a toddler (my first commercial was at 9 months old). Both my parents were writers and my uncle and aunt were performers. So I’ve tried a lot of avenues! I have played music live, opened for awesome bands, I have placed a few of my songs on TV shows and films. (Several times I’ve had more credits on IMDB as a musician than as an actress.) And then an opportunity shows up and acting takes over. Different artistic disciplines have constantly been taking the baton away from each other in my life and I have let them. I said in an interview last year that I’d love to play a badass acting role where I get to enjoy the musician side of me. So I started writing it!

I love the projects I’m working on (film, tv) but it is kinda sad that in this industry we cannot share the joy of being in a project until after it has come out into the light (If at all) You know, with all these NDAs [non- disclosure agreements] The funny thing is that sometimes, once they are out, and if the project is successful, it’s also hard to get people not to talk about them. Very Ying/Yang. Like when I played the villain in Selena on Netflix. There were days I had 40 interviews almost in a row, starting at 5 am and finishing at 10 pm!

I can talk about the things I’m excited about now! Like a comedy special in English, I’m developing in LA about my experience playing the role of Yolanda Saldivar, playing opposite Larry David on Curb Your Enthusiasm, and how I got here. I can tell you that I had so much fun filming Curb. Improv is my jam and Larry is one of the most well-known improvisers in the world. So to me, that was a milestone in my career as a comic.

There is another show I’m developing in Spanish but it does not seem to be a comedy. It’s more a musical experience, a solo theater piece of sorts, with a completely different flavor than the comedy special in English. I’m enamored by both of them so I’m letting them flow to see where they take me. If you follow me on social media @thenatashaperez you can catch them in development.

They include some of my music and Selena covers – if I get the family’s blessing. Some tunes will be part of the shows as they seem to be really vibing in the same frequency.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
That depends on their taste and budget because the cool thing about LA is that there are tons of things to do for anybody at almost any budget!

As a general thing, I would start by walking up early and driving to Malibu to have breakfast by the ocean and catch the beaches that have been immortalized on The Usual Suspects or The Big Lebowski. On our way back, we’ll go paddleboarding or bodyboarding because the beach makes me happy. If they are not beach people, we might visit Will Rogers Park or stop by Lake Shrine, perfect for meditating and recharging batteries.

If we have time, we’ll drive through Topanga to show them this lovely hippie canyon with great mountain views where Marvin Gaye, Linda Ronstadt, Lisa Bonet, Viggo Mortensen, (and ok, Charles Manson for a bit) used to live but where Jim Morrison allegedly got inspired to write “Roadhouse Blues”. For lunch, having arepas at Café Bolivar in Santa Monica would be delicious; then, I’ll take them on a walking tour of that charming part of the city where I used to live, as well as artists like Larry David, Sean Penn, Aaron Paul or Suzanne Vega and where we shot my episode of Curb your Enthusiasm. Once we hit the Pier, and they think about Baywatch, we would walk down to the Venice Boardwalk to watch the murals, the artists, and street vendors and we’ll visit the canals to remember Buster Keaton’s and Harold Lloyd’s films. It’ll be necessary to show them Venice Highschool, the school where most of Grease was shot. We’ll drive by Culver City if they are film buffs or pass by the Getty Center to enjoy its architecture and art. Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive are a must for almost everybody so I might get my eyebrows done while we are at it.

I’ll drive north to catch Mulholland Drive to feel “the history of Hollywood “as David Lynch would put it, or to catch Jack Nicholson going for a walk. I will probably show them the Hollywood sign from Beachwood Blvd and park by Capitol Records to walk around the Walk of Fame. Around there, I’ll get to have one of my favorite fresh fruit juices in town on Juice Fountain if it survived the Pandemic. We’ll visit the Cinerama Dome and Amoeba. Some of my top places around there would be The Griffith Observatory (because it makes me think of mom and Rebel Without a Cause) and Hollyhock House to get a glimpse of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work. Since I’ll be closed to Glendale I’ll stop by my friend’s place Black Elephant Coffee for a yummy tea. The question here would be to have an early dinner at Amara Cafe with their awesome Cachapas in Pasadena and catch Old town or to head directly Downtown to catch a play at the Redcat, a concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall, enjoy the art at The Broad or the iron railings of the Bradbury Building. If not, we’ll have Ramen in Little Tokyo, drink a glass of wine at the Westin Bonaventure, and hit the Sunset trip.

A visit to the Roxy Theater, the Rainbow, the Whisky a Go Go, the Viper Room, and The Troubadour is a must for my musician friends because you can’t come to LA without visiting the places where Led Zeppelin, Cypress Hill, Guns N’Roses, Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam or Lenny Kravitz, have played. There’s so much about LA that is not about entertainment like the lovely Placita Olvera, the Last Bookstore, or even visiting my dear Catalina Island but if you stayed with me pre-Covid you were bound to accompany me to a studio like Warner Brothers, where I shot my first TV show (an episode of E.R) or even Universal Studios (where I played with my band for the first time). You might visit the California Science Center with me or a place like Agape or the Glass Church in Palos Verdes because I work at a studio every week and I enjoy interesting architecture and a calm place that respects rituals. That’s the magic of LA there’s something for everyone.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My mom and my sister for their constant support and inspiration for sure. It’d be nice to also dedicate this to the light of those whose paths I was lucky enough to cross and who recognized the light in my and other people’s hearts, while generously instigating us to shine brighter. Those who daily bring more lumber to the fire of those around them.

There are so many people who have contributed to my journey as an artist that I don’t think a whole article would do them justice. I would have to walk out with a little paper in hand for fear of forgetting someone. You know, like us actors do for our acceptance speeches at awards ceremonies: “I’d like to thank The Academy” but without slaps Ha, ha, ha. Nah, seriously. They say that it takes a village to raise a child and the performer/writer/musician baby inside of me has been taken care of by a lot of villagers. My family, my friends from home, my teachers, professors, and guides, my community, current friends, ex and current romantic partners. If I were to mention one name now would be the late Gary Austin, my comedy mentor of 12 years and founder of the Groundings since the anniversary of his death was just on April’s Fool.

Website: natashaperez.com

Instagram: @thenatashaperez

Linkedin: @thenatashaperez

Twitter: @thenatashaperez

Facebook: @thenatashaperez

Youtube: natasha@natashaperez.com

Other: Tiktok: @thenatashaperez

Image Credits
Feature Photo + H&M in-studio: Albert Santi / Gabriela Montano | Yolanda transformation Photo + H&M: Malinali Contreras/ Lynn Levitt Photo with Rita Moreno taken by: Emilio Sanchez Photo with Blue Dress: Comedy Central Photo with Paul Giamatti: Warner Brothers (taken from IMDB) Black and white pic: Regina Calvario Dryjanki The rest: selfies or stand 😀