Meet Maria Manuela Gomez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria Manuela Gomez.

Maria, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am originally from Bogota, Colombia. My dream for acting started in the 9th grade back in high school, when the whole “choose your career-choose your future” started. I am blessed to have studied in a very artistic school. Since I have the memory we did all sorts of things, from painting, to dancing and acting and even creating big productions and theatrical shows where the whole school participated.

On my senior year, I took the drama class, that’s when I immediately fell in love with performing arts. It was a space that gave me the freedom to be vulnerable, to be creative and most of all I expressed myself in a way I didn’t know I could. And I thought to myself ‘If I ever had to work by doing this, I would never feel like I am working’.

By the end of my senior year I heard the New York Film Academy was holding auditions in Bogota for people who needed the scholarship to study abroad in their university, so I decided to go for it! I auditioned and 4 months later I got a letter not only accepting me into their school, but also telling me I got granted the scholarship.

At the age of 19, I wasn’t only moving by myself but I was moving to a new country where they spoke a different language. I first moved to New York City to complete an Associates in Fine Arts, which was an eye-opener for me in the film industry. I learned the technical areas of it and dug deeper into my acting classes.

Later I moved to Los Angeles, to complete my career by graduating with a Bachelor in Fine Arts. And I must tell you, moving from New York to LA is a drastic change, but I managed to give my heart to both cities! Completing my degree wasn’t easy at all, there were ups and downs, I accomplished a lot of great achievements but I also went through failure.

Nonetheless, my love for acting and learning keeps me going and striving for more. My grandpa always told me ‘it’s good to be constantly learning something new every day’ so I now live by those words. I’m currently living my best life in LA and I thank God every day for giving me the opportunity to work on what I love the most.

Has it been a smooth road?
Not at all! Throughout this journey I’ve had to sacrifice a lot of things, one of them is being away from my family, who is my support. When you are a foreigner in a country that speaks a different language and shares another culture, you are forced to grow and mature. But as time goes by you see your own achievements as a person and you feel satisfied.

Hollywood is slowly integrating diversity in their film work; as a proud Latina in this industry, some struggles that I know will come along the way are being stereotyped in certain roles, such as “the sexy-feisty Latina”, “the Spanish-only speaker” or “the maid”. One of the reasons I want to become a recognized actress is to break these imposed barriers and show how us Latinas can portray many other roles, empowering the Hispanic and Latin community.

In the time I have lived here in the US I have gained a lot of work and life experience, and If you were to ask me five years ago, I would have never imagined I would be here in Los Angeles doing the things I am doing right now. However, I can definitely tell you it has been worth the sacrifice to see my dreams come true.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Maria Manuela Gomez – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I am an actress from Colombia, now living and working here in Los Angeles. I dance and do stage combat, always wanting to be active and taking risks.

As an actress, I’m mostly inclined towards drama in film and television, even though I enjoy mostly watching rom-coms. One of my dreams is to land a principal role on a series like Jane the Virgin, it has romance, lots of drama, and a great inclination towards the Latino and Hispanic community. Obviously, I dream to be on the big screen as well! I look up to the roles that empower women. A great example is Wonder Woman a female-lead superhero, who doesn’t only break the rules of sexism, but also inspires women like me to believe that we can land roles like this, representing an image of a warrior; a strong powerful woman.

However, a few months ago I did my own short film with the help of amazing and talented people; called Juxtaposed. It has won several awards for an outstanding performance in the category for Best Actress, as well as being nominated to other prestigious film festivals. I have also worked along industry professionals such as Julia Roberts and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. As well on productions such as Fuller House, Shameless, The Goldberg’s and Netflix’s Alexa and Katie.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I can definitely tell you one of the things I like most about LA is the weather! I come from a cold-weather city, so the California sun feels like heaven to me. Also the cultural diversity we share here is absolutely fantastic, I have met people from all around the world and I enjoy learning about the different cultures. I can even say I have friends from all around the world!

Another thing I love is the various activities you get to do here in LA, such as hiking, going to museums (My favorite one so far is the Getty Museum), going to the beach, or attending the multiple concerts and festivals we have.

On the other hand; keeping in mind that I love LA, if there were anything I dislike is the ‘rumors’ that the city holds, as the hypocrisy of people. Since most of the people here are somehow involved in the film industry, they are mostly focused on what you have rather than who you are as a person. And I only say this because I have experienced situations that confirm that. On the bright side, circumstances like this help you create a thick skin!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mariamanuelagomez.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/mariamanugomez/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/MariaManuGomez/

Image Credit:
Photo with white sweater : Ed Rojas
Headshot with purple/pink background: Andre Forrest
Photo with Dodge Car behind to: Guadalupe Vildozola

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.