Today we’d like to introduce you to Fernanda Vilela
Hi Fernanda, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started acting in my school’s choir when I was ten years old; they used to do musical theatre showcases, and I fell in love with the idea of performing on stage. Later, I went to a small school in my hometown, Curitiba, that focused on “Acting for Camera.” I feel like I can say that that’s where I had my first actual contact with acting and techniques. I learned a lot but wanted more; I had and still have this massive desire to know everything I can about this career. I moved to Los Angeles at 22 to focus 100% on making this career happen. I went to a method acting school, then a few others focused on imagination, and I took improv classes. I was lucky enough to get cast in a great play called “Ghosts Can’t Pay Rent,” where I played the protagonist, Cas, the ghost. I had a fantastic time and met extraordinary people. Later on, I got to work on different short films, always bringing entertaining and beautiful characters to life!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Like everything in life, being an actress has its ups and downs —not just career-speaking but also mentally. There are times when you feel like you are on top of the world and then times when you feel worse than whale poop.
Dealing with constant rejection is not easy, and it takes time for you to learn not to take it personally. And learning that this career is not based on meritocracy is also something extremely challenging to accept mentally.
Career-wise, a huge thing that impacted my time in LA (and I believe every actor’s life in this past year) was the writers and actors strike. Even though the movement had extreme importance, it made our careers even more unsteady. We were fighting for our rights while not having ways to make money to sustain ourselves by acting or writing, and things still haven’t gone back to normal, being a very slow time for all of us.
Being international also makes things hard, whether because of my visa, because of my accent, or because of how I look and the amount of roles available for me.
I believe that if you like acting, but there is something else you might enjoy doing, go do something else cause this career can be very “mean and will probably spit on your face” hahaha. However, if there is nothing else you would be happy doing, it is totally worth it, and the key is to celebrate every small victory.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a Brazilian actress, most known for my short film Amentalio and my part in the play Ghosts Can’t Pay Rent. I have a new project coming out named En El Nombre de El that I am extremely proud of. In this new film, I play Maria, a religious Peruvian woman, wife, and mother who is struggling to find harmony between her beliefs, needs, thoughts, and life. The based on a true story short film was beautifully written and directed by Cielo Yáñez, and I feel very grateful for having the opportunity to be a part of it. Something else that I feel very happy about and that I recently found out about is teaching. I had the opportunity to teach some classes for kids and teens during my time in LA, and the feeling I had while during that caught me completely off guard. There is something so beautiful in helping others find their voices and talent; helping students see how amazing they are is something out of this world!
I believe that what sets me apart from the majority is that I am willing to go above and beyond to do a great job; I do not mind staying late or doing extra jobs to make the production happen. My day only finishes once the work is done.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Yes, COVID was the most recent event in my life that made me bring back the thought that life can disappear in the blink of an eye. You should treasure people around you before it’s too late to do so. Career-wise, COVID taught me that it is easy to create things and find ways to maintain your creative side working; it basically made me realize the power of the internet (zoom meetings to exchange ideas, online classes, content creations, online plays, etc).
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fernanda_vilela23/
Image Credits
Headshot by: @headshotsbymatt
BTS by: @mateogamero123
