Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenna Z Alvarez. Them and their team share their story with us below:
She was classically trained as a dancer at the early age of 6 years old and became proficient in ballet, contemporary, lyrical, jazz, tap and hip-hop. Jenna’s aspirations of performing and sharing her artistry to a wider audience transitioned her from the stage to new media and eventually television. Jenna became one of the latest of Disney Mouseketeers on “The Mickey Mouse Club” rebooted as “Club Mickey Mouse” which launched exclusively on Facebook and Instagram on September 8, 2017.
Transitioning from social media, Jenna made her television debut on Showtime’s 2019 Golden Globe Nominated “Kidding” with Jim Carrey, which was produced by Dave Holstein, Jim Carrey and Michel Gondry. Jenna played ‘Havana’, a quirky, upbeat teen and potential love interest of Carrey’s on-screen son for two seasons from 2018 to 2020.
And in 2019, Jenna continued her acting career by playing ‘Liberty’, the confident and assertive captain of her dance team on Disney’s 2020 Emmy Nominated “Shook” starring Sofia Wylie and produced by the Duplass brothers, Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass. “Shook” first showed on Disney Channel’s YouTube and later premiered on Disney Channel as a Disney Channel Original Movie.
She is now currently filming her first lead role in a feature film.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It most definitely was not the smoothest road getting to where I am! A lot of tears and sleepless nights. Growing up in the entertainment industry is never an easy task for any child wanting to pursue their dreams. It was a lot of sacrifices. A lot of pressure. I was homeschooled and had to learn how to balance work and school while simultaneously figuring out how to drive and be enough for other people. It definitely took a toll on my mental health. Constantly wanting to feel validated at a young age through work and jobs made me want to shape myself into the perfect mold of what other people want. It wasn’t until recently that I realized the importance of knowing yourself and prioritizing your wants and needs. Because at the end of the day, you are all you have – and if you don’t know what you want and what you need, life itself can become confusing and scary.
I would say another obstacle that I have faced along my journey would be race. Throughout my career as a young Asian-American woman, I have had many interesting encounters with casting directors, directors, and other actors regarding my race. Many of my stories involve people not even knowing that Filipino was an ethnicity! Casting directors would ask me constantly what my background was, and when I told them, they would be oblivious as to what being Filipino was and I would have to explain to the best of my abilities that there was a country out there called the Philippines and that is where my ethnic roots lie. Back in December, I auditioned for a film. They had me go in several times to read for three different roles in which I chemistry read for all of them. The director had some sort of fascination with me and yet still didn’t hire me at the end of the day. In my final audition for it, he asked me what the ethnicity of both my parents were. I thought it was odd the way he worded the question, so I responded with that I was Filipino on both sides. His response was, “Really?…Huh that’s interesting. See, I thought because you were so beautiful that you were mixed. There are a lot of mixed Asians in Canada. You know when I cast my Christmas movie, I booked half the elves as redheads and guess what the other half was…ALL MIXED ASIANS!”
In that zoom room full of execs and the casting directors, I’d wondered if anybody was even listening to the conversation taking place and if this was okay. ~Why do I have to be mixed to be considered beautiful? Can’t I just be me, and that be enough?~ Yet, I didn’t say that of course as I was not in the position to do so. I was auditioning for a job. Casting and the network had faith in me to carry out exactly what I came there to do which is act and be cooperative. I said, “Wow! That’s amazing.” He said, “I know…hey, my favorite actor of all time is Alec Mapa – he’s Filipino!” And I said, “Oh, what are some of his movies and tv shows?” And he said, “Uhhhhh…off the top of my head right now I can’t think of any, look him up on IMDB later.” ~Really? He’s your favorite actor of ALL time and you can’t name a single one of his projects?~ I felt as though this director was really stretching to try and relate to me now that he realized I was no longer the mixed Half Caucasian-Half Asian girl he thought I was. Fortunately, casting reached out to me a week ago apologizing for this incident. I have no ill will toward them or the director or the network. This is just one story that lit a fire under me to want to create change within this industry. Yes, I am Asian-American, and I don’t have to look like the “ideal American” for you to be able to relate to me. I am capable of telling stories without the emphasis being on my ethnic background. My goal is for people just to see me as human, acknowledge my roots, and yet not see me as just that. See me for my soul, see me for my light. See that I have eyes, a nose, a mouth, arms, legs, and even though they’re a variant of yours, we all have them and therefore, we are more alike than we are different.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a nineteen years old actress and dancer! I specialize in film/tv acting – as well as ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop in dance. What I’m most proud of is how far I’ve come and where I know I’m headed! It hasn’t been easy in the slightest, and nothing worthwhile ever comes easy. So I’m proud that even through the darkest times, I’m able to persevere and accomplish all that I dream of. If eleven years old me knew this is where I ended up and all of the adventures I had, she would lose her MIND. What I think sets me apart from others is my kindred spirit, unique perspective of the world, and my ability to see the best in every situation.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
People can work with me, collaborate, or support me through social media @jennazalvarez on all platforms!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennazalvarez/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPuWY1VerIzHdAT6ar8stdQ?view_as=subscriber
Image Credits:
HEADSHOT IMAGE: Deidhra Fahey Photography
