Meet Jude Salazar

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jude Salazar.

Jude, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am a first-generation daughter of Mexican immigrants. I was born in Tejupilco, Mexico and raised in Chicago, IL. I attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where I majored in Psychology with a minor in Communications. While I was in college, I started helping friends who were photography majors by modeling for their projects. I was always really into performing or doing some form of creative art but, my education took the front seat. In my senior year of college, I was accepted to the John Marshall School of Law in Chicago and started classes there in August of 2015. My second year of law school, I met a friend who started to cast me in music videos and small spec commercial projects and I quickly realized how much I enjoyed acting.

Upon graduation, I took a trip out to Los Angeles and realized it was time to make California my permanent home. Two weeks after that trip, I took a caravan trip out here with four guys and shared a five bedroom home with them. I had every intention of pursuing a career in Entertainment Law and got a job as a paralegal at a law firm. I was writing legal briefs every day and quickly realized I absolutely hated it.

Thankfully, during that time, I also signed on with my first print and commercial agents and started going to auditions. After a year and a half of working for an attorney, I quit and started doing personal assistant work instead. I also decided to get my real estate license so that I would be able to do that as a side hustle. Since moving to Los Angeles, I’ve managed to create a pretty incredible portfolio – thanks to some incredible photographers. A lot of these photographers would end up becoming some of my best friends. I’ve also gotten to be part of some really fun commercial and short film projects, thanks to my incredible agent.

I recently signed on with a tv/film talent manager and I’m really excited to see what we are able to accomplish together. I’m looking forward to continuing acting classes and beginning to create content with my friends. I’ve recently started to focus my content as a means of spreading a message on women empowerment and women’s rights as I start to become more aware of a vast amount of social justice issues out there. However, my ultimate goal is to be in a Star Wars movie and lead the Jedi in a successful rebellion. Hey, a girl can dream right?

Has it been a smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road, at all. But, I am incredibly grateful for the experiences. I struggled a lot after failing the bar exam, I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that I had worked so hard during law school and it all came down to one stupid test. I took it three times and finally decided that maybe this wasn’t the path I should be focusing on at the moment. In terms of my acting career, it has been hard to find what molds I fill as far as characters go. I am usually cast as “ethnically ambiguous” but it has been hard to get roles as a Mexican woman. I know that this is all starting to change a bit in Hollywood so, I’m really excited to be a part of that change.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
As an actress and creative, you have to sell yourself as brand every single day. However, I don’t want to just be known for my creative work in front of the camera so I do try to use my social channels for the advancement of a lot of important topics as well. I try to be as sincere and honest about my own experiences with mental health, self-love, self-care, women’s rights, women’s sexuality, etc., I also write whenever I have a story to share and always hope that it resonates for whoever takes the time to read it. I am proud to say that I am an open book when it comes to sharing my experiences and am always willing to engage in conversations based on what I share.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
There are so many changes happening in the entertainment industry right now! With the Me Too and Time’s Up movements at the forefront, women in my industry are finally being heard and it’s an exciting time for me come in as new talent. In addition to those movements, there is also a shift happening in how the Latinx community is being portrayed and represented in the tv/film industry so, I’m ready to see how that all unfolds and how I’ll get to be a part of it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.judesalazar.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/judesalazar_
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/heyjudesalazar
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/judesalazar_

Image Credit:
All photos are taken by different photographers: Military Outfit in desert: Luke Gottlieb, Pink Dress with Pink Flowers: Nick Ramsay, Red Dress with Flower Wall: Attila Adam, Couch with white dress: Attila Adam, Studio Shot with dark background: Rex Yu, Headshot in red dress: Jonny Marlow, Hollywood sign photo: Rick Wayne

Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.