Today we’d like to introduce you to Samara Gonzalez.
Samara, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started acting in middle school. I’m a first-generation American who grew up only speaking Spanish in the house, and I predominantly learned English through movies and TV. I fell in love with storytelling and decided I wanted to be an actor to get involved in the magic in any way I could. I’ve been working professionally in theater for a few years, and recently started transitioning to TV and film over the last year. I’m still fairly new to this industry, but I feel so privileged and grateful to get to be a part of it!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Most definitely not! The hardest part was actually just making the decision to go for it, and it took a long time to get there. I had to build up the courage to admit to even myself that this was something I wanted to do professionally. There is a lot of rejection in this industry, but none of that has been tougher than undoing my own imposter syndrome. It’s really scary to go after what you truly want, knowing failure is a possibility, so learning how to let go of that fear we learn to cultivate as a protection mechanism, and instead reconnect to why I love doing this, has been a huge theme I continue to learn. It’s all worth it when you hear the audience laugh, or you get to work with people you admire, or you hear your work has moved someone.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m an actor, singer, and budding writer. I mainly work in film, but theatre is and will always be my first love. I’m most proud of a play I did a couple of years ago called “Torrid Taxes”. It was a soap opera noir-style story about taxes. It was hilarious, and I came so close to breaking every performance. I’m also super proud of a film I did call “Foreclosure”. It’s a horror/psychological drama about an agoraphobic woman living in a might-be-haunted house. It was very challenging but I learned a lot and had so much fun.
I’m not sure what sets me apart from others! Truthfully, I’m still learning to lean into my own essence and discover that for myself.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love Dallas for its diversity. There are so many people from all walks of life, and at least from my perspective, there’s no “bubble”. I’m not a fan of driving on DFW roads.
I35 is definitely always an adventure.
Image Credits
Brent Weber
Kassy Mireles
