Today we’d like to introduce you to Cynthia Santiago.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started my artistic journey as a ballerina. I come from a small town in Puerto Rico named Canovanas. I always knew I wanted to come to the US and do bigger things that what I was seeing around me. I always loved acting and took classes in school but there were no other avenues to act for me. With no other way to express myself I dove into ballet I was good but sometime in college, I lost my passion for it.
Then life happened, I made some bad choices and I moved from job to job trying to rediscover who I was. One day a friend offered me a job as an extra on a TV show. I showed up committed and ready to work or do as told, and I got bumped to a line! I felt the universe was giving me a sign to go back to my childhood dream of acting. Soon after I dove into classes and set some timelines and goals.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not easy! When I took that first job as an extra, I was in the middle of a very toxic relationship. He partied, drank, did drugs, and owed a lot of people a lot of money (which I learned later on). Then I was diagnose with Crohn’s disease. When it all crashed and burned like all bad things do. I had to re-evaluate where I was. What I was doing with my life, the dreams I had let go of, and the people that surrounded me. I had lost it all. I mean ALL. My ex opened credit cards in my name and stuck me with the bill, sold my car without my knowledge, and I woke up to an eviction letter.
But when I showed up to be an extra and got bumped to a line, I felt the universe was giving me a sign to go back to my childhood dream of acting. Soon after I dove into classes and set some timelines. Then I got married, moved to CA, and in the back and forth got pregnant and we thought it would be best to come back to Dallas. But then Covid hit and the whole industry had changed. I sat around 2 years without a callback or booking. I thought about quitting but worked on my mindset, dove even deeper into classes and here I am.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I really love acting. I have always been a people watcher. Even as a child I’d ask lots of questions and tried to understand people’s motives and choices. I find people’s behavior and psychology to be very fascinating subjects and this art just allows me to dive deep into that and explore it in an immersive way.
An early career highlight was the being in a Sundace Spotlight film alongside Michael Shannon and Andrew Garfield in Ramin Bahrani’s film “99 Homes.” Just being on that red carpet and set with such iconic actors really showed me I was exactly where I needed to be but also that I needed to work so much harder. Later I was pleased to find I had been featured as “best dressed” in Vanity Fair en Español’s related Sundance red carpet coverage.
I believe what sets me apart is my work ethic and collaborative nature. I’m a people person so I tend to get along well with others and make friends easily and that’s important when working long hours. There really is no time for big egos on a set.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
A business mind and great work ethic. But also, to remember this is a people-driven business so if people don’t like you on a personal level or you get a big head people may not want to work with you as much. So, it’s important to also stay humble and grounded.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/real.cynthiasantiago/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cynthiasantiagoofficial
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/JustCynthiaS
Image Credits
Julian Race
Cameron Spooner
