Vida star Chelsea Rendon on playing the passionate badass Mari in the superb new Starz show
Chelsea Rendon is all set to take on the character Mari in new Starz show Vida. Vida tells the story of two estranged Latino sisters who go back to their old neighborhood after their mother passes away to discover their real identity and uncover long-buried secrets.
Chelsea shares all that makes Mari special and how she was able to connect with the character very easily. Meaww spoke with Chelsea to get to know Mari a little more and find out what her experience on Vida was like.
"Mari is a young badass activist. She's in-your-face, not afraid to speak her mind. Mari means so much to me because she is so much like me. Getting to play someone so close to myself is amazing," Chelsea said.
The character is bold and not afraid to speak out about the challenges and struggles faced by minority communities such as the Latino community. "I like to consider myself a badass. Plus, I grew up in the area, so I connect with her a lot because of that," Chelsea added.
Playing such an intense character which represents a much bigger social issue was definitely challenging, according to Chelsea. The character and the actor's struggles had to become one. Chelsea said that she had to "make sure not to do too much. I wanted to do it right."
Shows like Vida are hoping to allow people to break out of stereotypical boundaries and boxes created by society and being a part of such an experience really helped Chelsea to see things differently. "Every day on set was a highlight. We were a big family and we definitely made memories to last a lifetime. I will say episode five was my favorite to shoot," she said.
Vida also tries to get its viewers to understand that "We are all humans. No matter how different people think we are. Whether it's race, gender, background, at the end of the day, we all have hearts and feelings," Chelsea concludes.
Chelsea has been acting since she was six. She booked the lead role in the feature film 'No Turning Back' shortly after and went on to win multiple awards for her role as Christina in the film. "I was always acting or singing as a kid. I think it’s in my DNA. It's been and still is a dream to me," she said.
As an actor, she has to constantly switch characters depending on the role and the film. "I keep a little of them with me. Sometimes, it actually helps me with a different character," she revealed.
