Hello and welcome to the Scene 2 Seen Podcast!
I’m Valerie Complex, associate editor and film writer at Deadline. You may be wondering why the release is on a Tuesday instead of Friday? Well, the good news is that this is the first of a special two-part episode series taking place this month. But no worry! The show will soon be back with its third season officially on Fridays!
Today I’m chatting with actress, singer and dancer Melissa Barrera – a dynamic, versatile talent who has captured audiences’ attention with her versatile and charismatic performances. Barrera can currently be seen in the Universal Studios horror film Abigailwhich hit theaters on Friday, April 19th.
The film follows a group of criminals hired to kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure: all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In a remote mansion, the captors are gradually dwindling, and to their growing horror they discover that they are locked there and that there is no normal little girl left. The bloodthirsty vampire film reunites Barrera with the successful Radio Silence directing team Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett.
Barrera will later appear in the horror romance, Your monster, which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and was acquired by Vertical Entertainment. Written and directed by Caroline Lindy, the film follows aspiring actress Laura Franco (Barrera), whose life falls apart after a cancer diagnosis and a devastating breakup. The soft-spoken actress finds her voice when she encounters a frightening but eerily charming monster (Tommy Dewey) who lives in her closet.
Barrera will soon play the main role Cooperation, a film about one of the most defining moments in the world of modern art. Written by Anthony McCarten (Bohemian Rhapsody), based on an acclaimed play, follows Andy Warhol (Paul Bettany) and Jean-Michel Basquiat (Jeremy Pope) as they embark on a successful collaboration that will transform modern art.
These projects build on the box office success of the latest projects Scream Film in which Barrera reprized her leading role.
In 2021 she again thrilled audiences with her extraordinary performance in the Warner Brother film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway musical In the heights, There she received a nomination for the 2022 Satellite Award for Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical for her performance.
Barrera began her career by starring in popular telenovelas in her native Mexico, including Judas wife And The other face of the soul as well as the famous Siempre tuya Acapulco and Tanto amor. She has starred in STARZ’s Life and Mía González and in Netflix Ravens Club. As a singer she has appeared in musicals such as Spring awakening, young Frankenstein and the Spanish pop-rock musical Today I can’t get up at the Teatro Aldama in Mexico City.
Off-screen, Barrera advocates for change, leads by example, and motivates others to make their voices heard. She has worked with Bold Futures, a nonprofit organization that advances policy change, research, place-based organizing, and cultural change by and for women and people of color in New Mexico.
In this episode of Scene 2 Lakes, Barrera and I discuss Abigailbuilding collaborative relationships in Hollywood and how to stay true to yourself as a performer and individual.
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