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Melissa Barrera doesn’t want to be categorized as anything. The Mexican actress, known for her roles in critically acclaimed projects like the series “Vida” and Lin Manuel Miranda’s “In The Heights,” stars in “Keep Breathing,” a new Netflix series.
Barrera discussed her process in choosing roles and why she’s picky with them, something that has slowed down the progression of her career.
In an interview with NBC News, Barrera discussed her willingness to embrace roles that are complex and multifaceted.
“I’m grateful to have played such rich and complex women, since flawed women are rarely depicted on screen, especially Latinas, and my whole point has been to subvert categorization,” she said. “This has caused me to lose a lot of opportunities and has slowed my career down a little bit because I’ve said no to many things because I actively haven’t wanted to be pigeonholed, and it’s very easy for this industry to do that.”
Barrera explains that her early work in telenovelas prepared her for the approach she now takes in choosing roles. “I learned to say no early on and wait for something better, regardless of how scared I was of the executives’ snide remarks.”
Barrera’s approach has paid off, allowing her to explore vastly different projects, like a musical, one of the largest horror franchises in Hollywood, and now, leading her own Netflix project. She says she wants to do everything in her career, like Hugh Jackman and Catherine Zeta-Jones. “I know it will be more challenging because I’m not white, but I know I can do it,” she says.
“Keep Breathing” premieres July 28th, on Netflix. In the future, Barrera will star in “Scream 6” and in “Carmen,” a reimagining of the classical Opera where she’ll play the titular role, with Elsa Pataky and Paul Mescal as costars.