She opened up about her experience with Two Feet In. “The thing I loved about creating Two Feet In was that because I chose to produce it independently I was able to work with and hire my entire creative team, cast and crew and fulfill my mission of increasing diversity and inclusion in front of and behind the camera. I was able to stay true to my original vision in bringing these stories to life and that is absolutely reflected in the final product,” she said.
Herrera portrayed the character Alma, who is a choreographer and a dance teacher, in Two Feet In. “The thing I loved most about playing Alma is that she is a character that many women can relate to. Growing up as a third generation Chicana born and raised in Los Angeles, I never saw characters that reflected my life experience on TV or film,” she said.
“Alma is working on pursuing her own dreams and aspirations while wanting to support her family and dance students. Women are constantly trying to balance life and get pulled into different directions and we get to witness Alma’s journey of trying to stay true to herself and navigate it all,” she added.
“I think one of the most challenging things about playing this character was that I was also the Executive Producer and wore many other hats every day throughout production so it took a lot more energy and focus on the character and learning lines, but all the hard work was worth it,” she said.
On being an actress and a producer in the digital age, she noted that the digital age has definitely changed the industry. “I do think there are more opportunities as an actor and producer to create and share projects directly with your audience and not have to depend on a studio or big budget to create quality content. I do see more short-form digital content being acquired these days and believe more platforms will be developed soon,” she said.
She complimented her gifted cast members, which included seasoned actors Lilly Melgar and Erik Fellows. “Lilly and Erik are amazing, both on and off screen. They are both incredibly talented actors and have the accolades to back it up. They both brought such amazing qualities to each of their characters and were such a pleasure to work with. It was truly an honor and I am looking forward to continuing to work together,” she exclaimed.
For young and aspiring actors, she encouraged them to work and hone their craft. “There are so many opportunities to continue to build skill-sets as an actor and you always have to keep learning. Also, adapt best practices when it comes to self-tapes. So many auditions are self tapes, especially right now, and you want to make sure you are sending in high quality submissions,” she said.
Herrera defined the word success as follows: “I think the definition for ‘success’ has changed over my career. For me, it’s not about being ‘famous.’ Success is about creating authentic stories for stage, TV and film that truly reflect our lives as an American-Latinx community. It’s staying true to my vision and being able to adapt, but not compromising, to move forward in this industry,” she said.
“I think most importantly to inspire young creative visionaries to share their own stories. We don’t need to wait on anyone to share our stories. There is a quote that says, ‘You may be one of the first to accomplish something, but make sure you’re not the last.’ Success for me is moving the needle and paving the way for the next generation of creatives and storytellers to make their mark,” she elaborated.
“The pilot episode of Two Feet In can be seen on the ShortsTV Network. Follow @twofeetinshow on Instagram for updates,” she remarked. “It is a story of family, hope, following your dreams and the power that the arts play in the lives of young people and our communities. The Arts create hope, and with hope anything is possible.”
Read More: Two Feet In garnered a favorable review from Digital Journal.
