Actress and filmmaker Carolina Espiro chatted about writing and directing “The Avon Lady,” and her acting career.
‘The Avon Lady’
In this film, an immigrant grandmother becomes an “Avon Lady” to overcome her fear of speaking English. She is an epic failure until an eccentric customer takes her on as his personal project and teaches her that it takes more than English to make a sale.
“I wanted something to be a calling card to the shift of directing,” she said. “So, I wanted to write something about my mom.”
“I thought it would be funny to shoot my mother as an Avon Lady because she actually was an Avon Lady,” she said with a sweet laugh. “That’s how the whole story started to develop, and I didn’t realize that it was going to be this successful.”
“It was supposed to be something small to start but it has been really such an enjoyable experience,” she acknowledged.
‘FBI’
When she moved to New York, she noted that the TV series “FBI” was one of the first jobs that she got, where she plays Detective Gates. “They kept bringing me back in the role,” she said. “Now, I still get emails, and when I am available I fly back there to reprise the role.”
‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’
She opened up about doing “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” “This was probably one of my favorite things to shoot because I got to work with Ming-Na Wen,” she said.
“Also, there were some cool special effects, where I got to turn into stone, and that was really difficult because the director kept asking me to pretend to be in terrible pain but I couldn’t move because the CGI had to keep the markers in place to later put in the spread of the stone. It wound up being so much fun.”
Daytime dramas
Espiro has been a part of such soap operas as “Days of Our Lives” and “The Young and The Restless.”
She noted that the daytime drama world is “completely different” from primetime since it has its own way of shooting. “They give you the script the night before, it’s a lot of dialogue, and then you have one or two takes to get it right,” she said. “That was a learning experience for me.”
“The leads on there were really kind. I got to run lines with them, but in the soap opera world, you need to be on your feet and not mess up,” she said. “Luckily, it went fine for me. Acting in in the soap opera world is definitely a different animal; I have so much respect for daytime actors.”
The digital age
On being a part of the digital age, she said, “It has made it easier for people who are novices to create better quality content. 50 years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to switch from actor to director so easily. Now, we can make movies on our cell phones and really great-looking movies with the technology.”
“As an actor, there is a scary part of getting replaced with AI,” she admitted. “I think we are way off, and it’s really hard to mimic the authenticity of humanity with technology. It will be very interesting to see where it will go.”
Advice for young and aspiring actors
For young and aspiring actors, she said, “Don’t wait to be perfect before you start. I waited 10 years too long to start my directing career, and if you wait, then it may never happen.”
“You need to start failing as soon as you can, so that you can start to learn and create something that you are passionate about,” she said.
Stage of her life
On the title of the current chapter of her life, she said with a sweet laugh, “Time to start failing.”
Carolina Espiro has Greek roots
Espiro shared that she has Greek roots. “My great-grandfather was Greek so we kept the name Espiro,” she said. “Culturally, we are Chilean, but our look seems very much Greek.”
Success
On her definition of the word success, Espiro said, “For me, success is always about the journey. There is no goal post.”
“Success is constantly checking in to make sure that you are doing what you love, and that you are happy. Also, your life is filled with love and passion; you don’t need anything else,” she concluded.
To learn more about Carolina Espiro, check out her official website and follow her on Instagram.
