Actress Lisa Vidal (“Being Mary Jane” and “ER”) chatted about her new movie “Righteous Thieves.”
The movie was directed by Anthony Nardolillo, and written by Michael Corcoran. “This film was great,” she admitted. “It was a great role, a fun movie, and I had a great time. I was working with my friends. What’s not to like? It was an amazing storyline and I loved that we are bringing this to life, especially to highlight the awful things that happened to the Jewish people, who has their artwork stolen but this group of thieves is bringing it back to them, and stealing it back. It was a great subject matter.”
Aside from Vidal, it stars Cam Gigandet, Jaina Lee Ortiz, Carlos Miranda, Benjamin Schnau, and Danube Hermosillo. “Everybody in this cast was so much fun. It felt like I was working with friends. The chemistry was off the charts, and we all liked each other,” she said.
She was drawn to her character Annabel for several reasons. “Annabel was fearless, I loved her strength, resilience, determination, and passion. I love playing strong independent women, and women who are in charge,” she said.
The synopsis is: In this ultimate heist thrill-ride, Annabel (Lisa Vidal), a leader of a secret organization engaged in the recovery of priceless artwork, assembles a ragtag crew of art thieves to recover a Monet, Picasso, Degas, and Van Gogh stolen by Nazis during WWII and now in the possession of neo-Nazi billionaire oligarch Otto Huizen (Brian Cousins).
As the planned heist approaches, loyalties are tested when the crew learns the real reason behind Annabel’s search for the long-lost paintings.
“I hope everyone has fun watching this heist film, and I really hope that everyone learns something from the subject matter of the film. It is so important on so many levels, and also realizes that this group of thieves are just people who happen to be Latinos, and they are pretty much rockstars. I love the positive light that we are putting Latinos in this film,” she said.
The digital age
On being an actress in the digital age, Vidal said, “Everything changes so fast and I just try and pray to keep up with it.”
“Every moment in my career helped define me,” she said with a sweet laugh. “Life defines me, it is experience and living life. My career is amazing but my life in itself is what truly defines me, and that makes me a better actor.”
For young and aspiring actors, Vidal encouraged them to “have a tough skin, be resilient, and to always keep working at it.” “This is not an easy business, you really have to love it, and you need to feel like it’s all you want to do. It’s a lot of determination, discipline, and luck,” she said.
On the title of the current chapter of her life, Vidal said, “Fearlessness.”
Vidal listed Meryl Streep, Sally Field, Susan Sarandon, Idris Elba, and Annette Bening, as her dream acting partners in the entertainment business.
Regarding her favorite mottos to live by, she said, “Live authentically, be true to oneself, and be kind. Never assume that you know what is going on with someone else, always lead with compassion. Also, one day at a time, and try to do your best every single day you wake up.”
On her definition of the word success, Vidal said, “Contentment and joyfulness even in difficult times.”
To learn more about Lisa Vidal, follow her on Instagram, and check out her IMDb page.
