On being a part of Enter Exit, she enthused, “When Finola Hughes invited me to be a part of Enter Exit I was thrilled. She gave me a brief description of Victoria. I fell in love with the character. But the biggest thrill was to get a chance to work with both her and Ian.”
“The icing on the cake was that we got to shoot it on our iPhones and do something create during the pandemic. I had been fortunate to continue to get auditions and I was busy creating a home studio for self tapes. Yet, there were and still are no shooting dates for many projects I read for. So, to have the opportunity to work was amazing,” she exclaimed.
Maldonado had the greatest remarks about working with Finola Hughes. “Finola is truly the best,” she said. “Finola wore a lot of hats for this project, yet managed to be supportive and open to collaboration. No ego, no power play. This yielded to a comfort and ease creating the character of Victoria.”
“When I performed with her, she brought a realism and believability that helped create a chemistry between the characters and work was actually play. I truly think besides being a gifted actress, she is an amazing director,” Maldonado admitted.
When asked about working with writer Matt Boren, she responded, “Sadly, I have yet to meet him in person. But for an actor, he’s a dream writer. Many times the work of an actor is doubled because you have to breath life into words that nobody would actually say. In other words, they look great on the page but can be real challenging to express. Not Matt’s words, they roll off the tongue in a very real and natural way. This makes it fun to play. He was also very open to any suggestions I had about Victoria. That was so refreshing.”
On being an actress in the digital age, Maldonado said, “I like it in many, many ways. There are more more opportunities for creative people to showcase their work on their own. Needing to wait for a studio or network to hire you or launch your material is becoming more and more obsolete. I have friends who have shot shorts on their iPhones and now have series on Netflix because the right people have seen their work.”
“Now, I’m waiting for them to call me,” she said with a sweet laugh. “I also am embracing the concept of self taping. You get to have more control over your work and send it the takes you think are your strongest. Also you can delete what you don’t like and when working on set, you no longer need to wait for the camera to be reloaded.”
Regarding her daily motivations as an actress, she said, “Seeing other people’s work is a big motivator. As a child, my mother, a movie lover, would take us to the movies. When we would get home, I’d sneak in my room and re-enact the parts I liked. I stay in class.”
“Now, they are online but I love having to prep and work on plays. I belong to two script reading groups. We pick a play or screenplay to read each week. This truly helps understand material and appreciate the greats. Storytelling is another motivator. Expressing myself through other’s stories is so rewarding,” she reflected.
For young and aspiring actors, she encouraged them to read. “I am not but it’s so necessary. Another thing is at first choose a genre and work on that. Stage, Television and film are three different beasts. Yes, they all include acting but realize with stage you have rehearsals to get you deeper into the character. You have the opportunity to grow into it and to work closer with the other actors and director,” she said.
“In film, many times you shoot out of sequence. You may film your death scene on the first day and have your first appearance in the film shot on the last day. There are a lot of moving parts and sometimes you have to adapt to the changes. Television is the fastest. Many times you meet the people you are going to be working with in the table read or on the day of. And soaps, yikes, reams of pages given the night before, with episodics too. So with that being said. Be prepared,” she underscored.
Maldonado continued, “Know your lines, know your character and come ready to work. Do not expect the director to director you on set. He/she are like an orchestra conductor. They are navigating many moving parts. You’d never see a flutists stopping in mid performance to see if they are performing well. Know your stuff, which in turn will give you the confidence you need. If no one says anything to you regarding what you’re doing, then you are doing great.”
“Also, take classes, while many young actors have done well in college or high school, trust that there are many young actors your age in class honing on their skills. If you cannot afford classes, ask to audit, go on YouTube, read. And do not limit yourself to reading about just acting.”
“Learn as much about everything as you can,” she said. How can play a kid from Borca if you have no idea where it is? The more complete you are as a person, the more you know about the world around you, science, history, geography, etc the more you will be able to offer as an artist and your chances of booking improve.
On her definition of the word success, she revealed, “The concept of success has morphed and changed many times in my career. I won’t deny that of course I wanted to accept a big award, have my name on the marquee, have a candid photo of me walking in a bikini, holding hands with a hot leading man on a beach in Fiji. But the reality, at least in my life, is that, that is fantasy. Not that it will not happen for some. But, as I grew from an aspiring actress into a working actress, my priorities, changed.”
“Early on, I wanted my SAG card, an agent, a manager, a co-star, a guest star, a recurring a lead. I’ve accomplished that but now what? The work. Doing the work, continuing to grow, learn and still work is success for me. I am grateful,” she expressed.
Maldonado concluded about Enter Exit, “It is brilliant. First, wonderful actors like Ian Buchanan, Brooklyn Rae Silzer, Marc Anthony Samuel, Fouad Mirza, and Finola Hughes. Taking short scenes that weave you into the suspense and curiosity of wanting to know what’s next is amazing. I mean, think about it. This is storytelling at its finest. But done in a very simple way. Matt’s story creates a world that allows the viewer to use their imagination to fill in the blanks as to where it is all leading. As a viewer, you are sucked into the lives of these fascinating people without revealing too much and always wanting more. An old adage ‘leave them wanting more’.”
To learn more about Norma Maldonado, check out her IMDb page and her website and follow her on Twitter.
