What is the best thing that I love about my work?

There is nothing like my work, and there are many best things about it. But throughout the years something stays the same. The surreal feeling I get, true happiness, a sweet hug of safety even when I am being my most vulnerable. Like every single thing that has happened is worth it, cause I get to experience this feeling.

Acting has shown me many things. When I was a tiny girl it was an adventure and I could not believe it when I realised I could play pretend forever. That all those stories I created were something worth creating. Still in my childhood it became my escape, my warm hug and what kept me safe and going. So I knew it was what I wanted forever.

Around my teenage years, it was completed when after a performance a young girl came to me and told me what my performance did for her in her hardships. So I realised art, emotions, the human experience we deliver in our work, can change the world.

So the best thing that I love about my work is that it’s not only my best thing, but the thing with which I leave my little grain in the world.

Picture credits: Ken Yotsukura Photography

What is my idea of happiness?

I have this thought of happiness, as in a magical world called happiness and then there are these little beings who habit it. The little moments of happiness. Because for me I know for a fact when my son was born was when I knew happiness like no other, that when he hugs me and smiles at me I get those moments of pure happiness in my day. Christmas and your birthday can bring you happiness, and travelling to your dream location can make you smile and feel happiness in your heart. But when you know for a fact you are HAPPY?

I do feel true happiness comes to us, not only when we have achieved our goals. For me acting brings me true happiness and if I ever did anything else I feel I would lose that. But also when you find peace, when you heal yourself, when you find yourself smiling everyday, when waking up is a true gift and getting up and feeling ready to take everything on, then there it is.

What is my greatest fear?

Fears, ugh I don’t like fears. Not only the simple ones like being afraid of spiders or what not. But the ones that control our moves and beliefs. As an artist we are vulnerable beings, as an empath I know I am even more. It has taken great personal work, to go to my fears and say hey let’s talk about this? Why are we afraid of this? What is truly, deeply going on? And it’s hard. Even now with many solved or at least me knowing where they come from, it’s not a walk in the park all the time. So as of right now, my greatest fears are these two. Living a life where I do not get to experience the happiness we were talking about, where I do not experience certain things my soul is called to do. And loss and or death, If I’m totally honest here I do not think I will ever be ready to lose someone I love, yet I am not ready for me to end my path in this lifetime just yet and there is fear in that.

What is the trait that I most deplore in myself?

Being too hard on myself, after putting so much work on me and my mental health I still get pressure, perfectionism and bad moments make me feel like giving up on me, goals, life. Giving people, moments and circumstances power over me. Why? Cause I get mad, and sad and it’s a little too much. And I deplore that I let it affect me.

Which living persons in my profession do I most admire?

This one is great, I get to live and have grown up admiring many people. I have always held great admiration for Julie Andrews and Maggie Smith with their classics, their natural talent and the way they seemed to evolve so naturally and have spectacular breakthroughs through change and evolution of the industry. Of course I love Maryl Streep, knowing she faced rejection for not looking a certain way and still managed to find her people and become a multi award winning idol. I admire names like Viola Davis, not only for starting her career later in life but for what she stands for with every role she performs. Keanu Reeves I consider to be such a great actor and love how he treats his career and wealth in such a human, loving way. The list goes on and on, I promise you reading this are in it!

What is my greatest extravagance?

I truly want to say travel, but I am still working on being able to travel the world as often as I can. Plus I would not exactly call it an extravagance.

So I guess it is probably… man I am giving this a thought. I wish it was like the spa, shoes and more purses but it is not necessarily true. I need an extravagance ASAP.

On what occasion would I lie?

Probably, this one. Totally joking, lies are interesting. They are this thin, fragile thing yet so bloody strong. Sooo I hate them, I have been hurt multiple times by it. From people that say not to lie, or that they would not. Yet I have too, I missed school to go on trips and said I was sick. I have said I am ok with something I was not. On what occasion would I lie? I try not to lie. But Santa exists in my house and I play pretend for a living. But I am not a good liar haha. I guess I would lie when it brings a bit of magic, but the truth is there as well. See fragile, yet strong.

What is the thing that I dislike the most in my work?

When I don’t work. Honestly acting is the best thing for me, but the process to do it? Not a walk in the park. It has grown on me, getting to know myself. My branding, connecting and of course getting in the room to audition or self tape nowadays. But when I have to do other jobs, it blows a bit, sorry. But it is a ride, and the ride teaches, the ride makes you scream, cry and laugh. Sometimes all at the same time. Then you get that call or email and it is ALL WORTH IT. You get to go and create an amazing story.

When and where was I the happiest, in my work?

When and where, so specific haha. It is an interesting question, every time I get to do it I am honestly the happiest. That is it, yet I know I have not experienced my happiest moment in my work just yet. So far? Probably 2017 when I filmed a movie about a teenage pregnant girl. It was not a Hollywood production just yet, but a moment when I got to tell a story from beginning to end and I got to evolve as an artist and as a person.

If I could, what would I change about myself?

I am working on biodecoding therapy for the win! Shout out to Aimee my therapist haha. No, but I would probably change in me those moments where I want to give up, the way I give certain people so much power on how I feel or how my day goes.Not to give away my energy on negative things and get discouraged on third parties opinions. Just to stay in my power all the time, is the goal. And probably to be able to get all 100 daily tasks done, I still cant fly either.

Where would I most like to live?

Oh, this one is a tricky one. I have always called myself a citizen of the world. Which I always will, and I love celebrating all of my backgrounds and what makes me, me.

I think I will always come back to the East Coast, and love to work on the West Coast (US). Food in Mexico will always be the best. But I will settle in London. My heart has always felt at home there and I trust it is my place to be.

What is my most treasured possession?

Is my son, my possession? I am a very nostalgic person. Recently my phone got stolen. It was new, and I worked my ass off to be able to buy it. That hurt me BAD, but the photos and videos hurt just as much. I am that kind of person. So I guess I have things such as a soft animal, photos and a necklace that I treasure because of the memories and people who gave it to me. Whenever I think of what I would save in a fire if I had time, it would be mostly things with sentimental value.

What is my most marked characteristic?

I am a good listener, everyone would agree on that. I like to help as much as I can, actually I am working on helping myself first nowadays. Doctors orders haha. But I would say I like to see people happy. So I always try to make sure everyone feels seen.

Also people for sure think of me with the colour blue or old regency aesthetics. Not sure what that says about me.

What is my most inspirational location, in my city?

Ok, we already covered that I am a citizen of the world. So for me personally it is not an exact location but if you walk across Boston from Fenway all the way down to Quincy market it is pretty inspirational. If you take your time to look around, it can be like a 2 hour walk or a bit more. Looking at the different sites, and energy that city has will always be very unique to me.

NYC is a whole world of its own, I used to be close to the 9/11 memorial and sometimes I would go down there to reflect. But for inspiration you could always find me at the Lincoln centre, broadway or watching people doing what they love. So I would pick a zone and then just watch people. In Mexico any place where I get to see people singing or laughing. It is different than in other countries, you suddenly have a boost of life. London inspires me a lot, but I will share with you something personal. The Peter Pan statue in Hyde Park holds a personal special meaning to me since I am little. That place brings inspiration to me for my stories or to keep going when needed.

What is my favorite place to eat and drink, in my city?

Sushi, everywhere sushi. At home I love my mum’s cooking the most. Also fun fact “Western sushi” you know the rolls and makis and stuff? Well the best I have tasted are in Mexico.

Boston Burgers are probably my favourite. And Terry’s cafe in London is my favourite spot for a good old English breakfast.

What books influenced my life and how?

Ok, I am going to say the Harry Potter saga was the first book series to change my life. One of the reasons why I decided to pursue my dreams. More recently “The Year of Yes” by Shonda Rhimes, this book came to me exactly when I needed it the most. It changed my way into looking at scenarios in all areas of my life and how I see myself. And I am currently reading“The game of life and how to play it” by Florence Scovel Shinn. If you know me, you know that I am a manifestation coach and firmly believe that we create our own realities. This book embraces that, (with all religions btw), and how there are things that need to change.

You Only Die Once. What music would I listen on my last day?

This question makes me panic big time, like what is the song I want my ears to listen to at the very end. But if you give me a whole day, I would probably listen to all Taylor’s Swift songs, or most of them. Would cry at never grow up and long live. I would listen to Bon Jovi who is one of my favourite bands and The Beatles of course. Then From Now On from the Greatest Showman and belt to Defying Gravity one last time. Then listen to songs that remind me of my life. From songs my grandparents played me, my mum’s favourites, and the ones that empowered me through highs and lows. So a lot of 80s and 90s haha.

Who is my hero or heroine in fiction?

Cliche but Harry Potter characters are for me some of the strongest people I have read and watched. Harry is an incredibly resilient person, from the moment we see him he holds so much in him and has a brave heart. He faces solitude more than once, but still he manages to find his own light and keep fighting. Hermione is called a “mud blood”, you can see her struggle of proving she belongs in this world. Yet her brightness and soul speak for themselves throughout her journey proving she belongs and she is the brightest witch. Ron I feel shows the purity and true magic of the wizarding world. Not just because his family shows true values and different perspectives of how things can turn out. But he shows that authenticity and being true to yourself brings you a long way. And the whole series is full of different characters that show different emotions, and journeys like Sirius Black, he has one of the roughest pasts yet he shows up with bravery, love and holds himself high. I respect him so much. But then there is Lupin, Lily, James, Narcissa, Snape, Neville, Luna. They all bring such key things into the story, and as humans (magical humans).

Who are my heroes and heroines in real life?

I would say my first real life heroes were my grandparents. My grandma is my biggest fan, she has believed in me from the first moment and my grandpa has been a big support to me. My mum is such a heroine in many peoples life and I’m so proud to have her as mine too. 

My son who dresses up as one became my favourite, because little does he know he came to save me in many ways. 

But I want to acknowledge myself. I have become my own heroine. Through it all it has been my own self who has saved me. Who has chosen to keep going and see my own worth. To save that inner child and know that life can be beautiful. 

So there we go. 

Which movie would I recommend to see once in a lifetime?

Like just once? Feel free to rewatch but I remember “Dead poets society” changing my life. I appreciated Robin Williams’ work so much, but the whole story with each of the boys, the little taste of glory and the heartbreaking ending was something that came along in a time in my life where till this day I hold close to me.

I have a long list of movies that have changed my life, so let’s find a space to talk about them.

What role play stories in my life and work?

Stories have been so important since I can remember. From the stories I watched (trust me I lived 1910 for months, after I watched Mary Poppins), the ones I created every time I played and the ones I got to start telling. Stories as I mentioned before became my safe place. So in my life it became the reason to keep going, and then the reason I connected to people, now I tell stories to my boy and create some with him when we play. And till this day my mind goes to wild, magical, places with stories I will share with you all one day. As for my work, they are my work. The story I tell will run deep in me, and it is such a beautiful, adventurous, engaging, fragile thing. And I always hope to find the perfect story in the moment I need, to share with everyone in the moment they need too.

What do the words ‘You are the storyteller of your own life’ mean to me?

I love this question very much. I am very into active manifestation, numerology, astrology and the power we hold as creators of our lives. As an artist and storyteller in my work. It was the easiest way to put it when I first started learning about how we are the storytellers of our life.

So for me it is as simple as that, we create our own life. We have the power to live and create the reality we want to experience. So we are the storytellers of our own life, since we can grab our life and write the story we want to experience.

Who is my greatest fan, sponsor, partner in crime?

Whenever I think of my greatest fan, I think of my grandma. She has been positive I will make it big time, since I was born. She likes everything I do, she was the first person to ever see me on a big screen and is always there. Trust me when I say she has her ticket to my first world premier and Oscars all set. And she knows this, probably why she keeps on the good work (I am kidding). But I have had people who have supported me. My aunts and uncles always root for me. They somehow understand the hard work that it is to be an actor. My mum, who has never said no to my dreams and trusts in me. And people who I have encountered along the way, have been those partners in crime whenever I need them most.

Which people or companies would I like to work with ?

Ok, this is the second time I mention her but Shonda Rhimes, she has inspired me for years now and everytime I see her stories I know I am the type of actor she will one day have on speed dial.

Of course, Mr. Tom Verica, Jess Brownel and Geetika Lizardi who are part of the Shondaland world.

Greta Gerwig is someone who I am looking forward to working with in my career, Alfonso Cuaron and Guillermo del Toro, two Mexican masterminds I will love to work with. I see myself working with the Duffer Brothers, I feel they are perfect for a story I have in mind. Baz Luhrmann is on my list as well. Julie Plec, I am always ready to be a vampire. So call me.

There are many more, I would love to give life to a character on the West End soon too!

What project am I looking forward to work on?

Coff Coff Bridgerton. I am very much looking forward to the projects coming up this next year. I am looking forward to the fantasy worlds I’ll be part of, the time travelling and becoming the new characters.

Where can you see me or my work?

You can find some of my work on Amazon Prime “Crimes Lottery”. YouTube the leading role “Cielo, Mar y Tierra”, and some short films like “Millena”. You can also see some of the recordings of plays I have worked in.

Join me on my Instagram and TikTok where you will find my link tree to some of my work!

What do the words “Passion Never Retires” mean to me?

When you have that passion for something, no matter where the wind blows, how many times it may seem it is not working. If that passion is still there, that flame burning in your heart telling you that, that is the one thing for you! You do not give up! I am typing this with tears in my eyes, hoping that if you are reading this, you will keep going! You will get there!

Which creative professionals should Peter invite to tell their story?

Alex Aster -Writer

Ellie Blackwood- Writer

Greta Gerwig- Director

Sarah Lampert

Geetika Lizardi- Writer

Nica Burns- Producer

Victoria V.E. Schwab- Writer

Kelly Valentine Hendry- Casting director

Stephanie Savage- Producer

Victoria Aveyard- writer

How can you contact me?

I am so excited to connect with you and make some magic together.

Email me at: melany.hillf@hotmail.com or melany.pow@gmail.com

IG and Tiktok: @Immelanyhill

See you there!