The lovely Michelle Veintimilla talks about how she discovered her calling of acting, her time working on the beloved show The Baker and the Beauty, the importance of artists in society and doing our civic duty of voting.

Photography, Creative Styling by Sarah Slutsky at Studio SES; Assisted by Gina Brase

Interview by Alison Engstrom

Lovely to meet you! All things considered, I am doing pretty well. Since March I have spent most of my time with my family, which has been a huge blessing.

My boyfriend and I are both actors, and we had a tiny place in NYC that (because of our schedules) we would use, mostly, to lay our heads at night. But when stay-at-home orders were issued and our industries shut down, we quickly realized it would be safer and healthier for us to hunker down on Long Island with my parents in their home. We were also able to take a drive to Michigan to be with my boyfriend’s mom for a few months. It’s been an interesting adjustment! But it’s also been so illuminating to spend this time with our parents as adults. There’s still so much to learn from them and about ourselves and we’ve been soaking it all up.

Michelle is wearing a dress by Dice Kayek; shorts by Twenty Montreal; rings by Vrai.

I am the daughter of Ecuadorian immigrants. I was born in Queens, New York but grew up on Long Island about 50 miles from the city with my Mom, Dad, and four brothers (and enormous extended family which included 30 first-cousins!). We had a lot of fun. Lots of birthday parties (RIP Birthday parties).

Michelle is wearing a blouse by Kate Spade; tights by Alo Yoga; rings by Vrai; earrings by Montserrat.

I was a very sensitive and emotional child. I think my parents knew right away I needed something to ground me. They put me through every sport and activity they could think of and ultimately what took my liking was dance class. I spent my formative years in a dance studio training every day after school and on weekends. It taught me everything about discipline, friendship, and story-telling. That eventually led to an interest in theater, and by age 12 I was performing in professional regional theater productions on Long Island and traveling to the city for auditions regularly. So, in many ways, it’s all I’ve ever known. But to this day, every time I see a live performance, I know that I’m in the right industry. There’s something so sacred about being in a shared space with strangers, watching a story unfold. Human beings have been sharing their stories with their neighbors since the beginning of time - it’s quite literally how we humans shape our history. So I feel like I find my calling every time I’m in a theatre. But if I had to choose a moment: I remember for my 9th birthday we saw 42nd Street on Broadway, very close to the stage, and at the curtain call one of the dancers looked right at me and winked at me! She must have read it all over my face: I wanted to be up there so badly.

We are living through a time in our history that is requiring so much of us, collectively. So I think we all, but especially artists, have a moral obligation to elevate our work in a way that brings us together. I’m interested in material that will empower and activate us. I’m interested in material that speaks to our human condition so that we can better understand each other. I’m interested in material that ignites our curiosity and teaches us to engage in meaningful, compassionate ways. I’m also, for the first time ever, putting my own stories to paper, which has been very cool for me.

I was so moved to see our fans galvanize to get us a second season. Our goal was to make a show so full of love that people would be moved to lean in and look closer - to see themselves in our characters despite apparent differences - and I think the petition showed us that we did just that. We also wanted to represent Latin culture and identity in an honest way and to show the world that our stories matter, that our contributions to society are important, and that we deserve a seat at the table. So, I believe we’ve left the door open a little wider for the next story that comes along, and that makes me very hopeful.

This show was such a game changer for me personally because it was the first time I saw my own family dynamic represented on television. I think Latinx stories often get trapped in dark narratives; they fulfill an outsider’s expectation of us. But our story brought light, nuance, playfulness, love, humanity, and respect to the Latinx narrative and I think that had a lot to do with the fact that our entire crew was Puerto Rican. We were so joyful, loving and comfortable at work and I think that warmth from set showed on screen, which is so wonderful. I’m just so grateful to have been a part of it.

If you think about it, every single person on Earth has a story, and I think every one of them is worthy to be told. But what excites me is watching artists have artistic control over their work. I guess that means executives trusting that artists (especially those of color), are capable of telling their own stories. Those stories are always the ones that jump off the screen and steal my sleep, but I don’t mind. They make me better.

I’ve taught myself to do my own hard-gel manicures and nail art! My nail beds have become my tiny canvases, haha. It takes me a very long time to do them, so it’s become a new kind of meditation for me. I really love it! I’m also really fortunate to have creative friends, like my stylist Sarah Slutsky, who are always game to collaborate and make something, even while social-distancing or over Zoom. She took these photos of me in her back patio while 6 feet a part and they’ve become some of my favorites!

I’m passionate about the election coming up in 6 weeks! I want everyone to know that their voice DOES matter. Filling out the census matters. Registering to vote matters. Having a voting plan matters. Phone banking matters. Becoming a poll worker matters. Helping others to register and make a voting plan matters. There are so many things that are out of our control but voting is not one of them. It’s our democratic right and civic duty to ourselves, our neighbors, and the future of America. I hope and pray this country shows up to vote as if lives are on the line, because they are. Our PLANET is on the line. I hope people will vote with empathy and respect for our Earth and humanity. I hope people will vote in the name of human decency and compassion. Here are some voting resources:

Vote.org; WhenWeAllVote.com; Eac.gov/voters/become-poll-worker; KnockforDemocracy.org

I’m so relieved to see productions starting up again and I’m so excited to see how all of our creative energy from the last 6 months will manifest down the line. I’m praying for us all as we approach the end of this very difficult year. Here’s to the future! Here’s to love and kindness!

Michelle Veintimilla On Discovering Her Calling, the Important Role of Artists and Voting

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