In Conversation with Camila Perez
Camila was photographed in Brooklyn by Daniel G. Castrillon; she was styled by Sarah Slutsky Tooley; hair by Davey Matthew; makeup by Carolina Dalí-Trites; interview by Alison Engstrom; styling assistance by Carlee Princell.
Before we start talking about the new season of your show, Acapulco on Apple TV+— which is so great—I’d love to hear more about your background.
I was born in Colombia and moved to New York with my mom when I was eight. My mom didn't like the city, so we moved to Baltimore. We lived there for five years and then moved back to New York; it’s where I've been most of my life.
I’ve found that anyone who moves to New York or is from in New York, is very influenced, maybe overtly or inadvertently, by the city. New York has given me so much creatively. How did it influence you and your path?
In so many ways. I didn't grow up wanting to be an actress. I wanted to be an Olympic swimmer. I was a swimmer when I was younger. I stopped very young, but it was always this dream that I wanted to pursue as an adult. I was on the national synchronized swimming team in Colombia. When I moved to America that dream faded because where I lived in Baltimore, we didn't have that. I never considered acting. I didn't even think it was a job. I thought it was something that you fell into. When I moved back to New York at 14, I went on a school trip to the theater and I was fascinated by this play. I didn't know what I wanted to do—if it was the screenplay, the acting, or the lighting, but I thought, oh, this is really cool.
The easiest thing to do then was to take an acting class. I randomly DM’d this actress when I was 16, who had millions of followers and her husband had an acting studio in Miami. I said, I wanted to become an actress, and I asked what she recommended. I think it was destiny. She sent me a list and then I applied to one of them and I started taking workshops on the weekends.
It was nice, but I still didn't consider it a career, it had given me something to do. I started going to a bunch of plays in the city and I realized, I'm in New York City, maybe this is what I'm supposed to do. But again, I didn't have any connections and I didn't have anyone to guide me. It became this thing I went for it and it worked out. It's something that I call my gift. It's been such a blessing because I feel like I'm doing it for the right reasons. I'm not doing it for fame or anything like that. I'm genuinely doing it because it's my passion and I love it. I actually ran into that woman at a morning show I did in Miami, but I couldn't say anything. I just froze because I thought, if she only knew. She didn’t know who I was and I’m pretty sure she didn’t even remember that message. She started everything for me. She was very generous with me, a total stranger.
Was there a moment where your career shifted where you're like, wow, this is taking off in a beautiful direction that I had always hoped for?
When I got Acapulco, that was a beautiful moment for me. It's such a beautiful show, and the whole cast is family. I think this show is so special because we care about this show so much. It hasn't been easy to shoot. We're on location and it started during the pandemic. The crew, the actors, the execs, everyone at Apple, and Lion’s Gate, worked really hard to get the show to happen. And now, we're in season three. It’s so rare for shows to make it past one season. But I think Acapulco has this halo of people rooting for it. My life completely changed after this show. I live a life that I love, and I have a life with purpose. I had a purpose before, but this job just gave it so much color because of the people I met and the work that we got to do together.
Can you give a snapshot for those who maybe haven't tuned in yet?
The story is about Maximo. He is a boy from a small town in Acapulco who wants to work at this resort, and he gets the job of his dreams. There's a lot of metaphors in it—if you get the job of your dreams, maybe once you're in it, maybe not everything that shines is gold? You get to see him, explore love, ambition, and money. You get to learn a lot of life lessons through his journey at Las Colinas, the resort. It’s sweet, gentle, and about family. It's a show that you can watch with your loved ones. You can actually bring people along to watch it with you, and then you're probably going to want to a vacation in Mexico.
above Camila is wearing a shirt by Lafayette 148; trousers by Rebecca Vallance.
Oh, absolutely! I love how it's set in the eighties, too. I'm an 80’s baby–I love the fashion!
And it's very musically oriented. Each episode is named after a different eighties love song.
above Camila is wearing a full look by Adeam; shoes by Jimmy Choo; earrings by Melina Maria; rings by Mejuri and Bauble Bar. Camila’s own sunglasses.
That’s the best! Can you talk to me about playing Julia. What do you admire about her? Are you somebody who really likes to learn from your characters?
I've learned a lot from Julia. One thing about Julia is I'm playing my mom. My mom was a fashion designer at her age, but she wasn't able to pursue it, and so I got to live my mom's dream through her. I think it's very beautiful. I was a year old when my mom was doing that. Some things that I'm learned about playing Julia is just to believe in yourself. She's extremely confident in what she does and what she can bring to the table regardless of all the bumps she finds on the way. That's something I try to do in my career because sometimes with rejection, you get discouraged and you're like, when is this going to happen? Or you start feeling self-conscious. Julia never feels down when things don't work out, because it's never about her talent. It's more about the situation. She doesn't internalize it. That's one thing that I've learned from her. Some things I don’t agree with are the love triangles (laughs) and she's a people pleaser, which I am not.
I'm a recovering people pleaser over here and I understand her plight. It's challenging.
Yeah, it's exhausting. Sometimes when doing scenes, I would be like, girl, get it together (laughs). I got to learn a lot of beautiful things like going after what you want, trusting your instincts, and just being confident, which is key. I love learning from my characters. I mean, it's such a blessing to be an actor. I get to live through other people—it's still me playing it, but it's not my life. It's not my storyline.
above Camila is wearing a top by Brunello Cucinelli; pants by Stella McCartney; earrings by Maria Tash; rings by Mejuri and Bauble Bar.
Filming in Mexico must be amazing. Were you there for long periods of time?
We usually shot it in three and a half months. The first season was extra difficult because we were there in the middle of Covid in March 2021. We were wearing masks. We were under a bubble. Nobody could leave the hotel; nobody could enter the hotel and we couldn't see our loved ones. It was just a weird dynamic because you would film the scene and you had to put on your mask. It was just very robotic and not human. Our tables would have this plastic glass. Season one was just chaotic, but we made it. We shoot and live at the Pink Hotel. It was really fun, like an adult summer camp, located right on the beach. When I got off from work, I would just lay at the beach and then go to my bed, and then I could see the beach from my apartment. It was just surreal.
That's amazing, the perfect mix of business and pleasure. But now to talk a little bit about the future, are there any dream roles or projects that you'd like to do or get behind?
The reason I joined this industry after I discovered my passion was because of movies. I love movies. I'm a big film buff—I go to the movies two or three times a week. I love, love filmmaking. In the future, I would love to do more movies, whether they are indies or blockbusters. I want to do real character. I want to play complex characters. Characters that have something to say that they're not just this pretty face and like, oh, very superficial. I want my characters to have very strong points of view. I want to play something completely different than what I am. I like those dark characters who have nuances to them. I also want to open my own production company and produce my own movies, but as of now, I'm enjoying Acapulco. I'm enjoying where I am.
Do you have any summer plans?
I am probably going to be in Italy. I am going to get a little place and go for a couple weeks. It's too hot in New York. I try to escape as much as I can in the summer.