Check Out Isabella Vigil’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Isabella Vigil.

Hi Isabella, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I discovered my passion for acting when I was in high school, watching musicals and theatre shows. I enrolled to a few acting workshops and quickly realized that acting and creating is what I wanted to do with my life. After that, I continued studying in more serious workshops in Peru, where I learned about Stanislavsky and Meisner. And it was in my last workshop, where my teacher, Leonardo Torres Vilar, a Meisner expert, inspired me to relocate to NYC. There I became a professional actor at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

I have had amazing experiences in NYC as an actor. I had the opportunity to work on independent productions as well as big ones. I have worked on TV, film and theatre. One of my most rewarding experiences was working as a key performer in the Netflix series, Zero Day, starring Robert DeNiro. I had the chance to meet Joan Allen, Matthew Modine and Lizzy Caplan, and I learned valuable lessons about their work ethic on set as professional actors. I also had the chance to co-create next to talented colleagues in the Aeschylus adaptation of The Suppliant by Italian director Lucia Sapienza, where we got to perform at the New York Theater Festival. Finally, I met the amazing director, Stephen Doe, who gave me the chance to co-star the reboot of his independent web series #Hashtag, which won short film awards in the past.

Now I am looking for more opportunities to create and act in both, Peru and New York City.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I have learnt a lot during this time far away from home, but moving to another country to pursue my goals has definitely had some struggles along the way. First of all, the language. sometimes I would feel shy to speak out loud because I was afraid of not making sense, or to ask questions in class or in auditions because I didn´t want my teachers or casting directors not to understand me. Now I feel better about it, and definitely more confident because the experience in the industry had thought me that there is no such thing as a ¨correct way of speaking¨, all dialects are okay and can be different. I think that is an amazing thing that happens in the US, specifically in NYC, where a lot of foreign people come to achieve their professional goals.
Another thing was the cultural shock, where I realized people could be very much extroverted than me, even though I consider myself an extrovert. That also got better through time, when I realized how to react to people´s comments and how to interact with new people.
Finally, NYC is the city that doesn´t sleep, but not only because everything opens late, but because people work all day, or have a dinner party or a work event. There is always something going on. So the pace here is definitely faster than in my country, but I have end up loving it. For me, NYC has a special place in my heart because it has taught me so much stuff about being a better human being an a professional creator.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am an actress, that has been trained with different techniques, but the one that has had most impact on me is the Meisner Technique. I am very passionate about both film and theatre, and I really like this technique since it helps me equally to develop my greatest potential in both. I am most proud in the work I have realized along colleagues that are starting their professional acting career, as I am. I think creating your own stuff in this industry is very valuable. One project that makes me very proud is the Greek theatre show, The Suppliant Maidens, a physical play originally written by Aeschylus and adapted by colleague, Lucia Sapienza. I loved being part of this project since we had a space to rehearse for 5 months, where we explored the physicality of women in pain, looking for a better future, and united as one, and the meaning of this play. It was definitely a rewarding experience.
I think what sets me apart from others is not only my dreams but my will. I have found amazing and very talented groups of people that are looking to create too. This is an industry where team work is very important and finding the right people to work with is very valuable. I have created some audiovisual work from scratch and I would love to keep doing that in the future.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My favorite childhood memory is playing in the park in front of my house back in Peru. Actually, I have a lot of memories in that park, but what I enjoyed the most was being creative with my friends. We named a tree after ourselves and made it our home, we would watch movies and musicals together and perform the best scenes or songs with each other, or we would make teams on February (Carnaval Season) to ¨attack¨ each the other team with water balloons when they least expected it. It was amazing to know that between 9am to 6pm I would always run into a friend playing outdoors.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.isabellavigil.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isabellavigil/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/isabella.v.dangelo
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ivigilprofile

Image Credits
Michele Illuzi Laura Iron Andy Boyle Fara Boyce