Diana Noris- Dedication And Persistence (As A Latina Actress) (September 2021)
Issue Seventeen- September 2021:
By Mercedes Barreto
Does race, gender or ethnicity, (our walks and roots of life) hinder opportunities for success in the lives of the talented? Does being different come as a downside? Actress and Latina rising talent Diana Noris is a talented individual who knows what it takes to inspire and overcome obstacles in an acting career and life despite the presence of such differences in the industry. We read about her acting aspirations in this guided and informative article.
What got you started in acting, and became the moment of all moments, in which you realized your talents for what they are?
“I think it was when I was about 8 years old. While living in Puerto Rico, and working as a print kids model, I realized after doing an extra role, right then and there, that I wanted to perform in front of audiences. I moved to Miami at a young age and concentrated on modeling, but after a long-acting hiatus, I decided to fully concentrate on acting. However, the fast-paced life of Miami was cool but ultimately, it was a distraction. I was living in a fantasy world that wasn’t real, and I said enough was enough. Believe it or not, after now moving to and living in Washington DC, I am more focused than ever on my acting career, on painting, on a small boutique and talent agency I run, and a vegan skincare line that I own and have produced from scratch.”
What are four words that describe your passion in the industry, as well as your work to get to this stage in your career, and your style of acting, if applicable?
“Persistence. It takes a lot to be able to ride through the difficult world that is the acting industry, especially as a Latina woman. It’s easy to sometimes feel small or unseen in an industry that can be so competitive. My experience has taught me that it’s so important to ignore rejection when it comes and to not personalize it, even if sometimes I know and that I am being underestimated or under-appreciated. It’s something I think every actress, unfortunately, experiences at some point or another in their lives, but the way to push through those barriers placed in front of us is through persistence and simply never giving up. Dedication: Just with everything else in life, it takes time, practice, effort, and dedication to cultivating success as an actor or actress. It’s something I’ve truthfully struggled with throughout the years. Empathy: I have come to realize that a huge element of the craft is this marvelous word. You have to be able to feel empathy so you can project your emotions. Playful: As understated as it is to say, it’s important to bring a sense of playfulness with you into this field. One of the biggest things that have helped me survive really difficult, stressful, or even embarrassing moments throughout my career is a sense of playfulness. It’s easy to get nervous for example when I’m on set in front of cameras, directors, crewmen, and colleagues while also bearing in mind that my performance is being scrutinized, recorded, and responded to at the moment and that all of that is being captured and driven towards somewhere. For me, it’s helpful to not take it all so seriously and to just have fun with it. Persistence/Dedication/Empathy/Playful.
Also, Ignore rejection, giving up not an option, embody different personalities, techniques as natural as possible; apply my experiences in life and apply to situation or role. My favorite acting technique is the Meisner. The Meisner technique is an approach to acting that was developed by American theatre practitioner Sanford Meisner. The focus of the Meisner approach is for the actor to “get out of their head”, such that the actor is reacting instinctively to the surrounding environment.”
How has Covid affected your life? Positively or negatively? How so?
“In so many ways, I feel like this pandemic has revealed a lot about myself. Like the rest of us, being closed off from the rest of the world for so many months put me in the position of really having to take stock of what is truly important and also reflect on where I was in life.
It was like all of a sudden, the world was forced to come to a stop, and in my ways, I think my inner world did as well, and I was thrust into a whirlwind of introspection. I think it’s easy to say something is strictly just a “positive” or “negative” thing, but something I’ve come to learn throughout my life is that very rarely is anything just a “positive” or “negative” thing, and in fact, very often are both; it’s just a matter of perspective really.
For me, it’s a little difficult trying to put together how COVID has effected me negatively because I always end up thinking of all the people who have suffered so much more than I ever have throughout this pandemic. I feel lucky being able to say that the most I was negatively affected were the loss of time and structure to my day-to-day life and how everything else suffered as a result, not to mention the massive blow to the acting industry as a whole throughout lockdown. I think that was also the toughest for me; having to financially, mentally and even physically adapt to this new and scary world we very quickly found ourselves in.”
What are three things that you do to prepare before an audition, or a show, to be as prepared as possible?
“Even in my present moment, it can be very stressful preparing for an audition or performance. I think it’s important to perform meditation and breathing exercises. Spending time with family is strong support, and also a super-strong coffee. Study: know the objective, research character, memorization skills. Meditate: Do breathing exercises, go to a happy place. It’s also important to be punctual or an hour early to get familiarized with your crew, cast, and surroundings.”
If you could perform for three industry executives for one night, and you get to pick which three are invited to your show, who would you pick, on a global scale, if given the opportunity? Why so?
“Oprah/Victoria Alonso (Argentine)/Emma Thomas. They are fearless, brave, go-getters, strong, and all women. I believe in girl power.”
Where can we find your work, if we wish to do so?
“You can find my works on my IMBD as well as my website diananoris.com, www.diananoris.biz.”
What are some reasons we should see your next performance?
“We are in weird times; it seems as though the pandemic has affected us all in different ways, both positive and negative. The time at home has served me to rest my mind, body, and soul. This has allowed introspection and aid for improvement in all areas and aspects of my life. One of them was revisiting previous roles in my career; and I asked myself, “Can you do this better?”
What began as a challenging task turned into a light-hearted activity that my son, cats, and I enjoyed most making me appreciate the art of acting to an entirely different level. As it isn’t the attention, fame, or money that I’ve sought after, it is the sharing of the soul, being the medium of my culture, the roots of my people, and most importantly, the inspiration I once needed. In watching my subsequent films, I hope to inspire women afraid to take a risk and follow their dreams. I, too, was once one of them–I too have prevailed. I believe that no matter your age, genre, or nationality, you can accomplish anything you want.”
Is there anything you feel is important to add here?
“Films that will be released this year “Devi’s Five”, “Shriekshow”, “Sangre Negra/Black Blood” (TV series), “The Perfect find”, “The secret of cuck Island” and, “Leak Mead”.
For releasing information visit IMDB.com,”
Photos in the article are by Adam Rexrode (Photographer)
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One Comment
Charles
Great interview! Love her.