People have asked me why I changed my name. I decided to give everyone the reason behind this decision.
When I audition for roles in Los Angeles or in New York, people don't understand that I am Mexican. A white girl with a french name?
Because I am fair skinned, people say that "I don't look Mexican". In reality, Mexicans, (just like Americans) come in different shapes, colors, and sizes. I am latina, whether I look it or not.
I decided to change my name from Mariel Chantal to Mariel Molino to make sure people know I am latina and to ultimately break stereotypes abroad. The Spanish last name will hopefully educate and facilitate the idea that there are latinos that are black, white, asian, or brown.

I'm proud of my roots, and I want to be recognized as a Mexican-American actress, because that is what I am. I'm not one or the other.

I chose Mariel Molino because El Molino is the bakery that has been in my family forever. My mother has given her life to El Molino, it is thanks to that bakery and my mother's hard work that I have been able to pursue my career, my dream.
Of course, my name, given to me by my parents is Mariel Chantal and will always be. But my career is another path, my own choice, with my own name.

Thank you so much for the support & understanding.

Yeah, I didn't think I would be saying that either. After two months of being an unemployed actress going from audition to audition, I can finally come out and say it! The audition process for my new role was intense, it came complete with 2 callbacks, several weeks of no information and a chemistry audition. That's when they set you up with the lead to see if you two have chemistry, nerve racking....and va va vooom it paid off. I will be playing a new character for NBC Latino's El Vato, which will air on NBC Universo and Netflix! The character comes complete with a makeover, yep, chopping off my hair was not by choice but instead character related. But it's growing on me (no pun intended).

Even though I've wrapped, I was so happy to be back on set and even happier that my family and friends in the US (and everywhere else) will be able to see me! Recently, a lot of people thought I quit acting because I wasn't posting anything but the reality of this industry is that I was auditioning like crazy and I wasn't picking up anything! I'm not giving up. period. I also landed my first theatre debut! I performed shows friday through sunday and I have to say I forget how goddamn exciting it is to perform in front of a live audience. Every show is different, every crowd has a different energy, and yeah, you fuck up sometimes. Going back to auditioning brought me back to the days of auditioning in West Hollywood which was a gruesome reminder of what it means to be a starving artist (yes, dramatic, I'm kidding, relax) and even greater reminder of the gratitude I feel when I get to be a working actress. So again, back to auditions!

Teatro En Corto- Si Nos Organizamos

I've reached the 6 month mark in Mexico, I've taken up eating salsa on the regular, I've gotten Monctezuma's revenge, I've stayed up to see the sun rise, I booked two guest stars on the same show, I got fired from my modeling agency, became a spinning instructor, walked the red carpet (awkwardly) and now I'm back to the hustle of being a freelancer.

Being on set is a rush, you get to build a character from scratch, dive into everything that means, but before you know it, my 6 weeks were up and it was all gone. But let's focus on the good stuff; I was lucky enough to get to work with an awesome crew and met my wonderfully talented costars. My character of Florencia, comes into Entre Correr y Vivir in season 2, so I can't spoil too much. But let's just say the famous singer causes some sexy turmoil with the lead, Rodrigo, played by Vadhir Derbez, (who is by far one of the funniest most down to earth guys I've met out here).

Ricci Wade, Entre Correr y Vivir

Going from an audition room to set is an accomplishment but they don't tell you how nerve racking it is when the cameras are rolling and everyone is praying you get your scene, marks, and lights right so we can all move on (because it's already past midnight and it's raining). Yes, I am being a bit of drama queen, but the nerves did strike on my first day of shooting, the director yelled action, and I broke out in HIVES. What did I do you ask? Blame it on a very inexistent allergy because I did't want to be the rookie of the year. Thank God for the make up crew. After a couple more scenes, I became more comfortable in my skin, I enjoyed every single second on set because finally, I get to do what I love, that feeling is absolutely unexplainable and it's a vivid rush and now that I've wrapped the TV show, I'm ready for the next big or small thing that comes my way.

Los Cabos International Film Festival

Macho, Miguel Rodarte

It's been 4 months since I've touched down at Mexico City's Benito Juarez Airport. As soon as the smell of cigarrettes and smog hit me, I knew I was home... No, but in all seriousness, I was terrified, I put all my cards on the table and bet on myself. New city, new experiences, new people and an opportunity to really work as an actor, but I wasn't sure it would work out (So Carrie Bradshaw c. 86'). Sure, I had been to Mexico City plenty of times before moving here, my family is from here. But, the context was always different. I would come once a year, I'd visit the 30 plus aunts, uncles, cousins I "needed" to see, I would remain in a 5 mile radius, I'd have authentic tacos (not the 3 am Taco Bell bs), and boom, I'd be back in the US of A. 
Needless to say, my roots have called and I answered, I jumped on board (just in time for Trump, am I right?) in hopes of making my dreams a reality. These past 4 months, I've been exploring a completely different city, and it's exactly that.. a metropolitan city! I guess in the back of my mind I always thought living in Los Angeles was where I needed to be and I always gave Mexico City an unfair shrug. I was judging, judging hard, but I hadn't even gone out on a real date with the city.

Casino Español

Desierto de los Leones

I've slowly been courted by this urban ville through it's rich history, thriving art and passionate people. There is a bevy of undiscovered talent and a vibrant theatre life, there's live art on every corner and people that promenade on weekends. Ughh, and the food! The aromas of fried goodness permeate every block. The culture is rich. Think it might be a coincidence that the first pic in this post is a church? Nop. Of course, the traditions and beliefs of the Catholic culture are still obvious in the city. One of the biggest hurdles I've had to face since moving here is presenting my status as a single, professional, woman. Yup. Although I've received overwhelming support from those close and far to pursue my career as an actor, some people are more concerned in getting me a date, a ring and a church then in helping me attain my dreams. I know there are good intentions behind these blind dates, but it couldn't be further from what I want from myself right now. Why is it so shocking that a 23 year old woman wants to remain single and focus on her career and herself first? Don't get me wrong, we all want a prince charming but can't a girl get her castle and carriage before?
Just some thoughts from a Starving Artist.

Trump Piñata- Mercado Medellín

Paletas- Mercado Roma

A few months ago, I taped the NBC Diversity Showcase scene. Because all the scenes could be gender swapped I thought why not get to play God? In this scene, God happens to be a girly girl, stoner, in denial of all her creation. Enjoy!

Hace unos cuantos meses filmé una escena para la competencia de NBC Diversity. Como seguía la competencia no se los podía enseñar hasta ahorita! Escogí esta escena porque se me hacía simpático que el papel de Dios fuera interpretado por una mujer. Disfruten!

For the past few months, I have been working on a brand new web series that is FULLY in Spanish and it is finally here! A talk show, where I play Valeria, Juan Don and CZR's best friend and voice of reason. Here, you can watch the first episode! Unfortunately, if you don't speak Spanish it will be a bit hard to understand...

Ya llego TREMEN2, la serie completamente nueva de Mew Now TV en español, donde mi personaje, Valeria platica junto con Juan Don y Cesar sobre varios temas encuanto a los latinos viviendo en Estados Unidos. Disfruten el primer capitulo!
Los anfitriones CZR, Juan Don y Valeria destacan la experiencia latino-americana, debatiendo asuntos calientes, errores comunes y consejos de la vida de un ángulo ingenioso y refrescante.

For 2 more episodes visit: http://www.mewnowtv.com/shows/tremen2/

About a month ago, a friend and I submitted ourselves to the ABC Discovers showcase. We were asked to share the story about the best day of our life and then pick either a drama or comedy scene (of their choice) and tape it. The whole shebang took us about 5 hours because he read and shot for mine and I did the same for his. Although we didn't win (there were over 4,000 contestants) it was a hilarious and fun experience and now I get to share with you all. 
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Hace un mes, un amigo y yo grabamos una escena en su departamento para la competencia de ABC Discovers. Para la competencia (en la cual participaron mas de 4,000 mil actores) teníamos que elegir una escena; ya sea de comedia o drama y detallar en una mini anécdota tu mejor día de tu vida. Aunque no ganamos, estuvo divertido y bastante chistoso. Nos tardamos, réal, como cinco horas grabando por que entre que el me grababa a mi yo lo grababa a el, nos atacábamos de la risa con todas las estupideces que decíamos con los nervios. Ahí les va! 

A couple days ago I filmed a music video, "You're Never Good Enough" by Blood Orange. It was all shot in one take, and was overall a really fun set. But before I got to set, I wasn't sure what I had gotten myself into. Let me start by saying that because it's hard to pick up as an actor when you're starting out, I commit to unpaid jobs all the time. I never think anything of them. If I have the time, any experience is good practice, exposure, and an opportunity to meet creative and talented people. However, this shoot was an eye opener. 

Because the music video was shot at night, I arrived to the "edge" of Silver Lake (basically Down Town LA) at about 9 PM. The "location" was an old eerie Victorian house, with an RV parked right outside, where 3 or 4 homeless men were gathered setting their trash on fire, normal happenings of any great Friday right? Of course, I all I had on was a really short dress, smokey eyeshadow and wedges. I thought, this has got to be a mistake. Once I called the director of the project, and peered through the house only to find 7 grown men, he assured me I was at the right location. Perfect, this will make an amazing Lifetime movie plot. Although I wouldn't admit it at the time, I felt naive to take on a project like this without really knowing anything about the place, the director, or the project. Thankfully, I had just been to my friends film premiere before with my boyfriend, so he had come along to my shoot as well. I was lucky to have gone in with a male figure, as tough as I think I am sometimes, I'm really not and boyfriend was there in case we were all murdered. Thankfully, it ended up being less sketchy and more fun, and everyone on set was way too funky and hipster to be harmful. However, I am more wary of what jobs I take on now and who is behind them, especially in LA. 

Follow the link to view the complete hipster-esque video! You'll catch me dancing in it. 

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Hace pocos días, filme un video de música para la banda de Blood Orange, "You're Never Good Enough". Cuando llegue al shoot con mi novio, parecia película de horror. Había como 3 homeless enfrente de la casa abandonada en donde ivamos a filmar y estaban haciendo fogata en el bote de basura. Literal como película. Y lo peor de todo es que yo venia de un screening de un amigo, vestida pipiris naiiis así que traía un mini vestido con tacones. Obvio, me hice como si me valla madres pero mi novio me dijo que como se me ocurría decir que si y querer llegar sola en pleno downtown LA. Y yo por dentro feliz de que me acabo acompañando porque me estaba cagando de miedo. 

Gracias a Dios, todos los que estaban filmando la película eran mas hipsters que nada no intimidaban ni al homeless de enfrente. Todo el video se filmo en una sola toma, entonces estuvo rápido el proceso y bastante divertido. Si sigues el link, puedes ver el video por Youtube, y ahi me van a ver bailando! 

Check out my new short, Den of Thieves, adapted from the play by Stephen Adly Guirgis. I got to film this with the amazing actor, Josell Mariano. This comedic drama about addiction and hopelessness was directed by the very talented Matt Thompson and shot by Matt Law. Follow the link below to view it on a separate page. Enjoy!