On a mission.
Yalitza Aparicio went from being a preschool teacher to an Oscar-nominated actress after starring in Alfonso Cuarón‘s 2018 drama Roma. Now, she’s continuing her acting career in pursuit of roles that “give visibility and a voice to Indigenous communities.”
As Aparicio explained during E!’s “Ones to Watch” series celebrating Indigenous heritage, she takes her time choosing between projects.
“I feel like there has to be coherence between my words and my actions,” the actress, who’s of Triqui and Mixtec heritage, continued. “And the projects I have coming up have a lot to do with the importance of how Indigenous people are portrayed on screen.”
Most recently, Aparicio starred in the Hulu short film Hijas de brujas—a project that she described as “a little bit complicated for me.”
Why? Her character had a part in English.
“Actually, a majority of the short film was supposed to be in English, but then there were a series of changes during development,” Aparicio explained, recalling having “a lot of nerves” in the beginning. “But with those nerves I was accompanied by hope and enthusiasm to learn and speak a different language.”