July 12, 2022 • 34 mins
Joining Morenita this week is her costar from Dream House, Jacqueline Correa! Jacqueline tells Darilyn about her path to the stage and the two discuss what Dream House meant to them. Oh and how Hollywood came a calling. TAP IN!
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Welcome to Morenita, a deep dive into the Latin X experience.
With more That, we want to create a community and
a shared space with you while sharing knowledge and inspiration.
This show is about celebrating our culture with guests who
exemplify the best of us. I'm Darylene Gastillo Ethane Vietle.
(00:30):
Oh yeah me hand said before we get to the episode,
I want to take a moment to address the June
Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe versus Wade. This decision
stripped away the legal right to have a safe and
legal abortion. Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion,
threatens the health and independence of all Americans. This decision
could also lead to the loss of other rights. To
(00:52):
learn more about what you can do to help, go
to pod Voices Dot Help. We encourage you to speak up,
take care, and spread the word. Oh yeah me hand fed.
Today you are in for a special treat because my sister,
Jacqueline Correa has officially entered the building. Okay, correction, not
(01:17):
my sister sister like in real life, but my sister
in the play that I have just finished wrapping up
not too long ago, called Dream House. I may have
mentioned this play a few times and even had the
play right Eleana Pipes on Morenita. I highly recommend that
episode because Eliana is an absolute genius and it's surely
(01:37):
taking over the world. Very soon. Jack comes to visit
us on Mona to share her love for classic plays,
her feelings on finally being able to be seen in
this industry, and her new movie that's coming out on Netflix.
Jack gets very intimate with us and shares how her
life experiences have prepared her to connect with roles that
(01:58):
she has taken, such as Patricia in dream House. As
Latina actors, it's very very rare to get a script
that speaks to you and a script that you can
see yourself in. Jack shares the importance of seeing yourself
being represented and what it did for her and how
it can inspire so many others in our community. I
(02:19):
have to back Jack on this completely because we both
share so much in common. When I got this script
dream House, I immediately became overwhelmed with so much pride
and happiness because I had never read a script and said, Wow,
this is me, this is my story. I know this person.
(02:40):
Usually I've had to adapt or fit into a box
that necessarily wasn't really drawn out for someone like me.
Sharing this moment with Jack here on MoU Anita for
you all definitely made us a bit emotional, grab some tissues,
but so worth the tears because they turned into tears
of how happiness over the fact that we shared so much.
(03:03):
This interview left me feeling so in awe of my
relationship with my stage sister. It got me thinking how us,
two Latino women who come from different ends of the country,
shared similar feelings of not feeling accepted or not feeling
like there was a place for us to now being
in a show that identified so much of who we were.
(03:26):
It's like we had been sisters all along, and dream
House brought us together to finally meet. It's as if
we had always been connected in some kind of way.
Saying Vita to the sisterhood. Jacqueline Correa is in the building,
(03:56):
you guys, my sister from another mister is he here um.
As I mentioned in the intro, Jack and I were
starring in the play dream House, written by Eliana Pipes,
which you guys have heard Eliana on the show more
Anita before, and now we have my sister Jack, who
(04:17):
played and who's also an incredible actress, um and just
an incredible humanity. Jack, Welcome to Anita. I'm so excited
to finally have you. Oh my gosh, I'm so excited
to finally be here and to hear your beautiful voice.
It feels like it's been too long, I know, but
it also feels like it was like just yesterday. It
does at the same time, it's nice to have that
(04:39):
sort of connection right where. Yes, it feels like it's
never that long ago. I know. And UM, let's just
dive right in because some of our listeners already know
about dream House and some of them don't. So, um,
could you kind of um philist in on your perspective, Uh,
(05:00):
dream house A PA, give me the rundown. Well, I'm
sure as your listeners know some about dream houses, about
two sisters selling their family home after their mother's death,
and about everything that goes along with that. You know
personally and financially and culturally, what that means to leave
(05:25):
your home, to sell your home, and then and brings
up questions of what it means, um, if that includes
selling yourself also in your history, and I played Patty
Patricia who is the older sister of the two, and
(05:45):
she is, as Eleana writes, has very much that older
sister complex. You know, everything has to be her way
or no way, and she sees I think she sees
life and the family is you know, it's very clear
cut for her, and she has an idea of what
(06:06):
needs to happen, and everyone else just kind of needs
to fall in line. And as we see in the play,
that's not necessarily where Julia is coming from, and that
kind of sparks I think a lot of the conversation
and the journey that these two go on. Um. And
(06:27):
then there's also the the other characters, you know, which
I are Mariana's character, you know, Tessa, but also the
mother who is very present, even though you know she
doesn't have any dialogue, she is very much present and
another character in that play. And the house. The house
is a character to it. As we see it, um
(06:50):
comes to life. So you guys, before shows actually get
put on and before you see them in their full
like fleshed out Broadway or regional whatever, tied up with
a bout kind of way, um, there are workshops and
readings of these shows that happen where people come and
(07:10):
just listen to people reading the script, Like actors stand
from stand on a stage and they have the music
stand and they're reading the script and people are listening.
So there are these levels before show actually becomes fully
produced and fully done. So um, for you, Jack, I'm
so in because I've spoken about my perspective of like
(07:35):
and personally where the show like lands for me. I'm
just curious, like, where does this show land for you?
What really like speaks to you? From to Jack? What
are the things that And I know that you and
I have spoken about this in the room with the
director and the writer and got to really flesh that
out for the characters, but just for our listeners, like,
(07:55):
what is the connection from dream House to you personally? Well,
dream House, you know it's about a Latina family, and
I really really related to that as we can. As
we've talked about before that the opportunity to see yourself
in a script is so rare right now. I feel
(08:20):
like it's been rare for me over time, and I
spent a lot of time and a lot of my
training doing the classic plays, which you know has no
brown folks in it, and I just was very feeling,
very disconnected, and so when Elians play came into my life,
it was this feeling of finally being seen, finally being
(08:44):
able to tell a story that I felt like if
I had seen that play as a child, I would
have felt heard, I would have felt seen. And I
really really connected with the relationship between the sister, the
relationship between both and her mother. UM. I have. My
(09:09):
mother is from a very very large family and there
are four girls and four boys, and so growing up
watching her relationship with her sisters was very inspiring to
me when I was reading this play, UM, and I
wanted to bring a lot of that to the show,
you know, to bring that sort of relationship, that connection
(09:30):
that you really don't understand unless you have strong female relationships,
and what that offers you when it comes to growth
and feeling grounded and who you are. UM. I obviously
really related to Potty and the older sister complex. I
feel like I have a lot of that and try
(09:51):
and manage it as best I can. So, UM, I
have a lot of really dynamic ideas and feelings, and
I often feel like it has to be that way. UM.
But as you know, part of my own growth, I'm
recognizing that and trying to not hold on to that
(10:12):
so strongly that you know, you can be open to
all sorts of different things and processes. You know, having
that mentality has really done a lot for me. There's
(10:34):
some topics in dream House that we have talked about
in the room, in the workroom of you know, doing
the show, that I think some of our listeners might
connect to. But there was something interesting I think one day,
I can't remember when in the process we spoke about this,
but the lack of knowledge that the sisters have of
like their family, and I think we kind of spoke
about this in our personal lives because for me, like
(10:58):
beyond my beyond my grandparents, I know nothing else. I
also think that the amazing thing about the show is
that people watched it and their comments were I am
Julia and I am Buddy, right, because there's something in
both of them that you can relate to. I think
a lot of people could relate to. Is that something
(11:21):
that is that portion of Huli, is something that you
kind of related to a little bit, or other parts
of Huli that you related to. Yeah, absolutely, I mean
I think it's very true. And we talked about this
in the rehearsal room, and then heard it again amplified
when the audience saw the show. Like you said that,
the audience related to both of them, and we kind
of had started saying, like everyone's a Juli and everyone's
(11:43):
a Buddy. You know, those two women live inside each
one of us. This desire to know your history. And
yet I don't know if it's like a resolve or
a resignment, but this kind of acceptance of not knowing.
And I know that both of those live in me,
(12:07):
because I, like you, you know, really can't go past
my grandparents. You know, I have vague stories that have
been relayed to me about my great grandmother and my
great grandfather, but I don't know anything about them. And
even the story of you know, how my mother moved
(12:27):
to this country when she was five and what that
was like building up to. I want to know, like
how you ended up here? Like first off, you're from Cali, Yes,
so from Cali, California? Like how did I end up
back in California? Or how did I end up working
on dream House? How did you end up acting? Oh?
(12:49):
How how did this acting bug catch you? Is there
are there artists in your family? I know you mentioned
that you're Mixicana, So like, is there some form of
like artistry that's around in your family? Are you the
only black sheep? Are you? Like? What's the vibe? Um? I? Yes?
So I grew up in Cali. Um My, I really
(13:13):
I always think about this like how did this start? Where?
Where did this start? Um? And it was, honestly, it
was my grandma. It was my nana because she she
would you know, be watching her novellas every night in
her room like that was her thing. She just loved
having Yeah, she just loved having her novella time, and
(13:36):
you know, everything was kind of around that. That was
her routine. And she would always call me into the
room and be showing me like, you know because somewhere
on Telemundo there's always like a Star Search version of
or like a Talent show version, right, and there's all
these like brilliant little kids singing their heart out and
dancing their heart out. And she would always call me
(13:58):
into the room and be like, look at this, look
at this. You know you could do this. And I
was like four, and I was like what I And
so I've always had her voice in my head being
like you can do this? You can do that. Look
at what they're doing. You could do that. And I
just I believed her, and I guess she somehow knew
(14:21):
before I even knew that that was somewhere inside of me.
And at a very young age, my parents put me
in theater and so I was like leaving school to
go to rehearsal, and um, it kind of turned into
it went from a summer thing to a year round
thing too, suddenly, like I was picking my high school
(14:44):
based on their performing arts programs and trying to figure
out where I wanted to align myself for college so
that I could you know, appease my mother and get
my degree, but also um her sue what I wanted
to do. And so it never really occurred to me
(15:05):
that anything else would happen. It was always focused on theater,
on acting, on being an artist, on creating work and
telling stories and what are your parents do? My my mother, well,
I like to say that they're both like artists, but
I didn't have a chance to pursue that. My mother
(15:26):
went to school for interior design and so she was
a beautiful I um, but she you know left um
when she and my father got married and my father
actually went to school on a painting scholarship as well,
and so I know, I have a very deep shame
about the fact that I am not a painter and
have zero skills when it comes to drawing and sketching.
(15:48):
I'm always like, you should be able to do this.
Your dad can do it, and I just don't. I
don't have that gift. You can do it, you can
do it. It's go to Michaels. Let's start with like
painting one oh one that's at your window. Just paint
the landscape. I mean, I don't know how many times
I can paint grapes, but people make a whole career
(16:09):
out of that, they sure do. The artist is in you.
The artist lives in you. And that's from your parents,
and and that that makes total sense. The push that
you got from them, Yeah, I mean, and they've always
been so supportive and so loving of that, and um
have really been able to share in that joy, you know,
(16:31):
as parents, to see their childs do what they love
to do and to have success in that has been
really fulfilling for them as well. And you know, it's
beautiful on my end to watch them look so happy
and proud, you know, Yeah, for sure. And it's it's
just so great when when family supports, um what we
(16:53):
do because it's already like hard enough, Yeah, because we
need all the support we can get, right, Yeah, absolute
utally So. I mean you mentioned before and I've mentioned
I can't, I mean multiple times on this show, Um,
the difficulty that it is to find pieces for us
that we can connect to, that we can feel as
(17:14):
a part of our story throughout your career, um, your
earlier years, in your earlier time, what was that like
for you being a Latina woman who is coming in
doing these classical pieces? Have you ever felt discouraged or felt, um,
like you didn't belong And how did you handle yourself
(17:36):
in those scenarios? If there's any young Latina people who
are listening to this that are struggling with that right now,
how how did how did you? How do you? How
are you doing? And how are you still doing with that?
Because that's still something happening now for us, it's still
very present. I mean, thankfully there is some movement towards,
you know, being more open to diverse casting when it
(18:01):
comes to well, I mean specifically like classic plays. You know,
they have to decide to do some diverse casting, otherwise
you're never going to be cast in it type of thing. Um.
But okay, so there's a lot of the question and yeah, Um,
(18:21):
when I was in undergrad, I was very I just
liked the language of classic plays. It kind of didn't
occur to me that there may not actually be a
place for me in that world at that time, but
I really loved the language and so and I actually
(18:42):
had a lot of professors telling me like, you should
do more classic stuff, you should do more classic stuff,
like you kind of hold yourself more in that world.
And then I went to grad school and I was
totally immersed in it. And you know, they they cast
you whichever way they want to. We had a very
diverse group of actors, so seeing someone play a traditionally
(19:06):
white or Caucasian role and now having my friend in
it who is black or brown was not strange in
that in that world, so it was really great to
have three years of watching the casting change for them. Um.
But then leaving that that very isolated little bubble where
(19:28):
it was like, oh, it's always going to be like
this was very strange because suddenly I was thrust into
the theater world of New York where even when they
said they wanted diverse casting, they weren't casting diversely. Like
that cast list would go up and it was, you know,
every single person on there was Caucasian, and you were like,
(19:49):
I'm sorry, where are we setting this? I thought we
were setting this, you know, in South America. What are
we doing here? And so that was very hard and difficult,
and I ran into a out of um, you know,
you're not Latina enough type of mentality, which was really
hard to process because I didn't understand how that could be.
(20:13):
I was like okay, or having a lot of comments
like we need you to be more Latina, and I
was like, oh, but I I am, Like that's That's
not something like a hat I put on, It's just
that's who I am. Um. Fortunately, now that is changing
(20:34):
the language around it also is changing, which can be
so damaging, you know, the language that's used. Um So
now finding dream House, when that came into my life,
it was such a relief and it was something that
I just could not let go of. I mean when
(20:56):
that when they called me and said, like long Wolf
was doing this work shop, it's going to be over zoom,
you know, because we're still in the middle of covid Um.
I thought, okay, sounds great. I read the play and
I was blown away by Eleana's play and so moved
by it and confused by it also, but like I
(21:22):
was like, well, that's good. That's a good thing, you know,
to be confused and challenged and having to dig deep
into what this means. And then when I heard that
they were going to be doing a full production of
it at Alliance and the Long Wharf and Baltimore Center Stage,
and that Lorie Woolery was going to be directing it,
(21:45):
I must you know. It was very like I will
sell this house today. I was like, I will get
that part. I am going to play this role you
and I both. I read the script and I cried.
(22:07):
I cried, Yeah, I cried because first off, I got
chills because I you know, like those things that you
just read and you're kind of those scripts that you do,
those things, those scripts that you read and your life.
Oh this was made for me. It's for the first time,
like what a feeling like reading that script. And I
(22:30):
think that's what people feel when they go to see
the show, when they like, yeah, go experience it. They
experienced like well you and I felt when we first
read the thing. Absolutely, I mean it really it hits you,
and it hits you like viscerally. You can't help but
have a reaction to it. And I felt so moved
(22:50):
like you did when I read it. And oftentimes, you know,
in rehearsal, we would just be like, oh my god,
this is so much. And I will say, you know,
as a Latina, but also I think just in general,
as people who as anyone who may not feel seen
or heard, this play hits on something that everyone can
(23:16):
relate to, whether it's like the relationship between the sisters,
the connection to our past, the connection to a deceased parent,
what that's like caring for a parent. I mean, it
really touches on so many themes that are universal, but
it's set and presented in a way that our black
and brown community can actually rally behind it and say, like,
(23:39):
I see myself in this. And there are so many
cultural specific things in the play without it being like
only this group of people can relate to it. But
there's so many little beautiful nuggets in there that anyone
could relate to, anyone can relate too. But then it
(24:01):
hits so much deeper when you're like, Wow, that is
my family, that is me, that is my sister, that
is you know, my cousins, like you really really get
it and m yeah, which is when you see that
for the first time, you never forget powerful. And that's
that's what I loved hearing about people after the performance,
(24:23):
and hearing the q and as and the talkbacks, and
then you left, jack Jack left me all alone. No,
I'm kidding. We had another amazing actress come in um
and do the role. But Jack, Um, why did you
have to leave? Why did you have to go? She
had to go to grand things? Please tell us the
(24:44):
big news because I'm so excited to share with everyone.
This is the moment we've been waiting for. Talk to
us about this Bellicula. Yes, well, Hollywood called and you
have to have to go, so you have I had
to answer. But you know, I it was heartbreaking to
(25:06):
leave because I really was so in love with this
play and so in love with you know, you and
Marianna and the story we were telling and our play
right and our director. I was just heartbroken. But the
way that you all responded to the news of my
having to leave the show was what made it so
(25:32):
so great. I know, so silly, um is what made
it so exciting to go and to feel like, okay,
I'm I'm being sent off with so much love right
now that I don't need to worry. But yeah, I
in you know, I had auditioned for this film, which
(25:57):
I had auditioned for this film, and it was before
I even auditioned, and I got a call back for
dream House, and so I didn't hear anything, and I
put it away and that was it, and I went
about our rehearsal time in making my own plans. And
then about two and a half three weeks into rehearsal
(26:17):
for dream House, they called and said, the producer and
the director, I want to have a meeting with you.
And then about twenty four hours after that, they said, okay,
you're our choice. We're sending you off to be approved.
And then forty eight hours after that, I had an offer.
So it was like so long, but so painless of
(26:39):
a process. Usually it's painful. So usually it's painful. Yeah,
Usually it's like multiple callbacks and like you get pinned
and you're all excited and then nothing happened, right, Um,
But so the movie will be called a tourist guide
to love. It's um. It's a romantic comedy and for
(27:00):
anyone who grew up in the early two thousands. It
stars Rachel Lee cook Um, who is such a dream
to work with and beyond set with, and um, what
else can I tell you? When does it come out? Set?
Where is it happening, what's going on? Well, we don't
know exactly when it's going to come out. They're still
(27:20):
figuring all of that out because they want to time
it properly, because they want to encourage tourism to Vietnam,
which is where the movie was filmed. So so jealous.
I was so amazing. I mean, it was not a
country I had that was like at the top of
my travel list. And yet coming back from that experience,
(27:46):
I'm like, everyone should go. It is such a beautiful,
beautiful country and the people there are so beautiful and
warm and welcoming, and we got to see so much
of it and it was form the movie be put
out on her We're not Yes, it's going to be
on Netflix, thank you. Finally I wanted to say it.
I don't know if I was allowed to. I was like,
(28:07):
can we tell them that it's a big one. This
is a big one, you guys. Jack is going to
be on Netflix. It's so little I can't wait. And
not only that, you play like a very crucial role,
Like you play like you're like her best friend, right,
and there's like it So there's you know, tour group
that she meets up with, and in this tour group
(28:27):
is my character Sam, and she befriends Rachel's character and
they become little pals, and you know, we watch her
go through this journey in Vietnam, and you get to
be so beautiful. I can't wait. I'm so excited for you.
I'm so excited. I'm so excited. It's just that, like,
(28:51):
we do these things and people don't understand the struggle
behind it, and they don't understand how long it sometimes
takes for these things to happen. And you and you work,
and you work, and you go to grap at school
and you push and you do an amazing play and
then something like this incredible film on Netflix happens, and
that's your film debut. If I'm not mistaken correct, this
is your this is your film debut, you guys. You
(29:13):
guys have to watch Jack hya in this film when
it lands. What's it called One More Time? And if
you guys want to find out more information, I know
there's a bunch of stuff online like Deadline and Variety,
like they have a bunch of information on it. So
what's the movie called One More Time? Yes, it's called
The Tourist Guide to Love, The Tourist Guide to Love, Jack, Jack,
(29:37):
I have some questions for you, And this is one
of my favorite segments of the show because we get
to just ask you something like chill questions. So my
first question for you, Jack is if you were a
glass of wine, what kind of wine would you be? Um? Oh, gosh, okay,
(30:00):
I really would. I think in my dream world I
would be a Burgundy pinot noir because they're you know,
they're very specifically from Burgundy. Um, they're very elegant, you know,
I with your wine. Jack lives in Napa Valleys. She's
(30:22):
a wine girl, and I love a wine. Yes, absolutely, yes, Okay,
I like fun that you want a bottle. The fun
thing about Burgundy, and we're really about France and all
old worlds, like the region defines the grave. So if
you have a red Burgundy, it's a pinot noir. If
(30:44):
it's a white Burgundy, it's going to be chardonnay, which
I also like. Chardonnay's from Burgundy, but I am not
one of them. I love that I knew. I'm so
happy I hit the nail on that on that question. Okay,
second question, what's your favorite place you've travel to? Oh,
we actually just got back from Italy, and yes, it
(31:08):
was kind of amazing. Um. So we did two weeks
in Italy and we did Rome Florence, which is just
a dream, and then we did the Kiante region of Tuscany.
And I'm right now, I think Tuscany is probably my
favorite place. Okay, wine and Vietnam is right up there,
(31:33):
but Vietnam is way up there. But that's so hard
because I also went to Hawaiian in Vietnam, which is
like the most charming little city in the world. We
can share, we can share the first place spot. It's okay,
they can both be up there. I love that. I
mean my favorite foods like you hit it, okay, and
our lap on andy and pasta and wine. Um. All right.
(31:59):
Our final question for you is what reminds you of
home or makes you feel like home Enchilada's food, food,
simple done Enlada's done are definitely but for some that
just that is home to me, that tastes like home,
(32:20):
that feels like home. When I feel homesick, I want
to make enchilados or I need to eat enchiladas. Um.
I love anilad. I just I just yeah, I just
love them. And yeah they're so warm and cozy and
comfort food that that reminds me of home. Okay, Jack,
if our lovely listeners want to follow your journey, they
(32:41):
want to know more about your movie coming out, anything
along those lines. Where is the best place to follow you?
Social media plug? What's the vibe? Where do we find you? Yes?
So you can find me on social media at ms
Jacqueline Correa um on Instagram. That's really I put most
of this stuff um. Or you can go to ww
(33:04):
dot Jacklina dot com and check out the website. So, Jack,
I'm so proud of you. I'm so excited for this
movie to come out and so excited for your journey.
I feel like I feel like there's more. I feel
like there's more things happening in your life and I
cannot wait to catch up because it's we're way over
and just things percolating. But you love But I want
(33:24):
to say, we'll have our own zoom, our own private zoom.
But I want to say thank you so much for
coming on What Anita. Thank you for taking the time.
I know you're on the East coast. It's early. I mean,
well you're on the West coast. I mean I know
you're on the West coast. It's early. So thank you
so much for taking the time to spend with us
here on What Anita, and for sharing your story. And
(33:45):
I cannot wait to see all the incredible things that
you're doing in your life. I love you so much.
This thank you friend. I love you so much. I'll
talk to you soon, Okay, We'll Chatton Want Anita as
a production of Sonato and partnership with I Heart Radio's
Michael Buda podcast Network. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio,
(34:07):
visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever
you listen to your favorite shows. Yes
Welcome to Morenita, a deep dive into the Latin X experience.
With more That, we want to create a community and
a shared space with you while sharing knowledge and inspiration.
This show is about celebrating our culture with guests who
exemplify the best of us. I'm Darylene Gastillo Ethane Vietle.
(00:30):
Oh yeah me hand said before we get to the episode,
I want to take a moment to address the June
Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe versus Wade. This decision
stripped away the legal right to have a safe and
legal abortion. Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion,
threatens the health and independence of all Americans. This decision
could also lead to the loss of other rights. To
(00:52):
learn more about what you can do to help, go
to pod Voices Dot Help. We encourage you to speak up,
take care, and spread the word. Oh yeah me hand fed.
Today you are in for a special treat because my sister,
Jacqueline Correa has officially entered the building. Okay, correction, not
(01:17):
my sister sister like in real life, but my sister
in the play that I have just finished wrapping up
not too long ago, called Dream House. I may have
mentioned this play a few times and even had the
play right Eleana Pipes on Morenita. I highly recommend that
episode because Eliana is an absolute genius and it's surely
(01:37):
taking over the world. Very soon. Jack comes to visit
us on Mona to share her love for classic plays,
her feelings on finally being able to be seen in
this industry, and her new movie that's coming out on Netflix.
Jack gets very intimate with us and shares how her
life experiences have prepared her to connect with roles that
(01:58):
she has taken, such as Patricia in dream House. As
Latina actors, it's very very rare to get a script
that speaks to you and a script that you can
see yourself in. Jack shares the importance of seeing yourself
being represented and what it did for her and how
it can inspire so many others in our community. I
(02:19):
have to back Jack on this completely because we both
share so much in common. When I got this script
dream House, I immediately became overwhelmed with so much pride
and happiness because I had never read a script and said, Wow,
this is me, this is my story. I know this person.
(02:40):
Usually I've had to adapt or fit into a box
that necessarily wasn't really drawn out for someone like me.
Sharing this moment with Jack here on MoU Anita for
you all definitely made us a bit emotional, grab some tissues,
but so worth the tears because they turned into tears
of how happiness over the fact that we shared so much.
(03:03):
This interview left me feeling so in awe of my
relationship with my stage sister. It got me thinking how us,
two Latino women who come from different ends of the country,
shared similar feelings of not feeling accepted or not feeling
like there was a place for us to now being
in a show that identified so much of who we were.
(03:26):
It's like we had been sisters all along, and dream
House brought us together to finally meet. It's as if
we had always been connected in some kind of way.
Saying Vita to the sisterhood. Jacqueline Correa is in the building,
(03:56):
you guys, my sister from another mister is he here um.
As I mentioned in the intro, Jack and I were
starring in the play dream House, written by Eliana Pipes,
which you guys have heard Eliana on the show more
Anita before, and now we have my sister Jack, who
(04:17):
played and who's also an incredible actress, um and just
an incredible humanity. Jack, Welcome to Anita. I'm so excited
to finally have you. Oh my gosh, I'm so excited
to finally be here and to hear your beautiful voice.
It feels like it's been too long, I know, but
it also feels like it was like just yesterday. It
does at the same time, it's nice to have that
(04:39):
sort of connection right where. Yes, it feels like it's
never that long ago. I know. And UM, let's just
dive right in because some of our listeners already know
about dream House and some of them don't. So, um,
could you kind of um philist in on your perspective, Uh,
(05:00):
dream house A PA, give me the rundown. Well, I'm
sure as your listeners know some about dream houses, about
two sisters selling their family home after their mother's death,
and about everything that goes along with that. You know
personally and financially and culturally, what that means to leave
(05:25):
your home, to sell your home, and then and brings
up questions of what it means, um, if that includes
selling yourself also in your history, and I played Patty
Patricia who is the older sister of the two, and
(05:45):
she is, as Eleana writes, has very much that older
sister complex. You know, everything has to be her way
or no way, and she sees I think she sees
life and the family is you know, it's very clear
cut for her, and she has an idea of what
(06:06):
needs to happen, and everyone else just kind of needs
to fall in line. And as we see in the play,
that's not necessarily where Julia is coming from, and that
kind of sparks I think a lot of the conversation
and the journey that these two go on. Um. And
(06:27):
then there's also the the other characters, you know, which
I are Mariana's character, you know, Tessa, but also the
mother who is very present, even though you know she
doesn't have any dialogue, she is very much present and
another character in that play. And the house. The house
is a character to it. As we see it, um
(06:50):
comes to life. So you guys, before shows actually get
put on and before you see them in their full
like fleshed out Broadway or regional whatever, tied up with
a bout kind of way, um, there are workshops and
readings of these shows that happen where people come and
(07:10):
just listen to people reading the script, Like actors stand
from stand on a stage and they have the music
stand and they're reading the script and people are listening.
So there are these levels before show actually becomes fully
produced and fully done. So um, for you, Jack, I'm
so in because I've spoken about my perspective of like
(07:35):
and personally where the show like lands for me. I'm
just curious, like, where does this show land for you?
What really like speaks to you? From to Jack? What
are the things that And I know that you and
I have spoken about this in the room with the
director and the writer and got to really flesh that
out for the characters, but just for our listeners, like,
(07:55):
what is the connection from dream House to you personally? Well,
dream House, you know it's about a Latina family, and
I really really related to that as we can. As
we've talked about before that the opportunity to see yourself
in a script is so rare right now. I feel
(08:20):
like it's been rare for me over time, and I
spent a lot of time and a lot of my
training doing the classic plays, which you know has no
brown folks in it, and I just was very feeling,
very disconnected, and so when Elians play came into my life,
it was this feeling of finally being seen, finally being
(08:44):
able to tell a story that I felt like if
I had seen that play as a child, I would
have felt heard, I would have felt seen. And I
really really connected with the relationship between the sister, the
relationship between both and her mother. UM. I have. My
(09:09):
mother is from a very very large family and there
are four girls and four boys, and so growing up
watching her relationship with her sisters was very inspiring to
me when I was reading this play, UM, and I
wanted to bring a lot of that to the show,
you know, to bring that sort of relationship, that connection
(09:30):
that you really don't understand unless you have strong female relationships,
and what that offers you when it comes to growth
and feeling grounded and who you are. UM. I obviously
really related to Potty and the older sister complex. I
feel like I have a lot of that and try
(09:51):
and manage it as best I can. So, UM, I
have a lot of really dynamic ideas and feelings, and
I often feel like it has to be that way. UM.
But as you know, part of my own growth, I'm
recognizing that and trying to not hold on to that
(10:12):
so strongly that you know, you can be open to
all sorts of different things and processes. You know, having
that mentality has really done a lot for me. There's
(10:34):
some topics in dream House that we have talked about
in the room, in the workroom of you know, doing
the show, that I think some of our listeners might
connect to. But there was something interesting I think one day,
I can't remember when in the process we spoke about this,
but the lack of knowledge that the sisters have of
like their family, and I think we kind of spoke
about this in our personal lives because for me, like
(10:58):
beyond my beyond my grandparents, I know nothing else. I
also think that the amazing thing about the show is
that people watched it and their comments were I am
Julia and I am Buddy, right, because there's something in
both of them that you can relate to. I think
a lot of people could relate to. Is that something
(11:21):
that is that portion of Huli, is something that you
kind of related to a little bit, or other parts
of Huli that you related to. Yeah, absolutely, I mean
I think it's very true. And we talked about this
in the rehearsal room, and then heard it again amplified
when the audience saw the show. Like you said that,
the audience related to both of them, and we kind
of had started saying, like everyone's a Juli and everyone's
(11:43):
a Buddy. You know, those two women live inside each
one of us. This desire to know your history. And
yet I don't know if it's like a resolve or
a resignment, but this kind of acceptance of not knowing.
And I know that both of those live in me,
(12:07):
because I, like you, you know, really can't go past
my grandparents. You know, I have vague stories that have
been relayed to me about my great grandmother and my
great grandfather, but I don't know anything about them. And
even the story of you know, how my mother moved
(12:27):
to this country when she was five and what that
was like building up to. I want to know, like
how you ended up here? Like first off, you're from Cali, Yes,
so from Cali, California? Like how did I end up
back in California? Or how did I end up working
on dream House? How did you end up acting? Oh?
(12:49):
How how did this acting bug catch you? Is there
are there artists in your family? I know you mentioned
that you're Mixicana, So like, is there some form of
like artistry that's around in your family? Are you the
only black sheep? Are you? Like? What's the vibe? Um? I? Yes?
So I grew up in Cali. Um My, I really
(13:13):
I always think about this like how did this start? Where?
Where did this start? Um? And it was, honestly, it
was my grandma. It was my nana because she she
would you know, be watching her novellas every night in
her room like that was her thing. She just loved
having Yeah, she just loved having her novella time, and
(13:36):
you know, everything was kind of around that. That was
her routine. And she would always call me into the
room and be showing me like, you know because somewhere
on Telemundo there's always like a Star Search version of
or like a Talent show version, right, and there's all
these like brilliant little kids singing their heart out and
dancing their heart out. And she would always call me
(13:58):
into the room and be like, look at this, look
at this. You know you could do this. And I
was like four, and I was like what I And
so I've always had her voice in my head being
like you can do this? You can do that. Look
at what they're doing. You could do that. And I
just I believed her, and I guess she somehow knew
(14:21):
before I even knew that that was somewhere inside of me.
And at a very young age, my parents put me
in theater and so I was like leaving school to
go to rehearsal, and um, it kind of turned into
it went from a summer thing to a year round
thing too, suddenly, like I was picking my high school
(14:44):
based on their performing arts programs and trying to figure
out where I wanted to align myself for college so
that I could you know, appease my mother and get
my degree, but also um her sue what I wanted
to do. And so it never really occurred to me
(15:05):
that anything else would happen. It was always focused on theater,
on acting, on being an artist, on creating work and
telling stories and what are your parents do? My my mother, well,
I like to say that they're both like artists, but
I didn't have a chance to pursue that. My mother
(15:26):
went to school for interior design and so she was
a beautiful I um, but she you know left um
when she and my father got married and my father
actually went to school on a painting scholarship as well,
and so I know, I have a very deep shame
about the fact that I am not a painter and
have zero skills when it comes to drawing and sketching.
(15:48):
I'm always like, you should be able to do this.
Your dad can do it, and I just don't. I
don't have that gift. You can do it, you can
do it. It's go to Michaels. Let's start with like
painting one oh one that's at your window. Just paint
the landscape. I mean, I don't know how many times
I can paint grapes, but people make a whole career
(16:09):
out of that, they sure do. The artist is in you.
The artist lives in you. And that's from your parents,
and and that that makes total sense. The push that
you got from them, Yeah, I mean, and they've always
been so supportive and so loving of that, and um
have really been able to share in that joy, you know,
(16:31):
as parents, to see their childs do what they love
to do and to have success in that has been
really fulfilling for them as well. And you know, it's
beautiful on my end to watch them look so happy
and proud, you know, Yeah, for sure. And it's it's
just so great when when family supports, um what we
(16:53):
do because it's already like hard enough, Yeah, because we
need all the support we can get, right, Yeah, absolute
utally So. I mean you mentioned before and I've mentioned
I can't, I mean multiple times on this show, Um,
the difficulty that it is to find pieces for us
that we can connect to, that we can feel as
(17:14):
a part of our story throughout your career, um, your
earlier years, in your earlier time, what was that like
for you being a Latina woman who is coming in
doing these classical pieces? Have you ever felt discouraged or felt, um,
like you didn't belong And how did you handle yourself
(17:36):
in those scenarios? If there's any young Latina people who
are listening to this that are struggling with that right now,
how how did how did you? How do you? How
are you doing? And how are you still doing with that?
Because that's still something happening now for us, it's still
very present. I mean, thankfully there is some movement towards,
you know, being more open to diverse casting when it
(18:01):
comes to well, I mean specifically like classic plays. You know,
they have to decide to do some diverse casting, otherwise
you're never going to be cast in it type of thing. Um.
But okay, so there's a lot of the question and yeah, Um,
(18:21):
when I was in undergrad, I was very I just
liked the language of classic plays. It kind of didn't
occur to me that there may not actually be a
place for me in that world at that time, but
I really loved the language and so and I actually
(18:42):
had a lot of professors telling me like, you should
do more classic stuff, you should do more classic stuff,
like you kind of hold yourself more in that world.
And then I went to grad school and I was
totally immersed in it. And you know, they they cast
you whichever way they want to. We had a very
diverse group of actors, so seeing someone play a traditionally
(19:06):
white or Caucasian role and now having my friend in
it who is black or brown was not strange in
that in that world, so it was really great to
have three years of watching the casting change for them. Um.
But then leaving that that very isolated little bubble where
(19:28):
it was like, oh, it's always going to be like
this was very strange because suddenly I was thrust into
the theater world of New York where even when they
said they wanted diverse casting, they weren't casting diversely. Like
that cast list would go up and it was, you know,
every single person on there was Caucasian, and you were like,
(19:49):
I'm sorry, where are we setting this? I thought we
were setting this, you know, in South America. What are
we doing here? And so that was very hard and difficult,
and I ran into a out of um, you know,
you're not Latina enough type of mentality, which was really
hard to process because I didn't understand how that could be.
(20:13):
I was like okay, or having a lot of comments
like we need you to be more Latina, and I
was like, oh, but I I am, Like that's That's
not something like a hat I put on, It's just
that's who I am. Um. Fortunately, now that is changing
(20:34):
the language around it also is changing, which can be
so damaging, you know, the language that's used. Um So
now finding dream House, when that came into my life,
it was such a relief and it was something that
I just could not let go of. I mean when
(20:56):
that when they called me and said, like long Wolf
was doing this work shop, it's going to be over zoom,
you know, because we're still in the middle of covid Um.
I thought, okay, sounds great. I read the play and
I was blown away by Eleana's play and so moved
by it and confused by it also, but like I
(21:22):
was like, well, that's good. That's a good thing, you know,
to be confused and challenged and having to dig deep
into what this means. And then when I heard that
they were going to be doing a full production of
it at Alliance and the Long Wharf and Baltimore Center Stage,
and that Lorie Woolery was going to be directing it,
(21:45):
I must you know. It was very like I will
sell this house today. I was like, I will get
that part. I am going to play this role you
and I both. I read the script and I cried.
(22:07):
I cried, Yeah, I cried because first off, I got
chills because I you know, like those things that you
just read and you're kind of those scripts that you do,
those things, those scripts that you read and your life.
Oh this was made for me. It's for the first time,
like what a feeling like reading that script. And I
(22:30):
think that's what people feel when they go to see
the show, when they like, yeah, go experience it. They
experienced like well you and I felt when we first
read the thing. Absolutely, I mean it really it hits you,
and it hits you like viscerally. You can't help but
have a reaction to it. And I felt so moved
(22:50):
like you did when I read it. And oftentimes, you know,
in rehearsal, we would just be like, oh my god,
this is so much. And I will say, you know,
as a Latina, but also I think just in general,
as people who as anyone who may not feel seen
or heard, this play hits on something that everyone can
(23:16):
relate to, whether it's like the relationship between the sisters,
the connection to our past, the connection to a deceased parent,
what that's like caring for a parent. I mean, it
really touches on so many themes that are universal, but
it's set and presented in a way that our black
and brown community can actually rally behind it and say, like,
(23:39):
I see myself in this. And there are so many
cultural specific things in the play without it being like
only this group of people can relate to it. But
there's so many little beautiful nuggets in there that anyone
could relate to, anyone can relate too. But then it
(24:01):
hits so much deeper when you're like, Wow, that is
my family, that is me, that is my sister, that
is you know, my cousins, like you really really get
it and m yeah, which is when you see that
for the first time, you never forget powerful. And that's
that's what I loved hearing about people after the performance,
(24:23):
and hearing the q and as and the talkbacks, and
then you left, jack Jack left me all alone. No,
I'm kidding. We had another amazing actress come in um
and do the role. But Jack, Um, why did you
have to leave? Why did you have to go? She
had to go to grand things? Please tell us the
(24:44):
big news because I'm so excited to share with everyone.
This is the moment we've been waiting for. Talk to
us about this Bellicula. Yes, well, Hollywood called and you
have to have to go, so you have I had
to answer. But you know, I it was heartbreaking to
(25:06):
leave because I really was so in love with this
play and so in love with you know, you and
Marianna and the story we were telling and our play
right and our director. I was just heartbroken. But the
way that you all responded to the news of my
having to leave the show was what made it so
(25:32):
so great. I know, so silly, um is what made
it so exciting to go and to feel like, okay,
I'm I'm being sent off with so much love right
now that I don't need to worry. But yeah, I
in you know, I had auditioned for this film, which
(25:57):
I had auditioned for this film, and it was before
I even auditioned, and I got a call back for
dream House, and so I didn't hear anything, and I
put it away and that was it, and I went
about our rehearsal time in making my own plans. And
then about two and a half three weeks into rehearsal
(26:17):
for dream House, they called and said, the producer and
the director, I want to have a meeting with you.
And then about twenty four hours after that, they said, okay,
you're our choice. We're sending you off to be approved.
And then forty eight hours after that, I had an offer.
So it was like so long, but so painless of
(26:39):
a process. Usually it's painful. So usually it's painful. Yeah,
Usually it's like multiple callbacks and like you get pinned
and you're all excited and then nothing happened, right, Um,
But so the movie will be called a tourist guide
to love. It's um. It's a romantic comedy and for
(27:00):
anyone who grew up in the early two thousands. It
stars Rachel Lee cook Um, who is such a dream
to work with and beyond set with, and um, what
else can I tell you? When does it come out? Set?
Where is it happening, what's going on? Well, we don't
know exactly when it's going to come out. They're still
(27:20):
figuring all of that out because they want to time
it properly, because they want to encourage tourism to Vietnam,
which is where the movie was filmed. So so jealous.
I was so amazing. I mean, it was not a
country I had that was like at the top of
my travel list. And yet coming back from that experience,
(27:46):
I'm like, everyone should go. It is such a beautiful,
beautiful country and the people there are so beautiful and
warm and welcoming, and we got to see so much
of it and it was form the movie be put
out on her We're not Yes, it's going to be
on Netflix, thank you. Finally I wanted to say it.
I don't know if I was allowed to. I was like,
(28:07):
can we tell them that it's a big one. This
is a big one, you guys. Jack is going to
be on Netflix. It's so little I can't wait. And
not only that, you play like a very crucial role,
Like you play like you're like her best friend, right,
and there's like it So there's you know, tour group
that she meets up with, and in this tour group
(28:27):
is my character Sam, and she befriends Rachel's character and
they become little pals, and you know, we watch her
go through this journey in Vietnam, and you get to
be so beautiful. I can't wait. I'm so excited for you.
I'm so excited. I'm so excited. It's just that, like,
(28:51):
we do these things and people don't understand the struggle
behind it, and they don't understand how long it sometimes
takes for these things to happen. And you and you work,
and you work, and you go to grap at school
and you push and you do an amazing play and
then something like this incredible film on Netflix happens, and
that's your film debut. If I'm not mistaken correct, this
is your this is your film debut, you guys. You
(29:13):
guys have to watch Jack hya in this film when
it lands. What's it called One More Time? And if
you guys want to find out more information, I know
there's a bunch of stuff online like Deadline and Variety,
like they have a bunch of information on it. So
what's the movie called One More Time? Yes, it's called
The Tourist Guide to Love, The Tourist Guide to Love, Jack, Jack,
(29:37):
I have some questions for you, And this is one
of my favorite segments of the show because we get
to just ask you something like chill questions. So my
first question for you, Jack is if you were a
glass of wine, what kind of wine would you be? Um? Oh, gosh, okay,
(30:00):
I really would. I think in my dream world I
would be a Burgundy pinot noir because they're you know,
they're very specifically from Burgundy. Um, they're very elegant, you know,
I with your wine. Jack lives in Napa Valleys. She's
(30:22):
a wine girl, and I love a wine. Yes, absolutely, yes, Okay,
I like fun that you want a bottle. The fun
thing about Burgundy, and we're really about France and all
old worlds, like the region defines the grave. So if
you have a red Burgundy, it's a pinot noir. If
(30:44):
it's a white Burgundy, it's going to be chardonnay, which
I also like. Chardonnay's from Burgundy, but I am not
one of them. I love that I knew. I'm so
happy I hit the nail on that on that question. Okay,
second question, what's your favorite place you've travel to? Oh,
we actually just got back from Italy, and yes, it
(31:08):
was kind of amazing. Um. So we did two weeks
in Italy and we did Rome Florence, which is just
a dream, and then we did the Kiante region of Tuscany.
And I'm right now, I think Tuscany is probably my
favorite place. Okay, wine and Vietnam is right up there,
(31:33):
but Vietnam is way up there. But that's so hard
because I also went to Hawaiian in Vietnam, which is
like the most charming little city in the world. We
can share, we can share the first place spot. It's okay,
they can both be up there. I love that. I
mean my favorite foods like you hit it, okay, and
our lap on andy and pasta and wine. Um. All right.
(31:59):
Our final question for you is what reminds you of
home or makes you feel like home Enchilada's food, food,
simple done Enlada's done are definitely but for some that
just that is home to me, that tastes like home,
(32:20):
that feels like home. When I feel homesick, I want
to make enchilados or I need to eat enchiladas. Um.
I love anilad. I just I just yeah, I just
love them. And yeah they're so warm and cozy and
comfort food that that reminds me of home. Okay, Jack,
if our lovely listeners want to follow your journey, they
(32:41):
want to know more about your movie coming out, anything
along those lines. Where is the best place to follow you?
Social media plug? What's the vibe? Where do we find you? Yes?
So you can find me on social media at ms
Jacqueline Correa um on Instagram. That's really I put most
of this stuff um. Or you can go to ww
(33:04):
dot Jacklina dot com and check out the website. So, Jack,
I'm so proud of you. I'm so excited for this
movie to come out and so excited for your journey.
I feel like I feel like there's more. I feel
like there's more things happening in your life and I
cannot wait to catch up because it's we're way over
and just things percolating. But you love But I want
(33:24):
to say, we'll have our own zoom, our own private zoom.
But I want to say thank you so much for
coming on What Anita. Thank you for taking the time.
I know you're on the East coast. It's early. I mean,
well you're on the West coast. I mean I know
you're on the West coast. It's early. So thank you
so much for taking the time to spend with us
here on What Anita, and for sharing your story. And
(33:45):
I cannot wait to see all the incredible things that
you're doing in your life. I love you so much.
This thank you friend. I love you so much. I'll
talk to you soon, Okay, We'll Chatton Want Anita as
a production of Sonato and partnership with I Heart Radio's
Michael Buda podcast Network. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio,
(34:07):
visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever
you listen to your favorite shows. Yes
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