August 23, 2022 • 38 mins
Jeannette Godoy has been making moves since she directed the infamous music video for Sir Mix A Lot's "Baby Got Back." The first generation Mexican-American director sat down with Darilyn to discuss her upbringing, maternal desire, and her feature directorial debut 'Diamond in the Rough', available to stream NOW! What are you waiting for? Te invito.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Oyami Hinda. I just want to give you a heads up.
The program you are about to hear may have some
explicit language, it may not. It also depends on where
the vibes and the spirit leads us. Hope you enjoy
Welcome to Monita, a deep dive into the Latin X experience.
(00:21):
With Monita, 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 Darrylene Gastillo Ethane Vito. Today
(00:42):
we have Jeanette Bavoy, a first generation Mexican American filmmaker
and storyteller from California. She has been a choreographer and
a dancer who then transitioned into the prominent role of director.
She's direct did a plethor of stories, but also commercials
(01:03):
like Nike Bumble and Pet Smart and so many many more.
Her work is everywhere. If you've sat in front of
the TV, you've probably seen it. She has just recently
directed her first feature film, Diamond in the Rough, a
Latino lead rom com that can be found on the
streaming platform Creator Plus on Creator plus dot com. It
(01:27):
stars many familiar names like Samantha Boscarino, TikTok influencer, Griffin Johnson,
and David Keckner. She's also directed an episode for the
HBO Max show The Guts c Us, featuring a predominantly
Latina cast, So you get it right, Jimma is a
badass in the TV film industry, but she's also so
(01:50):
so much more. We talked about the industry and her
incredible projects that she's done and has been a part of,
but we also discussed how she navigates her professional life
and her personal life. She is the mother of two
twin girls. That's right, you heard me too, twin girls,
and this threw me for a loop because I was
incredibly captivated by the way she balances her lifestyles. I
(02:14):
think balance is something that we all struggle with, especially
us women, and the battle of can you have it all?
Can you have a family? Can you have a career?
Can it all be done? In episode twenty two, Maternal
Desire with my dear friend Cordovaia, we hit so many
topics about motherhood and the insight of having it all.
(02:37):
It's a rich and a very necessary listen for the
modern working woman. Jeanette touches on her maternal desire and
her different kind of process that led her to motherhood,
and how motherhood has impacted her career, and how she
navigates all that she shares with us, her secrets on
how she does it all. Now, I don't want to
(03:00):
oil anymore of Jeanette's secrets, So Saane Beetle Jeanette, welcome
to the land of Morenita. Wow, thank you, thank you
for having me. I appreciate it. I'm excited. I feel
(03:21):
so honored, um, and just excited to get to like
introduce you to our community and what the amazing things
that you are doing and have been doing for years
and years and years. Um. I mean, Jeanette, you're a director.
What brought you into the world directing? Because I know
that you are a choreographer and you know you choreographed
(03:42):
some epic things, But what was that transition for you,
like from choreographer, dancer, performer into director world? You know.
I mean, my dad will always say, Mika, you are
always really bossy. So apparently I've been directing people since
(04:03):
I was a little kid. Um, But I think choreography
is directing obviously, right, and so It wasn't really a
hard transition for me. I mean, I felt very comfortable
moving into the director's chair. But um, I will say
that I did have a lot of encouragement from some
of the directors that I did work with, because I
(04:24):
always had an opinion on all of it, not just
the dance aspect of it, right, and and many of
them said, like, you see the big picture, you should
consider going into directing. I guess what, I didn't even
know directing was a career growing up. I didn't know
anything about the entertainment business. You know, my family comes
from Mexico, Like, we didn't come up in this um
(04:47):
and so like, what was the introduction for you into
this industry. I grew up mainly in Pomona and Riverside,
which are suburbs of Los Angeles, you know, an hour
hour and a half away. And and um, I took
ballet lessons growing up, so I trained in a classical
ballet theater. But I was always sort of like that
(05:08):
kind of like funky little girl who you know, I mean,
at every garden I saw the that we're playing, you know,
Columbia's soul music. My dad was, you know, a Chicano
and and a hit Mexican hippie when he was in college.
That's when I was born, and I was a trained dancer.
I came out to Los Angeles to go to school
(05:29):
u C. L A. And you know, my father really
wanted me to be a lawyer. That was his plan.
I'm the first child born in the US and my family, Um,
that was the American dream. You have to do something
like that. And of course, almost like so many of
my cousins ended up doing that, by the way, but
I worked at a law firm to help pay for
my tuition to you know, to go to school, and
(05:51):
the lawyers, you know, would say to me, if you
have something else that you love, you should pursue that.
So I started taking class in l A. You know,
some of the big dance studios in l A. And
one day I just I saw a you know, a
flyer that said audition for a dance agent. So I
did and that's just you know, I got that agent.
(06:12):
And that's how I just, you know, I started to
learn and climb and you know, I mean I really
knew nothing. I knew nothing industry like business wise, you mean. Correct,
So you're a dancer and you're doing a dance and
you're doing a thing dance. I you know, I booked
some gigs. I didn't book a lot of gigs. I
(06:34):
was you know now that I've been thinking about it
a lot, like I was terrible at it. I was
so bad I would get so nervous. Auditioning is a skill.
It is a skill. Yeah, it's a whole separate Like
there's I know so many talented people who are incredible,
but like auditioning, when they get in the room, it's
(06:55):
just they go out of their bodies or it's just
the nerves or what was it for you? That was
the nerves It was heard and I couldn't I couldn't
wrangle them. I would lose my confidence. And so I know,
I don't think I ever really could perform, you know,
at the highest level of what I was capable of.
(07:15):
And that was something I realized like pretty early on.
Like oh and I just one audition I went in
for was for a commercial and I remember it was
forgotten Milk, remember those, And so they wanted the women
to go in in a bikini and like dance like
(07:35):
we're at like some you know, half named party and
we're going to drink milk in our bikini. But the
guys in the commercial were not in bikkini's. They were
like in regular clothes. They were like in shorts and
t shirts or buttoned down shirts or whatever. And I
I remember being in the room and a whole group
of agency people in front of us and the director
or whatever, and I'm in a bikini and everyone else
(07:56):
is in clothes, and I was just like, yeah, I
don't want to do this anymore. I can't do this anymore.
I just made that decision like pretty early on, you
know what am I going to do? And I I
had assisted some choreographers on jobs, and I just thought,
you know what, I'm going to pursue choreography like I
always did it in high school, I did it in
elementary school. So I just decided I'm going to do this.
(08:17):
And I I just started building a real doing free gigs,
you know, reaching out to producers. Hey, I'm trying to
build a choreography reel. Do you have a gig? Do
you have a gig? And people started calling me, and
then you know, one job that gets another job, that
gets another job. So that's sort of how I built
my reel. And started working, and then directing came. You know,
I wanted to direct for a long long time, and
(08:39):
then you know, I had my daughter's I have twin
girls have twins. Yeah wait, I love that. So you
come from a family of twins who were twins on
your on your side of your family. Actually was like,
was it your husband? I was medically helped into getting twins? Wait? What? Well,
I mean you know I had to do fertility treatment. Okay, yeah, wait,
(09:03):
I love that. We just like leaned into this conversation.
I had no idea that you had twins. Yeah. I
struggled for years to get pregnant. Um, so I ended
up doing fertility treatments and thank god I had my
twins finally. Yeah, and that was my focus. That was
my priority for a long time. I mean I always worked.
I never worked, and I was really lucky that one
(09:25):
of my grandmother's was able to help me care for
my twins while I was working, so that was amazing.
But when they got to be around elementary school age,
and I felt like, Okay, you know what, I can
take on the responsibility of being the director now because
you have all the departments to oversee, you oversee the
(09:47):
whole project. Um and I just I wanted to wait
until I was in a mental and creative space to
take that on. Um. So, then when my girls were
an element three school, I decided to direct a commercial
spec spot. I wanted to go into commercials. I felt
like that was sort of more manageable space to work
(10:08):
in because the projects aren't super long, right, you have
thirty to sixty seconds to fill and exactly, um and
and you know, and you work on them for two
two weeks to maybe a month, you know, mac Kintafa.
So I could still be mom taking her daughter to ballet,
mom taking her daughter to tennis, you know, snack mom
(10:30):
and also work, um you know, because that's equally is
important to me in life, you know, are my children.
So yeah, I made a spec spot for bridgetone tires.
It ended up like getting all these accolades, winning awards,
went to the can Advertising costal, the top spots in
the world. Um and that sort of launched my directing career.
(11:05):
I'm so fascinated with you because you know, as a
fellow artist, as a fellow woman who desires the want
for motherhood and things like that, it's always like, how
can we how can we have it all right? And
how in this industry can we do that all? And
it seems like you've found a lane that works for you.
(11:27):
And it's a blessing that you were able to find
out these things early on as well, and then being
able to fulfill yourself and fill your cup in what
you wanted becoming a mother and balancing all those things.
What is the secret to like continued success and in
that for yourself? How have you been so confident to
(11:48):
like lean into all of that Because I struggle with
that as an artist, as a young woman who wants
to be a mother, who wants to have a family
one day and all of that. Yeah, I understood what
capacities had at what periods of my life, right, So
when my girls were little, there's so many milestones that
happened in their lives. And so that's why directing commercials
(12:11):
was really great for me, because I wasn't going to
be away on a movie for three months and missing
the Nutcracker recital, the big Tennis tournament like those are
things like those are memories that are more important to
me in my life than my career, and so I
was never in a position to not work right, like
I always had to work, not only for financial reasons,
(12:33):
but like for my own creative fulfillment. Um, just understanding
like where I was in my personal life with my daughters,
and what how could I be great at the things
I wanted to be great at. I wanted to be
a great mom. Okay, I wanted to be a great director.
And so commercials served me well because these are these
(12:54):
kind of small projects that I can sink into and
then jump out up right. And then when my daughters
were in high school, I was like, Okay, I'm ready
to evolve my creative career. I want to expand into
longer format, you know, narrative work. So first I made
a documentary about dancers with down syndrome. I shot that
(13:17):
look while my girls were in school on weekend, you
know that kind of stuff. Then I wrote and directed
a short film about families, but mainly about teen girls
and how social media is affecting them and the phone
and all that, because that was very real to what
I was experiencing raising my daughters in the age of Instagram. Um.
So I wrote that I directed that. That got me
(13:40):
into the Sony TV directing program. So again, girls were
in high school they were starting to you know, take
over their own lives. Um, so then I could have
the mental and creative space to can expand you know,
just keep expanding where it fits in your shape at
that moment in your life. That's what I say, right, Like,
(14:00):
sometimes your shape is really narrow, and I can only
fit so much in that space, Like I can fit
motherhood and financial responsibility and a little creativity here, and
then all of a sudden, my girls, you know, get older,
they're driving, they can drive themselves to ballet and tennis,
and then you know, the lane opens up for me
to expand my creative space. But it's it's worked out
(14:23):
well because I've been on set for thirty years. So
I've been on every kind of set. I've been on
cruise ships, I've been on you know, TV shows, music videos,
concert towards like all the stuff, and so it's just
informed my filmmaking storytelling education, so that when I get
(14:44):
into a situation like I did this last year where
I'm making my first feature film and we're shooting the
whole thing in fifteen days, I walked in like, Okay, yeah,
I can do this. I got this. I've been doing
all this other stuff all these years, I can do
this and like adapting to the space that you have
(15:04):
and like understanding what that is and it's going to
make your process going through that space. It's like less stressful, right,
It's not always. I know it's probably the same for
you and most artists, but I think especially women, because
we have to fight so hard to get through each
barrier that comes in front of us. So it's always like, oh,
I wish I was ten steps ahead of where I
am now, you know. And I have to give my
(15:28):
husband credit because he will remind me you wanted to
be this kind of mom and still work, but that
was important to you. What you decided was your priority.
And so I have been able to do that. And
I am really proud of the fact that it's okay
that I'm just made my first feature film when my
(15:48):
daughters are about to be seniors in college. As a
matter of fact, thank god I waited until now because
I could do it at a high level because of
all the experience that that I have gone through. And
you also did a bumble campaign, correct, Yes, what called
your attention to that specific project, especially with your having
two daughters and like and then now seeing social media
(16:10):
and and obviously you've been on sets for thirty years,
so you've really seen the transition of how social media
is reacting with this industry. Um, I can even go
further on with the movie that you're speaking of. I mean,
you have an influencer in the movie. Well okay, so yeah,
it helps that I have, you know, daughters that I'm
(16:30):
very close to, and so we have a lot of
dialogue and a lot of communication, and I know so
much about what's going on in their lives because you know,
texting and social media and all those things, which I
always like really especially when they were younger, like really
had to oversee, which I think I really do with kids. Right. Um. So,
I originally did a commercial for Bumble Biz, which is
(16:50):
about people you know in the business on the busy angle,
which I think is super cool and I love bumble
and that it's sort of sort of like a female
driven you know, sort of women have the control. Yeah,
we have the power, right, So I love that about it.
So I had done this this spot for bumble Bizz,
and then they wanted to move break Out into sort
(17:11):
of longer form creative content for the brand, and I
pitched this idea, which ultimately ended up being pure corason
because I felt that, you know, the Latin A community
has been completely ignored in the mainstream well everything, but
obviously in the dating world. And I was like, you
guys are missing out on a huge population of people
(17:33):
that you were not paying attention to. And so I
pitched that idea and they said, yeah, let's go. I'm
mine was the one they chose, and it was so
much fun. It was really great. They really gave me
a lot of latitude to sort of create what I
wanted out of it. And I was trying to create
the not only just the sense of what the Latin
A community are dealing with on the dating front, but
(17:55):
how culture plays into it all that, because culture is
such a huge part of our lives. And then again
just staying on top of what's happening in the world. Um,
just trying to be an informed person. But then you know,
kind of ending up with a movie that with an
influencer in it, you know that is what's going on
in the world. They are having a huge impact on media.
I was lucky to work with Griffin Johnson, who is
(18:17):
one who is was super cool, very enthusiastic about our project,
very committed to it and work ethic that the professional
actors are bringing to the set. I was really you know,
I was really lucky on that front. That's awesome. And
also like it's like, yeah, Latino people can fall in
love also like right exactly, they're like what love know?
(18:38):
But you guy, And let's talk more about this movie
because I am first off, the trailers like so cute.
It's such a great story. I don't want to give
too much away, but maybe if you want to kind
of discuss it a little bit and talk about it.
I'm super proud of it because we just don't get
to see ourselves very often in this sort of like
(19:00):
first of all, everyday life, like where everyday people we
fall in love, we have friendship breakups, we have issues
with our family members, we don't you know. I'm like,
we can have messy, chaotic lives that are like mainstream, right,
that's that's what you look at like, and when do
we get to see ourselves that way? So that was
(19:21):
the thing about this movie, which you know, we want
to say is like happy Gilmore meets mean girls kind
of right, and we really get to see a Latin
a lead play that kind of role. It has to
either be the big superstars or the rest of our
content is you know, immigration, narcoes, you know, and those
(19:42):
are all important, super important stories. I come from those stories, right,
So those are important stories to be tell. I'm not
knocking those at all. I want to tell that story someday.
But when I got the opportunity to just tell just
this like funny, straight ahead, chaotic, messy Latina lad story,
I was like, hell, yes please. The lead of my film,
(20:02):
Samantha Boscarino, her mom is from Ecuador, right, Like what,
I who's the other Ecuadorian actress you know? Of? Like,
I don't money. I mean, of course they're out there.
I'm not saying they are. I'm just saying like, we don't. Obviously,
we have so many of our cultures that need to
be represented. So for me, that was really fun. Um.
(20:22):
I got to work with Carlos Lacama again. I had
just worked with him on an episode of The Garcia's
for HBO Max, So that was really fun, like to
bring him back in and just bring in like the
whole movie didn't have to be about her culture, but
just the little touches of our culture that we're in
everyday life. I mean, I don't know about you. Some
(20:43):
days I'm like super Mexican and I've got like Mariaki
music all day long, and other days I'm blasting radio ahead.
That's what I was gonna say that. I love that,
Like in this movie, it's not You're not like throwing
it down her throat, like our throats, like we're Latino,
we're latiness, Like no, we get it. We're let know
and where this, and we're that and we're that and
we're that and we're that and we're allowed to be
(21:03):
all of those things. And that absolutely comes out full throttle.
So I appreciate that because that's also like the generation
of the American athannists who are now coming up and
who are now like, oh, that's me. I can relate
to that story. I can see myself in that story.
I know that you have mentioned that you've done in
a lot of sets, You've done a lot of things.
(21:24):
What is your favorite thing to direct? Like, if you
had to choose one, that's hard. I loved making my movie.
I like the collaborative space that you get in with
the whole crew, like we're all there in every set
is like that, right, Like where this is what's great
about the filmmaking community, Like we're there, we're all there
to make a product, So that is really great. But
(21:44):
when you work with a group of actors through the
course of a whole movie, an entire story, and you're
talking to them about this is so in terms of
like just making that movie was just I felt like
I was flying. It was just such a long creative
project that you saw from start to finish a whole story.
(22:06):
It was a goal I had had in my life,
like I have to make a movie. I want to
make a movie so badly. Um So I just really
loved it. But I love every opportunity. I mean, not
to be ridiculous, but again with women, I think women
have to be multi hyphenans. I think, look at you,
look at all the things you do, right, I think,
(22:29):
and I think we're interested in a lot of things.
And I'm not I'm not going to put myself in
a box and just say, oh, I only direct features,
I only direct TV, I only direct doc use or commercial.
I just want to continue to expand creatively. That's what
I want to do because that's how we learn, and
that's how we grow, and I think you I was
just mentoring a class of young Latina actors yesterday and
(22:51):
the one thing I was seeing is like, just go
out and try things and like challenge yourself, because if
you're not something for me, I'm like when I'm in
one place, like you won't catch me in a show
for longer than a year or two. I can't do
it because I just feel like, where are my creative juices,
what's happening. I need to like be here, you'd be there.
I need to be growing and feeling new things and
(23:13):
challenging yourself. And I just and I think that that's
really important. Even though it's a very scary industry and
as an actor, a lot of people are like, you're crazy.
I can't believe you left that job and you didn't
have a job next. And it's like, I'm gonna be okay,
We're going to figure it out. This is why we
have a manager, this is why we have a team,
and this is why we audition and we try new
things and we take a leap of faith and challenge ourselves.
(23:36):
I think that's so important something that you keep bringing
up that I think is important to highlight and discuss
with you, is the evolution of women in the industry
that you know, you have mentioned thirty years and in
the industry and doing all of these incredible things. What
has been the evolution of not only women but Latine
(23:57):
women in the position that you're in. What are some
of the struggles that maybe you have encountered and things
that you have overcome, you know, for a long long
time and including up until today. But it's obviously getting better.
But I can tell you I was the only Mexican
American on set, right, the only let let alone, let
(24:21):
alone woman. So so that was going on for the
longest time. And I have to say, like, you're in
a space where you're just struggling to continue staying in
the door, staying in the door, staying in the door,
and you're looking around and you're going, Okay, there's no
one whose family comes from Si Juana the way mind does,
(24:42):
like there's no one here, no one understands what this
struggle is. And I don't even think they can relate
in any way, shape or form. So it's you know,
it was always like presenting my identity, always on sets,
always in meetings, um making sure that people knew that
I come from this kind of background, that I am
(25:03):
Mexican American. Then you know, working with female directors, like
maybe I've worked with two in all of my career,
other female directors up until I started, you know, directing,
so again super rare. And then finally you know now,
of course, yeah, we're seeing a lot more female directors,
especially in television on the television front, are they Latina's No,
(25:26):
I'm not seeing that many still, you know. So one
of the things I will say, and I'm glad all
these programs exist to get, you know, to bring directors
in and people of color, women and people of color.
Sometimes it feels performative to me. Sometimes it's like, yeah,
oh my god, we have this program. Oh yeah, we
do support it. But when it comes down to the
(25:46):
actual hiring, who are they hiring? We have to keep
making our stuff and we have to support each other,
which which is why I really truly appreciate you having me,
you know, on your show, because we have to support
each other. I want to know about you and all
the things you're doing. I'm listening to your podcast. I
was just listening to another director you you introduced me to,
(26:08):
and I start following her on Instagram and now I
want to watch everything she's doing, Like we have to
support each other, we need to get an hour. Yeah,
that's what it's all about. And I spoke about this
and in a few episodes, I think this is with
Amy Martinez um And I met her when I was
on set for and just like that, the Sex and
the City reboot, and she's Dominican and I lost my mind.
(26:31):
She was an a D and she's Dominican, and I
was like, I have never seen so many brown people
on set. And the boom guy was Dominican, and I'm like,
go are the only gun? And he was like, so
you guys, well go minute gone, and I was like,
I was just like mind blown. And I was like,
we're here, We're in the room. But something that Amy
also mentioned to is like the gate keeping right, the
(26:54):
whole concept of like I have to be the only
one right or the and it's like, know, there's enough
food for everyone to eat, we just have to share
it and continue to share it because once once you,
once I get that right, I can give that to
somebody else and we can all lift each other up.
And also I've understood how the industry has made me
(27:16):
feel like I have to be the token, right because
they only usually choose one. Right, so I understand the
trauma that we all come from of like, oh, there's
three of us in here, They're only going to choose
one of us. It's it's down to the nitty gritty, right,
And then you start comparing and for me personally, I'm like, oh,
I'm darker. Stand oh um, I look a little bit
(27:40):
more black than Maybe they're not gonna believe I'm I'm Latina.
So then I'm like, I'm fighting against myself with these
past traumas. But at the end of the day, it's like, no,
if my sis books this, my sister is gonna be
like Darylyn was awesome, and Darylyn was a great person,
and we're gonna get copied together, and we're gonna get
tea together. I'm gonna follow her on Instagram, remember, going
(28:00):
to follow each other's journey because you never know. Well,
that's why I'm saying about us supporting each other, because
it's hard to get the power to make the changes. Right. So,
however long I've been representing my own culture myself as
a Mexican American woman, I have been shut down so
many times on commercials where I would say, hey, why
(28:23):
why do we have a you know, a person of color?
Why are we not you know? And you get shut
down by the people who hold the money right, who
have the purse um, And it's frustrating and it's so
hard to you keep you know, you keep pushing and
fighting like like I did with Bumble, like I did
with Bumble, and they heard me and they supported me,
and they supported this idea um which to meet and
(28:46):
seems so crazy, but to them it was like, wow,
we're going out on the list. And so it's true,
like we the more of us keep climbing the ladder
and bring the other ones up, the more we have
the power to hold more people underneath us. And when
you didn't invite each other in the room, that's the
other thing like not feeling intimidated, but feeling like if
(29:08):
you're there for somebody, that person is going to be
there for you. And if they're not, then you know
what that was about, and it's a lesson learned. That's
how that's been my motto the past couple of years. Um. Right,
You've told so many different kinds of stories and I
know that like that probably changes with your growth as
a person in motherhood and all of that combined when
(29:29):
you pick a project direct, like, what is it about
that project for you that like, what is it that
thing that you look for? You know, I want to
look for an authentic feeling that I can relate to
as a woman, as a person. Um, I am a
(29:49):
huge I have like a huge heart. You know. I'm
one of those people that can get involved in a
lot of causes and things like that because I feel
so deeply what other people are going through and I
don't want people to suffer. So I made this documentary
about dancers with down syndrome because one day I happened
to be at a performance where this group of dancers
(30:12):
performed and I I was hit so deep into my
heart that these young people who are out there performing
and I understood what that felt like. I understanding the
feeling of performing and being in front of an audience
and having people clap for you, and what joy that
brings to you to be able to express yourself right.
(30:32):
And I just was like, Okay, I have to have
to do something with this. I have to I can't
just sit here and just appreciate it. I've got to
get involved in this. So I made you know, So
I did it. I I funded it myself. I made
this documentary about dancers with Down syndrome. Even my film,
Ariana Alvarez, she's an outsider. She's coming into this bougie club.
(30:54):
She's insecure, she's like trying to buck the system, but
really she's in pain because she lost her parents, you
know what I mean. So she's covering with this kind
of attitude in this Like, so I I want to
find that kind of authentic place inside of my characters. Um,
even if it's not being shown like full force, like
(31:14):
straight to camera, it's like where is it coming from?
So that's you know, That's what I try to tell
my project for Bumble. You know, um Maria one of
the Charactersniqua, she you know where she's coming from with
her culture, coming from New York out here where a
lot of the Latinos out here thought she was just
(31:35):
straight black. They couldn't be here speaking Spanish. Like what
that vulnerability must have done for her, Like how that
made her feel? That's I want to connect that way
to characters, you know, to people that I work with. Um,
that's important to me on projects. So just to give
a little space for you to talk about. Um. I
know we talked a lot about Diamond in the Rough. Um,
(31:57):
so I just want you to where can we see it?
Where can we find it? When can we one? Can
we look out for it? What's the vibe? How do
we find it? So, Diamond the Rough is currently in
streaming on Creator Plus, uh, which is a new streaming platform.
It's a new independent movie studio and streaming platform right
(32:18):
where you you can rent movies sort of one off
so you don't have to sign up for a whole
subscription nothing like that. So you can see it on
Creator plus dot com. And then it's going to be
jumping to Amazon soon as well, so you can see
it on Amazon, I know, come on Amazon and then
and then other things are in the works, you know
right now. So I'm you know, let's like send me
(32:38):
all your positive vibes out into the universe. That's kind
of jump to another big streaming platform, so you can
you can see it there, guys, go watch it. It's
so good. It's so good. I love it. I love it,
and I just totally relate so much to the movie,
especially growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood and like
growing up in an area that just resonated with me,
(32:59):
and then there's so much in there, um that just
hit home for me. So thank you for that. Um,
what's next for you if you're allowed to speak about it.
I have pitched on another movie. I can't say what
it is. I'm I'm like all fingers crossed. I would
love to do it. So I'm pitching on movies. Um,
I'm taking meetings for TV shows. TV is still such
(33:23):
a hard medium to jump into, you know, even though
I did my first episode last year, Like I'm still
trying to get another episode. Like my dream show that
I really want is Blind Spotting. Oh juz man, are
you well? I want Blind Like it's just it's just
(33:44):
at my alley on so many levels, but like just
the drama, the comedy, the visuals, plus the dance element
that they put into the show. It's like, so so
that's like that's like my dream show, putting it out
there just right now, manifesting thank you. I've also written
my own pilot, which I'm shopping around right now, which
(34:04):
is kind of like a a Latin a high school
dance drama. So it's giving like Friday night Lights vibes
with a dance team with a Latin a dance team. Um,
I love so I wrote that, and so I'm like,
I'm hoping I can get that going. I've been taking
some meetings and that's been exciting. So yeah, and then
get my girls back to school for their senior year
(34:27):
in college. I love it. And you do it all.
You're like the goals, Like you're speaking to me like
my language of what I want my life one day
to be. And just like be a cool mom and
like a kick ass director and also like a leader
like within your own projects and believing in yourself and
jumping and doing it and just committing to everything that
(34:49):
you have your hands on. Um, I cannot wait to
see all the amazing things that you do. And um,
you already know you have a follower and me and
a friend. I'm like obsessed. I'm like, I cannot wait
for everyone connected. Now that's it. You can't get rid
of me. It's over. Fore I'm glad, Jeanette. We have
(35:19):
a little moment here that I love them bunderneath that
and it's the moment of questions. Okay, okay, what's your
favorite romance film, Like, what's your go to? Okay, I'm
gonna have to say it's Pride and Prejudice. I read
the book when I was a little girl, right, go
and buy books at at yard sales for me, books
(35:40):
that were out of my lead in terms of what
level I should be reading at that, you know, like
a five years old he's buying me Shakespeare and Jane
Austen that. So I always love Pride and Prejudice and
I read it every year since I was a little kid.
And then I saw the BBC version and then I
saw beautifully individual. I love the score, like it's just gorgeous.
(36:01):
I have to say, it's Bred and Prejudice. It's a classic.
Highly recommend. If no one's ever seen Fred and Prejudice,
please go, please go see it. Most treasured on set memory,
you know, it was actually this last year because my
daughters both were home from school while I was shooting
my movie and they got to come to set one
of the days. And I think they've been to my
(36:25):
sets before since, you know, since they were little kids,
but like this was big and I think they both,
you know, they both just said how proud of me
they felt. You know that here I was still like
pursuing my dreams while they're in college, like I'm still
going for it. And they both felt really proud of that,
and then that made me feel so proud. What reminds
(36:46):
you of home or makes you feel at home? Food?
I love how quick how quick you were to answer
that you were like a food. My family is super
like we're all you know, the cogen saw that we
would have every weekend at my Alita's house, all my deals,
all my prima's and prims like I have a huge family, right,
(37:09):
and so just being together all of us, like, that's
that's I want to do that more than anything. I
don't need to go to clubs. I don't need to
go to restaurants. I want to be with my familia,
family and food. I love that food is like always
the go too. I'm always like, what's your so Godness,
that would be like your dish, Like that's like the
dish for you. I mean godnes Sada is just my
my memory of you know, but I mean all of it.
(37:32):
I eat it too. I'm getting started like all of it.
I'm like, I eat a lot. Let's just say that
I love that food is a staple food. I think
for everybody in the Latina culture, it's like food. So
it's like that's it. Take that and I'm home always. Jeanette,
thank you so much for coming on Morenita. Thank you
(37:52):
for sharing your insight. Thank you for sharing how you
do it all. Thank you for sharing the next projects
that you have coming up. Um and like I said,
y'all go watch this movie. It is so good. Jeanette
is like is killing it? And Janett, how do we
follow you on the social media platform? Do we do Instagram?
Are you a Twitter? Are you what's the I do? Um? Yes,
(38:17):
Instagram and Twitter? J Y Godoy director, I love it. Guys,
go follow Jeanette the real deal. Jeanette, thank you so
much for taking your time. Thank you for having me
so nice of you. Really appreciate it. Monamita is a
production of Sonato in partnership with I Heart Radios microL
(38:38):
Uda podcast Network. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio,
visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever
you listen to your favorite shows.
Oyami Hinda. I just want to give you a heads up.
The program you are about to hear may have some
explicit language, it may not. It also depends on where
the vibes and the spirit leads us. Hope you enjoy
Welcome to Monita, a deep dive into the Latin X experience.
(00:21):
With Monita, 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 Darrylene Gastillo Ethane Vito. Today
(00:42):
we have Jeanette Bavoy, a first generation Mexican American filmmaker
and storyteller from California. She has been a choreographer and
a dancer who then transitioned into the prominent role of director.
She's direct did a plethor of stories, but also commercials
(01:03):
like Nike Bumble and Pet Smart and so many many more.
Her work is everywhere. If you've sat in front of
the TV, you've probably seen it. She has just recently
directed her first feature film, Diamond in the Rough, a
Latino lead rom com that can be found on the
streaming platform Creator Plus on Creator plus dot com. It
(01:27):
stars many familiar names like Samantha Boscarino, TikTok influencer, Griffin Johnson,
and David Keckner. She's also directed an episode for the
HBO Max show The Guts c Us, featuring a predominantly
Latina cast, So you get it right, Jimma is a
badass in the TV film industry, but she's also so
(01:50):
so much more. We talked about the industry and her
incredible projects that she's done and has been a part of,
but we also discussed how she navigates her professional life
and her personal life. She is the mother of two
twin girls. That's right, you heard me too, twin girls,
and this threw me for a loop because I was
incredibly captivated by the way she balances her lifestyles. I
(02:14):
think balance is something that we all struggle with, especially
us women, and the battle of can you have it all?
Can you have a family? Can you have a career?
Can it all be done? In episode twenty two, Maternal
Desire with my dear friend Cordovaia, we hit so many
topics about motherhood and the insight of having it all.
(02:37):
It's a rich and a very necessary listen for the
modern working woman. Jeanette touches on her maternal desire and
her different kind of process that led her to motherhood,
and how motherhood has impacted her career, and how she
navigates all that she shares with us, her secrets on
how she does it all. Now, I don't want to
(03:00):
oil anymore of Jeanette's secrets, So Saane Beetle Jeanette, welcome
to the land of Morenita. Wow, thank you, thank you
for having me. I appreciate it. I'm excited. I feel
(03:21):
so honored, um, and just excited to get to like
introduce you to our community and what the amazing things
that you are doing and have been doing for years
and years and years. Um. I mean, Jeanette, you're a director.
What brought you into the world directing? Because I know
that you are a choreographer and you know you choreographed
(03:42):
some epic things, But what was that transition for you,
like from choreographer, dancer, performer into director world? You know.
I mean, my dad will always say, Mika, you are
always really bossy. So apparently I've been directing people since
(04:03):
I was a little kid. Um, But I think choreography
is directing obviously, right, and so It wasn't really a
hard transition for me. I mean, I felt very comfortable
moving into the director's chair. But um, I will say
that I did have a lot of encouragement from some
of the directors that I did work with, because I
(04:24):
always had an opinion on all of it, not just
the dance aspect of it, right, and and many of
them said, like, you see the big picture, you should
consider going into directing. I guess what, I didn't even
know directing was a career growing up. I didn't know
anything about the entertainment business. You know, my family comes
from Mexico, Like, we didn't come up in this um
(04:47):
and so like, what was the introduction for you into
this industry. I grew up mainly in Pomona and Riverside,
which are suburbs of Los Angeles, you know, an hour
hour and a half away. And and um, I took
ballet lessons growing up, so I trained in a classical
ballet theater. But I was always sort of like that
(05:08):
kind of like funky little girl who you know, I mean,
at every garden I saw the that we're playing, you know,
Columbia's soul music. My dad was, you know, a Chicano
and and a hit Mexican hippie when he was in college.
That's when I was born, and I was a trained dancer.
I came out to Los Angeles to go to school
(05:29):
u C. L A. And you know, my father really
wanted me to be a lawyer. That was his plan.
I'm the first child born in the US and my family, Um,
that was the American dream. You have to do something
like that. And of course, almost like so many of
my cousins ended up doing that, by the way, but
I worked at a law firm to help pay for
my tuition to you know, to go to school, and
(05:51):
the lawyers, you know, would say to me, if you
have something else that you love, you should pursue that.
So I started taking class in l A. You know,
some of the big dance studios in l A. And
one day I just I saw a you know, a
flyer that said audition for a dance agent. So I
did and that's just you know, I got that agent.
(06:12):
And that's how I just, you know, I started to
learn and climb and you know, I mean I really
knew nothing. I knew nothing industry like business wise, you mean. Correct,
So you're a dancer and you're doing a dance and
you're doing a thing dance. I you know, I booked
some gigs. I didn't book a lot of gigs. I
(06:34):
was you know now that I've been thinking about it
a lot, like I was terrible at it. I was
so bad I would get so nervous. Auditioning is a skill.
It is a skill. Yeah, it's a whole separate Like
there's I know so many talented people who are incredible,
but like auditioning, when they get in the room, it's
(06:55):
just they go out of their bodies or it's just
the nerves or what was it for you? That was
the nerves It was heard and I couldn't I couldn't
wrangle them. I would lose my confidence. And so I know,
I don't think I ever really could perform, you know,
at the highest level of what I was capable of.
(07:15):
And that was something I realized like pretty early on.
Like oh and I just one audition I went in
for was for a commercial and I remember it was
forgotten Milk, remember those, And so they wanted the women
to go in in a bikini and like dance like
(07:35):
we're at like some you know, half named party and
we're going to drink milk in our bikini. But the
guys in the commercial were not in bikkini's. They were
like in regular clothes. They were like in shorts and
t shirts or buttoned down shirts or whatever. And I
I remember being in the room and a whole group
of agency people in front of us and the director
or whatever, and I'm in a bikini and everyone else
(07:56):
is in clothes, and I was just like, yeah, I
don't want to do this anymore. I can't do this anymore.
I just made that decision like pretty early on, you
know what am I going to do? And I I
had assisted some choreographers on jobs, and I just thought,
you know what, I'm going to pursue choreography like I
always did it in high school, I did it in
elementary school. So I just decided I'm going to do this.
(08:17):
And I I just started building a real doing free gigs,
you know, reaching out to producers. Hey, I'm trying to
build a choreography reel. Do you have a gig? Do
you have a gig? And people started calling me, and
then you know, one job that gets another job, that
gets another job. So that's sort of how I built
my reel. And started working, and then directing came. You know,
I wanted to direct for a long long time, and
(08:39):
then you know, I had my daughter's I have twin
girls have twins. Yeah wait, I love that. So you
come from a family of twins who were twins on
your on your side of your family. Actually was like,
was it your husband? I was medically helped into getting twins? Wait? What? Well,
I mean you know I had to do fertility treatment. Okay, yeah, wait,
(09:03):
I love that. We just like leaned into this conversation.
I had no idea that you had twins. Yeah. I
struggled for years to get pregnant. Um, so I ended
up doing fertility treatments and thank god I had my
twins finally. Yeah, and that was my focus. That was
my priority for a long time. I mean I always worked.
I never worked, and I was really lucky that one
(09:25):
of my grandmother's was able to help me care for
my twins while I was working, so that was amazing.
But when they got to be around elementary school age,
and I felt like, Okay, you know what, I can
take on the responsibility of being the director now because
you have all the departments to oversee, you oversee the
(09:47):
whole project. Um and I just I wanted to wait
until I was in a mental and creative space to
take that on. Um. So, then when my girls were
an element three school, I decided to direct a commercial
spec spot. I wanted to go into commercials. I felt
like that was sort of more manageable space to work
(10:08):
in because the projects aren't super long, right, you have
thirty to sixty seconds to fill and exactly, um and
and you know, and you work on them for two
two weeks to maybe a month, you know, mac Kintafa.
So I could still be mom taking her daughter to ballet,
mom taking her daughter to tennis, you know, snack mom
(10:30):
and also work, um you know, because that's equally is
important to me in life, you know, are my children.
So yeah, I made a spec spot for bridgetone tires.
It ended up like getting all these accolades, winning awards,
went to the can Advertising costal, the top spots in
the world. Um and that sort of launched my directing career.
(11:05):
I'm so fascinated with you because you know, as a
fellow artist, as a fellow woman who desires the want
for motherhood and things like that, it's always like, how
can we how can we have it all right? And
how in this industry can we do that all? And
it seems like you've found a lane that works for you.
(11:27):
And it's a blessing that you were able to find
out these things early on as well, and then being
able to fulfill yourself and fill your cup in what
you wanted becoming a mother and balancing all those things.
What is the secret to like continued success and in
that for yourself? How have you been so confident to
(11:48):
like lean into all of that Because I struggle with
that as an artist, as a young woman who wants
to be a mother, who wants to have a family
one day and all of that. Yeah, I understood what
capacities had at what periods of my life, right, So
when my girls were little, there's so many milestones that
happened in their lives. And so that's why directing commercials
(12:11):
was really great for me, because I wasn't going to
be away on a movie for three months and missing
the Nutcracker recital, the big Tennis tournament like those are
things like those are memories that are more important to
me in my life than my career, and so I
was never in a position to not work right, like
I always had to work, not only for financial reasons,
(12:33):
but like for my own creative fulfillment. Um, just understanding
like where I was in my personal life with my daughters,
and what how could I be great at the things
I wanted to be great at. I wanted to be
a great mom. Okay, I wanted to be a great director.
And so commercials served me well because these are these
(12:54):
kind of small projects that I can sink into and
then jump out up right. And then when my daughters
were in high school, I was like, Okay, I'm ready
to evolve my creative career. I want to expand into
longer format, you know, narrative work. So first I made
a documentary about dancers with down syndrome. I shot that
(13:17):
look while my girls were in school on weekend, you
know that kind of stuff. Then I wrote and directed
a short film about families, but mainly about teen girls
and how social media is affecting them and the phone
and all that, because that was very real to what
I was experiencing raising my daughters in the age of Instagram. Um.
So I wrote that I directed that. That got me
(13:40):
into the Sony TV directing program. So again, girls were
in high school they were starting to you know, take
over their own lives. Um, so then I could have
the mental and creative space to can expand you know,
just keep expanding where it fits in your shape at
that moment in your life. That's what I say, right, Like,
(14:00):
sometimes your shape is really narrow, and I can only
fit so much in that space, Like I can fit
motherhood and financial responsibility and a little creativity here, and
then all of a sudden, my girls, you know, get older,
they're driving, they can drive themselves to ballet and tennis,
and then you know, the lane opens up for me
to expand my creative space. But it's it's worked out
(14:23):
well because I've been on set for thirty years. So
I've been on every kind of set. I've been on
cruise ships, I've been on you know, TV shows, music videos,
concert towards like all the stuff, and so it's just
informed my filmmaking storytelling education, so that when I get
(14:44):
into a situation like I did this last year where
I'm making my first feature film and we're shooting the
whole thing in fifteen days, I walked in like, Okay, yeah,
I can do this. I got this. I've been doing
all this other stuff all these years, I can do
this and like adapting to the space that you have
(15:04):
and like understanding what that is and it's going to
make your process going through that space. It's like less stressful, right,
It's not always. I know it's probably the same for
you and most artists, but I think especially women, because
we have to fight so hard to get through each
barrier that comes in front of us. So it's always like, oh,
I wish I was ten steps ahead of where I
am now, you know. And I have to give my
(15:28):
husband credit because he will remind me you wanted to
be this kind of mom and still work, but that
was important to you. What you decided was your priority.
And so I have been able to do that. And
I am really proud of the fact that it's okay
that I'm just made my first feature film when my
(15:48):
daughters are about to be seniors in college. As a
matter of fact, thank god I waited until now because
I could do it at a high level because of
all the experience that that I have gone through. And
you also did a bumble campaign, correct, Yes, what called
your attention to that specific project, especially with your having
two daughters and like and then now seeing social media
(16:10):
and and obviously you've been on sets for thirty years,
so you've really seen the transition of how social media
is reacting with this industry. Um, I can even go
further on with the movie that you're speaking of. I mean,
you have an influencer in the movie. Well okay, so yeah,
it helps that I have, you know, daughters that I'm
(16:30):
very close to, and so we have a lot of
dialogue and a lot of communication, and I know so
much about what's going on in their lives because you know,
texting and social media and all those things, which I
always like really especially when they were younger, like really
had to oversee, which I think I really do with kids. Right. Um. So,
I originally did a commercial for Bumble Biz, which is
(16:50):
about people you know in the business on the busy angle,
which I think is super cool and I love bumble
and that it's sort of sort of like a female
driven you know, sort of women have the control. Yeah,
we have the power, right, So I love that about it.
So I had done this this spot for bumble Bizz,
and then they wanted to move break Out into sort
(17:11):
of longer form creative content for the brand, and I
pitched this idea, which ultimately ended up being pure corason
because I felt that, you know, the Latin A community
has been completely ignored in the mainstream well everything, but
obviously in the dating world. And I was like, you
guys are missing out on a huge population of people
(17:33):
that you were not paying attention to. And so I
pitched that idea and they said, yeah, let's go. I'm
mine was the one they chose, and it was so
much fun. It was really great. They really gave me
a lot of latitude to sort of create what I
wanted out of it. And I was trying to create
the not only just the sense of what the Latin
A community are dealing with on the dating front, but
(17:55):
how culture plays into it all that, because culture is
such a huge part of our lives. And then again
just staying on top of what's happening in the world. Um,
just trying to be an informed person. But then you know,
kind of ending up with a movie that with an
influencer in it, you know that is what's going on
in the world. They are having a huge impact on media.
I was lucky to work with Griffin Johnson, who is
(18:17):
one who is was super cool, very enthusiastic about our project,
very committed to it and work ethic that the professional
actors are bringing to the set. I was really you know,
I was really lucky on that front. That's awesome. And
also like it's like, yeah, Latino people can fall in
love also like right exactly, they're like what love know?
(18:38):
But you guy, And let's talk more about this movie
because I am first off, the trailers like so cute.
It's such a great story. I don't want to give
too much away, but maybe if you want to kind
of discuss it a little bit and talk about it.
I'm super proud of it because we just don't get
to see ourselves very often in this sort of like
(19:00):
first of all, everyday life, like where everyday people we
fall in love, we have friendship breakups, we have issues
with our family members, we don't you know. I'm like,
we can have messy, chaotic lives that are like mainstream, right,
that's that's what you look at like, and when do
we get to see ourselves that way? So that was
(19:21):
the thing about this movie, which you know, we want
to say is like happy Gilmore meets mean girls kind
of right, and we really get to see a Latin
a lead play that kind of role. It has to
either be the big superstars or the rest of our
content is you know, immigration, narcoes, you know, and those
(19:42):
are all important, super important stories. I come from those stories, right,
So those are important stories to be tell. I'm not
knocking those at all. I want to tell that story someday.
But when I got the opportunity to just tell just
this like funny, straight ahead, chaotic, messy Latina lad story,
I was like, hell, yes please. The lead of my film,
(20:02):
Samantha Boscarino, her mom is from Ecuador, right, Like what,
I who's the other Ecuadorian actress you know? Of? Like,
I don't money. I mean, of course they're out there.
I'm not saying they are. I'm just saying like, we don't. Obviously,
we have so many of our cultures that need to
be represented. So for me, that was really fun. Um.
(20:22):
I got to work with Carlos Lacama again. I had
just worked with him on an episode of The Garcia's
for HBO Max, So that was really fun, like to
bring him back in and just bring in like the
whole movie didn't have to be about her culture, but
just the little touches of our culture that we're in
everyday life. I mean, I don't know about you. Some
(20:43):
days I'm like super Mexican and I've got like Mariaki
music all day long, and other days I'm blasting radio ahead.
That's what I was gonna say that. I love that,
Like in this movie, it's not You're not like throwing
it down her throat, like our throats, like we're Latino,
we're latiness, Like no, we get it. We're let know
and where this, and we're that and we're that and
we're that and we're that and we're allowed to be
(21:03):
all of those things. And that absolutely comes out full throttle.
So I appreciate that because that's also like the generation
of the American athannists who are now coming up and
who are now like, oh, that's me. I can relate
to that story. I can see myself in that story.
I know that you have mentioned that you've done in
a lot of sets, You've done a lot of things.
(21:24):
What is your favorite thing to direct? Like, if you
had to choose one, that's hard. I loved making my movie.
I like the collaborative space that you get in with
the whole crew, like we're all there in every set
is like that, right, Like where this is what's great
about the filmmaking community, Like we're there, we're all there
to make a product, So that is really great. But
(21:44):
when you work with a group of actors through the
course of a whole movie, an entire story, and you're
talking to them about this is so in terms of
like just making that movie was just I felt like
I was flying. It was just such a long creative
project that you saw from start to finish a whole story.
(22:06):
It was a goal I had had in my life,
like I have to make a movie. I want to
make a movie so badly. Um So I just really
loved it. But I love every opportunity. I mean, not
to be ridiculous, but again with women, I think women
have to be multi hyphenans. I think, look at you,
look at all the things you do, right, I think,
(22:29):
and I think we're interested in a lot of things.
And I'm not I'm not going to put myself in
a box and just say, oh, I only direct features,
I only direct TV, I only direct doc use or commercial.
I just want to continue to expand creatively. That's what
I want to do because that's how we learn, and
that's how we grow, and I think you I was
just mentoring a class of young Latina actors yesterday and
(22:51):
the one thing I was seeing is like, just go
out and try things and like challenge yourself, because if
you're not something for me, I'm like when I'm in
one place, like you won't catch me in a show
for longer than a year or two. I can't do
it because I just feel like, where are my creative juices,
what's happening. I need to like be here, you'd be there.
I need to be growing and feeling new things and
(23:13):
challenging yourself. And I just and I think that that's
really important. Even though it's a very scary industry and
as an actor, a lot of people are like, you're crazy.
I can't believe you left that job and you didn't
have a job next. And it's like, I'm gonna be okay,
We're going to figure it out. This is why we
have a manager, this is why we have a team,
and this is why we audition and we try new
things and we take a leap of faith and challenge ourselves.
(23:36):
I think that's so important something that you keep bringing
up that I think is important to highlight and discuss
with you, is the evolution of women in the industry
that you know, you have mentioned thirty years and in
the industry and doing all of these incredible things. What
has been the evolution of not only women but Latine
(23:57):
women in the position that you're in. What are some
of the struggles that maybe you have encountered and things
that you have overcome, you know, for a long long
time and including up until today. But it's obviously getting better.
But I can tell you I was the only Mexican
American on set, right, the only let let alone, let
(24:21):
alone woman. So so that was going on for the
longest time. And I have to say, like, you're in
a space where you're just struggling to continue staying in
the door, staying in the door, staying in the door,
and you're looking around and you're going, Okay, there's no
one whose family comes from Si Juana the way mind does,
(24:42):
like there's no one here, no one understands what this
struggle is. And I don't even think they can relate
in any way, shape or form. So it's you know,
it was always like presenting my identity, always on sets,
always in meetings, um making sure that people knew that
I come from this kind of background, that I am
(25:03):
Mexican American. Then you know, working with female directors, like
maybe I've worked with two in all of my career,
other female directors up until I started, you know, directing,
so again super rare. And then finally you know now,
of course, yeah, we're seeing a lot more female directors,
especially in television on the television front, are they Latina's No,
(25:26):
I'm not seeing that many still, you know. So one
of the things I will say, and I'm glad all
these programs exist to get, you know, to bring directors
in and people of color, women and people of color.
Sometimes it feels performative to me. Sometimes it's like, yeah,
oh my god, we have this program. Oh yeah, we
do support it. But when it comes down to the
(25:46):
actual hiring, who are they hiring? We have to keep
making our stuff and we have to support each other,
which which is why I really truly appreciate you having me,
you know, on your show, because we have to support
each other. I want to know about you and all
the things you're doing. I'm listening to your podcast. I
was just listening to another director you you introduced me to,
(26:08):
and I start following her on Instagram and now I
want to watch everything she's doing, Like we have to
support each other, we need to get an hour. Yeah,
that's what it's all about. And I spoke about this
and in a few episodes, I think this is with
Amy Martinez um And I met her when I was
on set for and just like that, the Sex and
the City reboot, and she's Dominican and I lost my mind.
(26:31):
She was an a D and she's Dominican, and I
was like, I have never seen so many brown people
on set. And the boom guy was Dominican, and I'm like,
go are the only gun? And he was like, so
you guys, well go minute gone, and I was like,
I was just like mind blown. And I was like,
we're here, We're in the room. But something that Amy
also mentioned to is like the gate keeping right, the
(26:54):
whole concept of like I have to be the only
one right or the and it's like, know, there's enough
food for everyone to eat, we just have to share
it and continue to share it because once once you,
once I get that right, I can give that to
somebody else and we can all lift each other up.
And also I've understood how the industry has made me
(27:16):
feel like I have to be the token, right because
they only usually choose one. Right, so I understand the
trauma that we all come from of like, oh, there's
three of us in here, They're only going to choose
one of us. It's it's down to the nitty gritty, right,
And then you start comparing and for me personally, I'm like, oh,
I'm darker. Stand oh um, I look a little bit
(27:40):
more black than Maybe they're not gonna believe I'm I'm Latina.
So then I'm like, I'm fighting against myself with these
past traumas. But at the end of the day, it's like, no,
if my sis books this, my sister is gonna be
like Darylyn was awesome, and Darylyn was a great person,
and we're gonna get copied together, and we're gonna get
tea together. I'm gonna follow her on Instagram, remember, going
(28:00):
to follow each other's journey because you never know. Well,
that's why I'm saying about us supporting each other, because
it's hard to get the power to make the changes. Right. So,
however long I've been representing my own culture myself as
a Mexican American woman, I have been shut down so
many times on commercials where I would say, hey, why
(28:23):
why do we have a you know, a person of color?
Why are we not you know? And you get shut
down by the people who hold the money right, who
have the purse um, And it's frustrating and it's so
hard to you keep you know, you keep pushing and
fighting like like I did with Bumble, like I did
with Bumble, and they heard me and they supported me,
and they supported this idea um which to meet and
(28:46):
seems so crazy, but to them it was like, wow,
we're going out on the list. And so it's true,
like we the more of us keep climbing the ladder
and bring the other ones up, the more we have
the power to hold more people underneath us. And when
you didn't invite each other in the room, that's the
other thing like not feeling intimidated, but feeling like if
(29:08):
you're there for somebody, that person is going to be
there for you. And if they're not, then you know
what that was about, and it's a lesson learned. That's
how that's been my motto the past couple of years. Um. Right,
You've told so many different kinds of stories and I
know that like that probably changes with your growth as
a person in motherhood and all of that combined when
(29:29):
you pick a project direct, like, what is it about
that project for you that like, what is it that
thing that you look for? You know, I want to
look for an authentic feeling that I can relate to
as a woman, as a person. Um, I am a
(29:49):
huge I have like a huge heart. You know. I'm
one of those people that can get involved in a
lot of causes and things like that because I feel
so deeply what other people are going through and I
don't want people to suffer. So I made this documentary
about dancers with down syndrome because one day I happened
to be at a performance where this group of dancers
(30:12):
performed and I I was hit so deep into my
heart that these young people who are out there performing
and I understood what that felt like. I understanding the
feeling of performing and being in front of an audience
and having people clap for you, and what joy that
brings to you to be able to express yourself right.
(30:32):
And I just was like, Okay, I have to have
to do something with this. I have to I can't
just sit here and just appreciate it. I've got to
get involved in this. So I made you know, So
I did it. I I funded it myself. I made
this documentary about dancers with Down syndrome. Even my film,
Ariana Alvarez, she's an outsider. She's coming into this bougie club.
(30:54):
She's insecure, she's like trying to buck the system, but
really she's in pain because she lost her parents, you
know what I mean. So she's covering with this kind
of attitude in this Like, so I I want to
find that kind of authentic place inside of my characters. Um,
even if it's not being shown like full force, like
(31:14):
straight to camera, it's like where is it coming from?
So that's you know, That's what I try to tell
my project for Bumble. You know, um Maria one of
the Charactersniqua, she you know where she's coming from with
her culture, coming from New York out here where a
lot of the Latinos out here thought she was just
(31:35):
straight black. They couldn't be here speaking Spanish. Like what
that vulnerability must have done for her, Like how that
made her feel? That's I want to connect that way
to characters, you know, to people that I work with. Um,
that's important to me on projects. So just to give
a little space for you to talk about. Um. I
know we talked a lot about Diamond in the Rough. Um,
(31:57):
so I just want you to where can we see it?
Where can we find it? When can we one? Can
we look out for it? What's the vibe? How do
we find it? So, Diamond the Rough is currently in
streaming on Creator Plus, uh, which is a new streaming platform.
It's a new independent movie studio and streaming platform right
(32:18):
where you you can rent movies sort of one off
so you don't have to sign up for a whole
subscription nothing like that. So you can see it on
Creator plus dot com. And then it's going to be
jumping to Amazon soon as well, so you can see
it on Amazon, I know, come on Amazon and then
and then other things are in the works, you know
right now. So I'm you know, let's like send me
(32:38):
all your positive vibes out into the universe. That's kind
of jump to another big streaming platform, so you can
you can see it there, guys, go watch it. It's
so good. It's so good. I love it. I love it,
and I just totally relate so much to the movie,
especially growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood and like
growing up in an area that just resonated with me,
(32:59):
and then there's so much in there, um that just
hit home for me. So thank you for that. Um,
what's next for you if you're allowed to speak about it.
I have pitched on another movie. I can't say what
it is. I'm I'm like all fingers crossed. I would
love to do it. So I'm pitching on movies. Um,
I'm taking meetings for TV shows. TV is still such
(33:23):
a hard medium to jump into, you know, even though
I did my first episode last year, Like I'm still
trying to get another episode. Like my dream show that
I really want is Blind Spotting. Oh juz man, are
you well? I want Blind Like it's just it's just
(33:44):
at my alley on so many levels, but like just
the drama, the comedy, the visuals, plus the dance element
that they put into the show. It's like, so so
that's like that's like my dream show, putting it out
there just right now, manifesting thank you. I've also written
my own pilot, which I'm shopping around right now, which
(34:04):
is kind of like a a Latin a high school
dance drama. So it's giving like Friday night Lights vibes
with a dance team with a Latin a dance team. Um,
I love so I wrote that, and so I'm like,
I'm hoping I can get that going. I've been taking
some meetings and that's been exciting. So yeah, and then
get my girls back to school for their senior year
(34:27):
in college. I love it. And you do it all.
You're like the goals, Like you're speaking to me like
my language of what I want my life one day
to be. And just like be a cool mom and
like a kick ass director and also like a leader
like within your own projects and believing in yourself and
jumping and doing it and just committing to everything that
(34:49):
you have your hands on. Um, I cannot wait to
see all the amazing things that you do. And um,
you already know you have a follower and me and
a friend. I'm like obsessed. I'm like, I cannot wait
for everyone connected. Now that's it. You can't get rid
of me. It's over. Fore I'm glad, Jeanette. We have
(35:19):
a little moment here that I love them bunderneath that
and it's the moment of questions. Okay, okay, what's your
favorite romance film, Like, what's your go to? Okay, I'm
gonna have to say it's Pride and Prejudice. I read
the book when I was a little girl, right, go
and buy books at at yard sales for me, books
(35:40):
that were out of my lead in terms of what
level I should be reading at that, you know, like
a five years old he's buying me Shakespeare and Jane
Austen that. So I always love Pride and Prejudice and
I read it every year since I was a little kid.
And then I saw the BBC version and then I
saw beautifully individual. I love the score, like it's just gorgeous.
(36:01):
I have to say, it's Bred and Prejudice. It's a classic.
Highly recommend. If no one's ever seen Fred and Prejudice,
please go, please go see it. Most treasured on set memory,
you know, it was actually this last year because my
daughters both were home from school while I was shooting
my movie and they got to come to set one
of the days. And I think they've been to my
(36:25):
sets before since, you know, since they were little kids,
but like this was big and I think they both,
you know, they both just said how proud of me
they felt. You know that here I was still like
pursuing my dreams while they're in college, like I'm still
going for it. And they both felt really proud of that,
and then that made me feel so proud. What reminds
(36:46):
you of home or makes you feel at home? Food?
I love how quick how quick you were to answer
that you were like a food. My family is super
like we're all you know, the cogen saw that we
would have every weekend at my Alita's house, all my deals,
all my prima's and prims like I have a huge family, right,
(37:09):
and so just being together all of us, like, that's
that's I want to do that more than anything. I
don't need to go to clubs. I don't need to
go to restaurants. I want to be with my familia,
family and food. I love that food is like always
the go too. I'm always like, what's your so Godness,
that would be like your dish, Like that's like the
dish for you. I mean godnes Sada is just my
my memory of you know, but I mean all of it.
(37:32):
I eat it too. I'm getting started like all of it.
I'm like, I eat a lot. Let's just say that
I love that food is a staple food. I think
for everybody in the Latina culture, it's like food. So
it's like that's it. Take that and I'm home always. Jeanette,
thank you so much for coming on Morenita. Thank you
(37:52):
for sharing your insight. Thank you for sharing how you
do it all. Thank you for sharing the next projects
that you have coming up. Um and like I said,
y'all go watch this movie. It is so good. Jeanette
is like is killing it? And Janett, how do we
follow you on the social media platform? Do we do Instagram?
Are you a Twitter? Are you what's the I do? Um? Yes,
(38:17):
Instagram and Twitter? J Y Godoy director, I love it. Guys,
go follow Jeanette the real deal. Jeanette, thank you so
much for taking your time. Thank you for having me
so nice of you. Really appreciate it. Monamita is a
production of Sonato in partnership with I Heart Radios microL
(38:38):
Uda podcast Network. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio,
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