Lights, Camera, Courage: A Latina actor's journey to finding home

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What does it truly cost to chase your dreams? Alienaya Escudero knows firsthand. Leaving behind the familiarity of Mexico City and an overprotective father, she arrived in America completely alone to pursue acting instead of the more practical path of law school that had been expected of her.

The journey hasn't been easy. Every day includes a phone call from her father asking when she'll return home, and each time she feels the heartache of telling him she's found her place in America. Despite the emotional challenges, Alienaya has discovered her voice at Santa Monica College and developed a passion for dramatic roles that authentically represent the Latino community. She's particularly drawn to portraying stories of trauma and resilience, hoping to create meaningful connections with audiences who share similar struggles.

Alienaya's story captures the immigrant experience in Hollywood—the isolation, the self-doubt, and the determination required to keep moving forward when success seems impossibly distant. Her powerful message resonates beyond acting: "Never let your light fade, keep fighting, keep believing in yourself and you can never fail." Though she acknowledges the difficulty of making a living in her chosen field, her conviction remains unshaken. "If you have big dreams, you have to have big sacrifices, but at the end of the day it will be worth it." 

Join us for this moving conversation about courage, cultural identity, and the price of pursuing passion against all odds. Have you ever had to choose between family expectations and personal dreams? We'd love to hear your story.

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Produced and Directed by: Drew Glick

Hosted by: Drew Glick

Co-Host: Sam Ailewi

Edited and Arranged by: Drew Glick

Studio Intern: Elisa Hernandez

Intro+Outro created by: Music Radio Creative

Ambient Music Provided by: Envato and Music Radio Creative

Drops and Jingles Created by: Music Radio Creative

Cover Art and Episode Graphics Designed by: www.getcovers.com

Copyright 2025, 2026 by Iervasi Media Partners

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to Outlaw Wisdom.
Outlaw Wisdom Alienaya Escuderocomes to Outlaw Wisdom to share
her story as a Latina actor inHollywood, alone, scared and
with big dreams.
She has only one thing to sayto listeners Never let your
light fade, keep fighting, keepbelieving in yourself and you
can never fail, never fail,never fail.

(00:24):
This is Outlaw Wisdom.
Let's begin, shall we?

Speaker 2 (00:31):
Okay.
So, ladies and gentlemen,welcome Ellie to Outlaw Wisdom.
Ellie, how you doing today?

Speaker 3 (00:36):
Thank you for having me.
How are you?

Speaker 2 (00:39):
Pronounce your name for me correctly one time.
How do you say your name?

Speaker 3 (00:41):
Ellie and Escudero.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
Okay, and we both know I'll never know how to say
that correctly we're just goingto call you Ellie from this
point forward.
Tell our listeners a little bitabout yourself who you are,
where you come from and whatyou're doing.

Speaker 3 (00:53):
Coming from Mexico City, I came to study here
acting, and right now I'm incollege.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
Can you tell us what college you're in?

Speaker 3 (01:02):
I'm in Santa Monica College.
First I wanted to do law school.
It was a tough decision for meand for my dad as well, because
we are really close, we have areally good relationship.
But after like three months,four months, of getting my visa
and everything, I came here bymyself.
I didn't know anyone.
Once I was in the academy, Ifound my friends.

(01:27):
I found my friend Elisa in thiscase.
I discovered a lot of my acting.
I like dramatic, I like to tella story every time, stories that
are focused on my community,the Latino community, people
that are dealing with trauma.
I like to have, I like tointerpret those stories and
hopefully send a message topeople that are that have the

(01:49):
same struggles.
I used to live with my fatheronly.
So there was a lot ofresistance, but also a lot of
support.
I can say that it's like if youtell somebody that you want to
act, they feel like you're justwasting your time.
So I could feel that resistance, the resistance with my dad.
It was like he didn't want meto leave by myself.

(02:12):
You know scared, and he was.
He was overprotective, becausehe's really overprotective.
We talked over the phone everyday, but he's always like, hey,
like have you thought aboutcoming back?
And I feel always sad oftelling him I don't want to
because I found my home here.
So I'm like I just want to dosomething that I love and that

(02:35):
hopefully I can make a livingout of it.
Right now is really hard.
I feel like it's not evenpossible.
If you have big dreams, youhave to have big sacrifices, but
at the end of the day it willbe worth it.