New(ish) member Jacqueline Guillen talks about her mad skillz (flute! ukulele! starring in Charmin commercials!), awful/magical photo shoots and the new documentary she’s helming.
InViolet: You are a new(ish) company member. We love having you with us! Tell us about your InViolet journey so far.
Jacqueline: Oooo thank you!!! It’s been really great (so far :P) Ever since Judgment of Fools I’ve been in heaven. Working with that cast and crew was such a memorable experience. I kept coming back to InViolet after the show closed because I wanted to be surrounded by this energy. The people in this company are just so lovely and talented and supportive – I love it!
InViolet: Speaking of Bernardo Cubria’s JUDGMENT OF FOOLS when we held a monthly show at INTAR. What was that whole experience like for you?
Jacqueline: I was in Chicago for LTC when Lou Moreno, the artistic director of INTAR, told me had recommended me for this guy’s show. Now I had been a Bernie fan for a few months then. You see he too is Mexican and after seeing one of his shows I was like “that guy! I need to work with that guy!” So then he and Mark contacted me and I said yes because well …duh! Afterwards I was incredibly worried and nervous. Everyone was already a part of this company and had already worked on this show. I was the only new one. But like I said before this company is so welcoming, we hit the ground running and it was incredible and so much fun!
InViolet: Do you have a favorite InViolet memory you can share?
Jacqueline: Judgment of Fools in general. The show’s where people actually started talking and debating and participating were incredible!
InViolet: Alright, tell us about the Charmin commercial.
Jacqueline: Haha! Yes! I just shot a short spot for Charmin! When my agent called me to tell me I had actually booked it, I just cracked up. Of course I would book the part of this girl who goes to the restroom to steal toilet paper. That’s me.
InViolet: You are a pretty musical gal, yes? We’re told you can rock the flute. And you posted a video on the medias last week of you singing and playing the ukulele like a dream. How long have you been developing these mad skillz?
Jacqueline: Thank you! I think I’m pretty musical. I love music, and actually wanted to be a professional flautist at one point . I broke up with my first boyfriend because he always wanted to be around and I just wanted to practice and I was like ” you’re getting on the way of my art!” so I dumped the guy. I first started playing the flute at 11 when I was in middle school and stuck with it for 7 years, took a break after high school, but couldn’t stay away. My first SAG project was actually because of my flute skills! The uke I picked up maybe 4 years ago after I realized I personally couldn’t really jam out with my flute.
InViolet: Recently you and the one you love (fellow member Benjamin Manno) did this fancy photo shoot where you wore a leather jacket and a poofy feminine skirt. You were holding each other by a body of water and gazing into each other’s eyes. This prompted many to think you eloped. Tell us about this seemingly magical photo shoot.
Jacqueline: My sister-in-law is a wedding photographer and is always looking to expand her portfolio so Ben and I always do photo shoots for her when she comes to visit. We knew people were going to think we eloped, I’m pretty sure some people still think that. Let me tell you the shoot itself was awful, it was 7am, freezing and raining but we wanted to take a photo of that damn dress so we shot for 45 minutes and then called it a day. If you look very closely you can see my hands are extremely red and ready to fall off. It didn’t feel like magic but they sure do look magical!
InViolet: Word on the street is you are working on a super secret voiceover project. How secret is super secret? Like you can’t tell us anything about it? Come on, tell us something about it.
Jacqueline: Stop pressuring me!!!! It’s super secret and can’t really say much. Here’s what I will say, I get to speak Spanish and English and I have multiple characters and I am having the time of my life!!!!
InViolet: What is the scoop on this mini documentary that you’re working to get done? Sounds exciting!
Jacqueline: It’s very exciting! It’s my first baby. I am traveling down to Brownsville Texas, the border town I grew up in after moving from Mexico. I will be telling the story of some of these kids who live in Mexico but go to school in the US. I mean just in this company 3 of us used to do that. It’s a reality to thousands of kids and no one talks about it. It’s still on a very early stage, I currently working on raising funds, but I am very passionate about this so I am putting it out in the world because now it has to get done and their stories have to be told and I cannot wait!
InViolet: What’s next for you?
Jacqueline: Who knows! This year I want to focus on developing my own work. I have this V/O project I am working on until the end of April, I would love to get this documentary up and done by June. Ben and I have a few sketches that we need to shoot, and I am currently attempting to write something. I am working on a one-woman show and a also writing a full-length play with my colleague and friend Valeria Avina. I don’t know what the hell I am doing and it’s hard but I am having a blast!