Melissa Barrea in front of a moody pot of dying flowers
Some people are born with an affinity for the darker things in life. It’s easy to imagine David Cronenberg watching Nosferatu while still in diapers or a prepubescent Wes Craven studying serial killers. But that wasn’t the case with Melissa Barrera. And yet, the 34-year-old Mexican actor has become a face of modern horror.
✕ Remove Ads Her youth was also when she discovered the genre that would give her first acting roles — Mexican telenovelas. Mexico’s musical children’s telenovelas — and their young performers who would become superstars in their own right — were Barrera’s inspiration. “They would go on tour and do concerts with their soundtracks, and they would become pop stars.” It seemed a faraway hope at the time.
I ask Barrera about how growing up in Mexico impacted her approach to her work. Barrera is adamant that one’s upbringing can’t help but influence you as an adult. “I bring all of my experiences into everything that I do,” she replies. “It informs the types of strong women that I'm attracted to in characters because I was surrounded by strong women.” Turns out, the roster of headstrong, capable women she’s played are echoes of the female figures who raised her, particularly her mother.
'Your Monster' Isn't a Cuddly Rom-Com ✕ Remove Ads This anger is never far from the screen in her latest movie, Your Monster, which is, yes, a rom-com. On top of blending Barrera’s love for sweeping romance and her penchant for horror, there are heavier ideas afoot. Barrera plays recent cancer survivor Laura who gets dumped by her musical theater director boyfriend because her illness and treatment were just too much for him: A relationship that deserves a Midsommar ending.
The Pros and Cons of Studios and Indies ✕ Remove Ads Still only in her 30s, she’s earned the standing to say such things. Barrera has alternated between major and independent studios throughout her career, going from headlining a Universal movie to co-producing and starring in a film from indie house Vertical just this year alone. It’s a mix that has revealed the pros and cons of each.
✕ Remove Ads I ask her if we’ll ever see her in a dark, disturbing, and hopeless horror movie like Longlegs, for example. “It's so funny that you mentioned Longlegs, because I actually met for that movie.” Barrera recounts meeting writer-director Oz Perkins for the role and being immensely impressed by the script. But she admits she stays away from projects that contain occult or satanic presences due to her Catholic upbringing and her staunch belief in ghosts and spirits.
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