Meet Asta Paredes | Actress, Filmmaker & Activist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Asta Paredes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Asta, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I think risk, at its most grounded, is an exercise in trusting the process. Of course you have to measure risk– assess it. Will this harm me or others? Am I afraid of failure? What are the outcomes? Best and worst case scenario. In my life I’ve assessed risk the older I get because I’ve seen the toll that comes from not seeing things through. Even having said that, I’d argue that many times those risk taking moments have become the most defining moments. They’ve shown me who I am and where my strengths and weaknesses are. They’ve shown me who my support system is and where I still still need to support my journey. In my career, risks have been doing things that speak to me even when others advise me otherwise. It is in those moments when risk feels most like faith. It is those moments when you have to listen to not the loudest most critical voice but the one that says your soul needs this. The reward from that risk is so much sweeter even when the success isn’t easily defined or recognized by others. As an actress I’ve worked hard to cultivate risk taking regularly because I don’t want to follow others’ path. I’m insistent on making my own. One defined by the bold assumption that I can have a career rooted in integrity, love, and my greater purpose. “It ain’t all hearts and flowers” as JLo would say—but it makes the adventure of my soul here all the richer. I’m taking a risk pursuing a dream that only I can see and I’m willing to trust in me.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Acting came into my life for social reasons. Ironically the drama club was my greatest lesson into the world of assimilation. I spent some years in Europe before fully immersing back into growing up in a suburb of Houston. I sought a place to fit in or at the very least find skills to help me appear a certain way. Then I fell in love with it. I felt a calling that made me feel most home in storytelling for the greater purpose of changing hearts and minds. So then I went on to study at the Guthrie BFA Actor Training Program where I was classically trained before I decided to make the leap to NYC. After some opportunities on the stage I shifted my focus to film. As an actress and filmmaker, I am heavily concerned with context. I want my involvement to be in service of the story. I also want to be part of art that activates viewers. That isn’t always easily defined but when I see it or am called to it, I think it becomes clear. I’ve had a lot of unconventional opportunities to be part of creative projects. From my time with Elysium Theatre Collective where I spent a summer living and breathing all things folk music to my years promoting the modern cult classic that is the RETURN TO NUKE EM HIGH franchise— I’ve been happy to let my art become a lifestyle. Especially in the indie film world, where you don’t have major studio backing, you have to pull out the megaphone and insist on being seen. You have to be all about it. In my case, I’ve been lucky to see that message received by audiences and celebrated. I’ve worked tirelessly in creating work that speaks to certain artistic missions of mine. Even if it takes time, blood, sweat, and tears. When I wrote, directed and produced THE SLIGHTEST TOUCH, I felt it vital to contextualize myself further as an artist and person. I saw my experience with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a vulnerability but decided to create a way for me to exorcize personal demons that I felt were holding me back. I like investigating the darker aspects of humanity and seeking to understand the why of it. Recently I was fortunate to work with one of my heroes, Larry Fessenden on his visceral werewolf drama BLACKOUT. He offered me the opportunity to be part of an ensemble that would tell the story of the duality of man. In this horror/genre world there are moments where you get to be involved with these monstrous tales but rarely with as much heart and depth as with Larry. It is moments like these where I feel I’m on the right path, when you attract the work that speaks to you in the greater scheme of your artistic journey. I’m in it for the nitty gritty and enjoy finding ways to uplift other storytellers where I can whether it is front of or behind the camera.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Since this is Houston-based I have to share some of my favorite spots there first. First things first, we would head straight over to Goode Company Seafood and be ordering ourselves some Campechana de Mariscos stat! (I cannot even begin to tell you how much I miss this.) Then for another meal it would have to be Niko Niko’s. Best greek food experience in my book. I definitely think about food first when I think about a place because I love sharing nourishment with others and those places have been standouts for me. I lived in NYC for over a decade and definitely believe in the romance of finding adventures by just walking. Pick a neighborhood and you cannot miss. I’m quite partial to the East Village, especially starting and ending a day at Veselka. I love going to The Strand, adding another book to my collection, even though there are plenty waiting to be read at home. Wandering into Union Square and people watching. There’s a certain pulse to being in a place like New York City; best not to over plan. I recently moved to Los Angeles, and while I’m still finding my favorite places, there are a few I love. I love having meetups or grabbing a tea at Obet & Del’s. Wandering around Los Feliz and Silverlake is giving me Brooklyn vibes with its thrift stores and vinyl shops. I have also taken to more regular hiking in the many options available here.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Without one moment’s hesitation, I first have to say: my hermanas at LATINAS ACTING UP. If there was ever a point of divine intervention in my life it would be the alignment that brought forth this group and the members therein. LATINAS ACTING UP is a platform and powerful movement of Latinas in the entertainment industry joining forces to share the impact of their collective voices. Co-founders Diana Maria Riva and Lisa Vidal created L.A.U. to provide support, mentorship, resources, and community for Latinas in all stages of their entertainment industry careers. For months during the actor strike they became a lifeline for me but also an immense experience of love from and for a community that needed it most. Too often in my career have I felt tested for the very things this group reframed me into celebrating. Being held and seen among this sisterhood has been the greatest gift I’ve ever been part of. Which brings me to my family: my mother and father have supported my dreams in the most fierce way. As Ecuadorian immigrants, they’ve been trailblazers and have created high standards for me in the process. Though at times the pressure to make their sacrifices worth it has been heavy, it has made me all the stronger; pressure creates diamonds, after all. Also, of course, the love of my husband, Clay, who has seen me for who I am and can be since Day 1. This support system has made me firm on what my goals are and less and less concerned with superficiality but rather focused more with substance. With my partner, my community and family supporting me I feel more fearless in my pursuit. That is real love in action and deserves all the shoutouts and credit.

Website: https://www.astaparedes.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astaparedes/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AstaParedes/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3FfJyYi2AUP4Mfw3CYML7g?view_as=subscriber

Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5168039/

Image Credits
Leah Huebner Albert L. Ortega Jerry Jerome B Side Photography Tani Mejia/L.A.U. Larry Fessenden/Glasseyepix