Leonor Varela

[amber69]

[amber69]

[amber69]

[amber69]

[amber69]

Covers

[kentayros]

The true Cleopatra.

[capt_bob]

Leonor did a fabulous job in Innocent Voices (Voces Inocentes), a heart-rending story of the Salvadoran civil war (it was in theatres here in NY last fall - should come out on DVD soon) - and proved herself to be a fine comedic actress in Americano, opposite Joshua Jackson (shown this Spring in NY). And she was a great Cleopatra! And don't forget she was the Vampire Princess in Blade II!

Check her out at these websites:

http://www.leonor-varela.org/

http://www.lenorvarela.com/

and here, at IMDB:

http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0007237/

here at the official Americano site:

http://www.americanothemovie.com/

and here at the official Voces Inocentes site:

http://www.vocesinocentes.com/

She's a fine latina actress (of Chilean origin) who deserves to be star - just like Salma or J Lo!

Here are a few of my own scans:

NY newspaper ads from last Fall for Innocent Voices - a cover and article from Nov 1999 LATINA - an article from August 2001 PEOPLE (Spanish edition) - cover of August 2001 French MARIE-CLAIRE, and cover of March 2002 Spanish language COSMO:

Edited June 7, 2006 by capt_bob

[freefall]

she is soooooo beautiful, the perfect cleopatra

[Rhett]

she's definitely one of my two favorite Leonors. right up there with Leonor Watling

[SympathysSilhouette]

What has she done since Blade II?

[Rhett]

# Seed of Contention (2006) (in production) .... Mila

#

[SympathysSilhouette]

It's a bit odd she hasn't done any big Hollywood productions since then. I was sure her career was going to take off after Blade II.

[rouge red]

I love this woman... She was so great in Cleopatra

[Rhett]

actually, hollywood sucks for foreigners, esp foreign speakers. most of them get a taste of it and run back home to work on real movies

[SympathysSilhouette]

Some actually alternate between Hollywood and Europe (Monica B., Franka Potente, Diane Kruger).

[Rhett]

yes, plenty have managed it. but much more have said 'screw it'. when you're used to working in int'l cinema, hollywood sucks. it's just a machine for making money, and foreigners are used to the idea of being artists.

[SympathysSilhouette]

On the other hand, there's a lot of silly fluff being made at both sides of the pond now.

Ast

[capt_bob]

I'm not sure why she hasn't done better. But the fact is, with a handful of exceptions, Hollywood hasn't been kind to Latino(a)s. It seems the suits have yet to get the message that, at around 55 million, Latinos are now the second largest ethnic/racial group in the USA, after Whites and, now, before Blacks. Yet there are few films directed at a Latino audiance (unlike, say, the numerous idiotic Black exploitation fims that are constantly made). I don't think Leonor has exiled herself to South American & European films by choice. I think she'd love nothing better than to be a big star in Holllywood. And this girl definately deserves it. BLADE II was fine, but it had no pretensions to greatness or profundity - it was just action & FX! But she proved herself in INNOCENT VOICES (a dramatic actress) & in AMERICANO (a sexy comedic actress). Maybe she just needs a better agent!

[Rhett]

you're half right and half missing the point.

it's not so much that they don't want to make bigger movies for more money, it's that the work demands a different skillset and this is both tough and frustrating for an actor.

in an indie film, you get to rehearse. you spend time with the director, maybe the writer (may be the same person). in h'wood films, you are told by the 2nd AD to go to a spot, they start rolling and you say your lines. only after a couple of bad choices will the director step in and tell you what he wants.

it's not theater, and it's not most actors' idea of acting. and when you're used to making a movie in Italy or Ireland, you get used to acting.

[Rogue]