Selenis Leyva on Breaking the Mold of What it Means to Be a Latina in Hollywood

Regardless of where they may come from or what their background may be, women have the power to be anything they choose. Standing in your truth carries a subtle power that very few things in life can give you.

For actress and author, Selenis Leyva, that fiercely, unwavering power that she brings to each of her projects has turned into her greatest asset—something that has contributed to her successful career in the sometimes arduous journey through Hollywood.

Because of her conviction in herself and her culture, the Afro-Latina has become part of the change we see in Latino representation, always focusing on characters that add nuance to what is seen as the typical stereotype of her cultura in mainstream media.

In an interview for her latest project Creed III, currently out in theaters, the Chica Boss notes, "Well, I know that I'm already a big part of the movement. My career itself has been an indication of if you stick with it long enough, they'll listen [and] they'll pay attention. When I started this, at this point, almost 25 years ago, I didn't see myself [on] the small screen or the big screen or in anything. I have seen the difference."

Leyva hopes to continue pushing the wave of representation forward, opening doors for those who are to come after her. "That's the goal, right? To kind of continue to work, but to open the doors for others that are coming behind you, that the goal is for this kind of conversation to not be had, but for it to be the norm. You know, we celebrate whenever Latinos are in films because we know how rare it is. But I'm hoping that one day it's not rare," she asserts.

In an exclusive interview for People Chica, Leyva shares what drew her to her role as Laura Chavez in Creed III as well as how she plans to continue placing her community's stories in the forefront.

Fans of yours have always known you to portray beautifully strong and nuanced characters. In Creed III, folks get to see you as one of the coaches behind a prominent boxer within the film. This is a space people don't really often get to see women in. What drew you to this role?

First of all, being asked to be part of such an amazing franchise was also just sort of a big plus, right? How can you say no to this? Being also in the first film directed by Michael B. Jordan was also a great thing. Then when I read the script, I found the script to be really, really strong. I read it in one sitting, and I loved Laura [Chavez].

I loved this strong woman that they were inviting me to portray. You know, most of the time when we think about boxing, when we think about the boxing world, although we do have a lot of boxing women that are representing [women] in [that] world, we rarely get to see them highlighted. So for me, it was a wonderful opportunity to not just represent Latinas in this film, but also to represent the women in boxing and the world.

This woman is not just a mother, but she's also a big, big part of why her son is in the boxing world and succeeding. So all of that stuff for me was like the perfect storm to say yes to this film.

On-screen, the strength Laura pulls from her source of motherhood really popped. There was a feeling of, "I'm going to support him, but also I will protect him if someone comes at him."

Yeah, it was wonderful. When you do a film, you know, not everything can make it—things have to be cut ultimately. But I'm glad that they really kept the heart of this character in the film, that they really did justice with that part.

So although [there were] things that happened when we were shooting where I'm like, "Oh, that would have been great if it would have been in it," I still feel that the strength of this character was shown and that was really exciting for me.

Latinos are seeing more and more talented actors who look like them in more powerful and distinctive roles. How do you hope to continue this upward trend within Hollywood with your career?

Well, I know that I'm already a big part of the movement. My career itself has been an indication of if you stick with it long enough, they'll listen [and] they'll pay attention. When I started this, at this point, almost 25 years ago, I didn't see myself [on] the small screen or the big screen or in anything. I have seen the difference.

And what excites me also is that now as an Afro-Latina, as a woman who is a grown woman, a woman that is not a 20-something-year-old, that she's able to continue to be cast in things and still have a voice is great because as we know this industry can be harsh on anyone that doesn't fit the mold that has been established by I don't know who, but there's a specific idea.

And for me, just to be able to break that and no matter what happens in life, I know that I'm always going to be hopefully [on] the list of people that made a difference. That's the goal, right? To kind of continue to work, but to open the doors for others that are coming behind you, that the goal is for this kind of conversation to not be had, but for it to be the norm. You know, we celebrate whenever Latinos are in films because we know how rare it is. But I'm hoping that one day it's not rare.

I'm hoping that one day we continue to see more of our stories in the forefront, not just in the "B" storyline, but in the forefront. That would be exciting. I think that's what's left. We still need to see ourselves as [the] stars of the films and television shows [people watch]. Listen, I'm on Lopez versus Lopez—we're seeing it happen. And I want to see it more.

I don't want it to just be one show, one movie. You know, it should be the representation that we deserve. We make up a lot of this world. We consume a lot and we should see ourselves on the screen and we should see our stories being told.