Being a part of the Vida family has been a career highlight for actress Chelsea Rendon—both personally and professionally. She’s grown as an artist and woman playing “woke” activist Mari and seen firsthand what the future of the industry could look like with more diverse storytellers at the helm. With Vida in its third and final season, Chelsea spoke with Pop Culturalist about her time with the series.
PC: How did you discover your passion for the arts?
Chelsea: I feel like I was born with it. I was always that crazy kid performing, singing, or jumping around. It’s in my blood because I started acting when I was six years old.
PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Chelsea: Watching Tanya [Saracho, Vida creator] be a boss bitch has been inspiring. She doesn’t like that term. [laughs] Then David Ayer helped a lot because he connected me with my acting coach, Ivana Chubbuck. That was a couple of months before I booked Vida. I feel like he jump-started me to be in the position to book Vida. Then when I was younger, working with Chris Weitz was a big deal. Learning from him was amazing.
PC: You’ve had a lot of success already in your young career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out?
Chelsea: I don’t know. I’ve always seen my job as playtime. When I go to set, it’s not work for me. It’s fun. Maybe when we did press for Vida. We traveled and got picked up in a car with our names on it. When we got to the hotel, there was a little gift basket with our names. I was like, “Oh wow. I’m at a different level now.”
PC: What’s one thing that you know now that you wish you knew when you started your career?
Chelsea: To fight for your worth. Growing up, especially with my mom, my reps always wanted to push for more money for projects. My mom was like, “No, just take what they give you.” Specifically in the last few years, I realized that I could ask for more and not because I’m trying to be a diva, but I have the résumé now where I deserve more. But I never wanted to be a diva. I never wanted to be difficult or miss out on an opportunity. That’s one thing that I wish I knew.
PC: Love that. Season 3 of Vida is airing now. What can fans expect with the new season?
Chelsea: A lot of drama! This season there’s an important storyline with my character that I love. But there’s also a lot of secrets and drama.
PC: There’s a lot of different layers to Mari. When you look at her journey from Season 1 to Season 3, has anything surprised you? What has she taught you?
Chelsea: She taught me to find the gray area. In Season 1, Mari was very much “you’re either with me against gentrification, or you’re a gentrifier.” There’s nothing else. In Season 2, she realized when she was living with her sister that there is a gray area. I am very vocal in my opinions. Mari has taught me not to forget to take a step back and see the big picture—not to say that I have tunnel vision or only see what I want. [laughs]
PC: This is a breakout TV role for you. What’s been the biggest takeaway being a part of this project?
Chelsea: Just how things can be done. The fact that we have an all brown writers’ room and the fact that the last two seasons were all female Latina directors. The fact that’s possible gives me so much hope for the future. I hope it also gives hope to the up-and-coming writers, directors, and actors.
PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Chelsea: I’ve been down with Jersey Shore from the jump.
PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Chelsea: I love Friends with Benefits with Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. A lot of people hate on it. I don’t know why, but I love that film. It’s amazing. Justin does a really good job. But that has been one of the films where people are like, “Really? You like that movie?” And I’m like, “Yes!”
PC: Favorite book?
Chelsea: I was obsessed with the Twilight series. I mean obsessed. I met Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner because they went to a premiere of A Better Life, a film that I did with Chris Weitz. He invited them, and they came. I remember talking to Kristen, and she said she read the books eight times. I read them nine just so I could one-up her! [laughs]
PC: Favorite play or musical?
Chelsea: I’ve never really seen plays. I just started going to theater recently in the last two or three years. But musicals—I love In the Heights and Hairspray and animations like Mulan and Little Mermaid.
PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Chelsea: Dan + Shay, Keith Urban, I’m a big country girl.
PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Chelsea: My niece, Destiny! She wants to be an actress. I think that would be amazing.
To keep up with Chelsea, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Catch new episodes of Vida every Sunday at 9/8c on Starz.
Photo Credit: Vince Trupsin
Peacock’s new original comedy Laid is anything but your typical rom-com. When Ruby (Stephanie Hsu)…
Romantic comedies have long grappled with the question, “Why can’t I find love?” But in…
What if the search for love revealed an unsettling truth—that the problem might actually be…
Every so often, a film comes along that transcends art, offering not just a story…
Pop Culturalist is excited to be partnering with Paramount Pictures to give away tickets to…
Pop Culturalist is excited to be partnering with MGM to give away tickets to a…