Exclusive Interview: Maria Caballero Talks ‘The First Omen,’ the Research She Did to Prepare, and More

Maria Caballero makes her international debut with a stunning performance in The First Omen, where she stars alongside Bill Nighy and Nell Tiger Free.

In this gripping tale, young American woman Margaret (played by Free) embarks on a journey to Rome, intending to devote her life to serving the church. However, she soon confronts a darkness that challenges her faith and unearths a chilling conspiracy aimed at unleashing ultimate evil. As Luz, Margaret’s roommate and confidante who finds solace in her religious beliefs, Maria delivers a standout performance in this prequel to the blockbuster hit, The Omen.

Pop Culturalist had the privilege to catch up with Maria, discussing her experience filming The First Omen, her character preparation process involving immersive documentary watching, and much more.

PC: Tell us about The First Omen, your character, and what drew you to this project.
Maria: The First Omen is a film directed by Arkasha Stevenson. It’s a prequel to The Omen. It tells the story of Margaret, an American novitiate, who goes to Rome in order to take her vows to become a nun. She’s been given this huge responsibility without being asked.

My character is Luz. She’s Margaret’s Spanish roommate. She’s a fighter and survivor who has found herself in the church. She really encourages Margaret to live a bit more, and they become close. They have adventures together.

The script was amazing from the first time I read it during the audition process. I was really looking forward to being a part of it because it’s such a big franchise. Being in this prequel is so special to me, and to work with such an amazing cast and crew, I’m so blessed.

PC: Luz is a survivor who has found solace in the church. As an actress, how did you create the space for yourself to dive into that emotional arc that your character undergoes in the film?
Maria: It’s about technique. That’s very important. I also watched a lot of documentaries to open my mind to these spaces so I could understand how to put myself in their shoes.

With Luz, I was watching a lot of documentaries about people who find themselves in these religious spaces. They’ve often gone through difficult situations and found themselves through religion. I wanted to listen to those experiences. That helped a lot. There are a lot of people who found themselves through religion, and that’s a beautiful thing, if it’s not twisted and manipulated.

PC: Nell has said in previous interviews that she was inspired working with you and how you have such a natural instinct. How much of those instincts were developed through your theater background were so many unexpected things can happen? What was it like working with her?
Maria: Theater grounds you a lot as an actor. It gives you a tool bag that you can carry with you every day. I feel like it’s very important to train in theater. Or at least have a bit of experience in it before you move into cinema.

It’s funny that Nell said that because I felt the same way about her. She’s such a natural force in every way. Sometimes when we were on set, because we connected in such a deep way both professionally and in real life, it felt effortless.

PC: Arkasha Stevenson co-wrote and directed this project. How different is that filming experience when the person who helped write and pen this script is also at the helm directing? What was it like getting to work with her?
Maria: Wow. It’s very, very different. Arkasha is amazing. She’s truly an amazing director. It’s both things at the same time. It’s interesting to work with a director who also helped write the project because she has every detail and every sentence in her head. So you can discuss anything with her because she probably already had that question in her head. Also, the commitment and responsibility that she feels towards her project is immense and contagious. It made us all feel like we were doing something bigger than us, which is what movies should make us all feel. It made everyone want to do their best, and we created this amazing thing together.

PC: You shared on social media how special this project has been for you and how you’ve been able to grow so much. What will you remember most from this experience? What’s the biggest lesson you learned about your own craft?
Maria: For me, it means that you can do anything you want if you pursue it with commitment, responsibility, and real effort. You can achieve anything you want. Because for me, being in an American movie of this size has been a dream come true. It’s really hard to explain because it’s very intimate and personal, but it means a lot.

I learned a lot watching how these big movie stars are working hard to stay at the top of their game and how they embody these characters as truthfully as they can. That’s really important for me because good actors never feel like they’ve done it. They keep working. Sonia [Braga], Bill Nighy, and everyone did that. I saw them working hard and questioning things. That was really inspiring to see.

To keep up with Maria, follow her on Instagram. The First Omen is in theaters now.