Valeria Gonzalez knows quite well that love is not always what it’s cracked up to be; that’s not necessarily due to her own personal experience but rather the many varied roles this actress has brought to life in her film career. While the RomCom may be somewhat more ubiquitous in the industry, Gonzalez revels in the stories which offer a more diverse and complex relating of this overpowering emotion that makes the world go round.
The benefits of her work are dually appreciated as the actress has received glowing praise and reviews for her performances. There’s always a hint of darkness in the films she chooses, which helps the luminous quality of this Mexican born talent stand out even more prominently.
With a title like The History of Monsters, you certainly expect one type of story; which you both get and don’t get. Chilean writer/director Juan Pablo Arias Munoz delivers a film set in a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by monsters but the core of the film is about knowing one’s self. This is delivered through Evelyn, played by Valeria Gonzalez. Living a solitary existence in a cabin, she encounters an injured man (played by Oscar Pena) in the woods who needs help.
A tightrope of motives worthy of Hitchcock is presented as the two get to know each other. Ultimately, one character embraces their true self to the disastrous results of the other. Valeria’s remarkable performance is the pendulum by which the story sets the course. Director Munoz professes, “She has an incredible technical ability, as well as great control over her character’s emotional continuity.
Her ability to reveal the truth in front of the camera makes her in my opinion one of the most talented and promising actresses with whom I have had the opportunity to work.”
Award-winning director Javier Colon Rios (Big Island Film Festival Golden Honu awarded De Pura Cepa, Washington DC Independent Film Festival Audience Awarded Es Mejor Escushario) selected Gonzalez to appear as Natalie in the upcoming 2020 romance film Inside the Circle. Natalie is best friends with Rocio who finds herself at that moment in a relationship when one must decide if it evolves or ends.
Though the progression of the story, Natalie becomes perhaps the ideal proxy for the audience in that she comes to the realization that what she feels is best may not be the best thing for her friend. In allowing others to choose a life course that she disagrees with, Natalie embodies acceptance through love.
She needs to have everything under control, to have things done in order. To have the marriage, the husband, the kids. I have always valued family so much, so I understand why she would fight for that, but it was really interesting to step in her shoes and explore why she would need to control all of her – and her best friend’s – decisions in a way that left no room for other options to take place.”
Do soulmates exist or is the idea of romantic lore? This is the idea investigated through the film Afterlife Vacation. Claudia (Gonzalez) and Daniel (Jano San Vicente) find themselves in a travel agency office as their existence on Earth has come to an end.
Afterlife Vacation offers a humorous and sometimes sobering take on what we call connection in our human experience. Director Alberto Belli is known for festival screenings at prestigious festivals like SXSW (where he won the Grand Jury Award), winning the Cannes Lions Young Director Award, and being recognized twice by Emmy’s foundation.
Afterlife Vacation is garnering attention based on his previous films and this exceptional cast. Gonzalez is immensely charismatic on camera as Belli confirms noting, “Not only is Valeria very talented, she has as a fresh look that the film and tv market is looking for. I have no doubt she will have a long-lasting career.”
For this year’s premiere of The History of Monsters, Valeria Gonzalez found herself in the footsteps of cinema history, attending her film’s showing at the TLC Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard’s Historic Walk of Fame. This Mexican born actress who is already receiving such immense praise in Hollywood is appreciating the past while looking forward.
She comments about her goals, “It was an incredible experience to attend the premiere of our film at such an iconic venue as the Chinese Theater. I’m just as excited about the future. It’s such an amazing time for actresses. I find that the most interesting characters right now on TV and films are precisely the ones stepping away from the typical alpha male and buxom beauty.
I think more and more we crave for main characters to be quirky and flawed, for women to be stronger and men to be more vulnerable because we are all human. Complex characters that have traits we haven’t seen before is the most exciting thing to see. Complexity is just more interesting and I think many audiences are appreciating that.”