Gabriela Milla is an upcoming star. Based in LA, a born entertainer, Gabriela is more than an actor. Having an inclination towards writing and making podcasts, she is a multi faceted individual who likes to grow from her heartbreak. Starring in the new show Acapulco, her character is much like her — feisty, confident, and rooted with wings. Her ability to channel each and every character she plays makes her a sensation on the screen. In addition to acting and podcasting, Gabriela also works with The Miracle Project teaching theatre to autistic children, which she says changed her life! Her humble nature paired with her bubbly personality is what makes this interview a must read. Let Jejune Magazine take you through Gabriela’s story.

Where are you based?
I am based out of LA! I’ve been here for years, except for a year and a half “sabbatical” — as I like to call it, when I moved to Miami during the pandemic. My family is primarily based out of Miami, with the world so upside down I wanted to be close to what really matters to me. But now I am back in LA :)

What inspired you to get into acting?
I think it was just always in me — more than acting, what I love is ENTERTAINING. Nothing makes me happier than telling a story to my friends about how crappy my day was, and actually making them laugh at what went “wrong”. I just love that kind of connection to others. It’s really fulfilling. So whether it be by telling someone a funny story, shooting a sketch, making a podcast or being on a TV show, what really inspires me is helping someone forget about their stress for a little bit and have a laugh.

In 2019 you took a break from acting to focus on writing, creating, and a podcast! What made you decide to make this change? Can you tell us a bit about your podcast? Are you still working on it?
I think I had burnout. I was kind of on autopilot burning the candle at both ends, auditioning for so many things, getting close and then getting my heart broken over and over. The year before I took a break from acting I wasn’t doing things that were fun for ME. I really feel like I needed to re-calibrate, to enjoy life without acting, without leaning my identity and worth on it. I asked myself — ok what is important to me? And I realized I was over prioritizing the the hustle and putting myself and well being last.

I just didn’t have the healthiest relationship with Acting at the time, I put so much pressure on myself and I wasn’t even enjoying it anymore. So I took a step back and the pandemic hit. Then the whole world was on hold - and I am not going to lie - that was so liberating. It made me realize I have control over nothing except my choices, and I prioritized choosing to be happy. That led me to a great creative spurt, I wrote sketches, poetry, and YES created a podcast. Creating the podcast was so healing and cathartic. I was going through a break up right in the middle of the pandemic, so I guess you can call it a pandemic breakup. Honest my biggest creative spurts have been during heartbreak.

This time around I kept having these beautiful conversations with girlfriends about joy and pain and relationships and how I could grow from everything — especially from a hard breakup… I kept thinking: OMG I am so lucky to have all these wise women around me helping me make sense of things. Make sense of my pain, and be grateful for it. I know not everyone is lucky enough to have that. If I could just record these conversations and put them out there then maybe it could help someone going through a breakup that doesn’t necessarily have this advice available to them have a fresh perspective on it. I’m just such a firm believer that there is so much beauty and growth in pain. If we allow ourselves to feel ALL of our feelings it and look at them straight in the eye we can really transform.

I had been wrestling with the idea when one night as I was chatting with a girlfriend of mine who was going through a break up at the same time we decided let’s just shoot a podcast where we talk about what we’ve learned from this. We called it “Thank you Exx” — and not in an ironic way. We both were learning so much about ourselves ( the good the bad and the ugly) from our relationships, and it just made sense to say thank you. It was also really important to me that the podcast be bilingual. My cohost and I speak both english and Spanish and we jump back and forth between the two without even thinking twice. Just like Acapulco, I love that seamless easy flow between the two languages. At the end of the day everything - even heartbreak - is universal. :) As for what’s to come, I’m definitely creating and brainstorming more ideas. I am passionate about creating bilingual content. And I would love to shoot more episodes of “Thank you Exx” .

After your break, you’re back into show business with Acapulco! How does it feel to be back?
Amazing! It feels aligned. I am such a fan of the show. It is so funny, smart and heartfelt. It makes me so proud. It’s the kind of story I’ve always wanted to be a part of. It portrays Latinos the way we are; funny, warm, colorful people. I honestly don’t think I would’ve come back to acting unless it were something this special. I kept getting these auditions where I would be playing a Narcos girlfriend or a hooker at the border. There’s nothing wrong with those characters, they’re just played out. As for me, I’m so passionate about comedy, so I really wanted to portray someone that was more similar to the Latina girls and women I grew up around and had not seen reflected on screen.

Can you tell us about your character, Isabel, and how you interpret her with your own personal background?
Isabel is such a force of nature. She’s just so confident fun and accepting of who she is. She shows up at Las Colinas and is like: “Whats up! I am here to have fun and be myself.” She doesn’t take herself so seriously and she DOESN’T play games. That’s rare in “Las Colinas”, because everyone is playing games. Life according to Isabel is simple. She leads with her heart, she’s an adventurer. She is independent while being incredibly close to her family.I connect to all of those things, when I read her on the page I just “got” her. And who wouldn’t want to play someone like that? I am incredibly close to my family, just like her. But I also “flew away from the nest”, like she did, and I am independent like her. She has wings AND she has roots. I love that because if we don’t have roots how are we supposed to really fly? And most of all what I love about Isabel is that she knows in her bones that happiness is a choice, and I am firm believer of that. I choose to be happy every day, even when I am sad, I am open to feeling all of the feelings and appreciating them for what they are, and that to me is happiness.

What part of acting do you think is the most challenging? What advice would you give to young people trying to break through the industry?
Most challenging? Hearing “no” over and over and not taking it personally. It can be hard, because acting feels so personal. And even more than feeling rejected I often felt misunderstood.” Which honestly felt worse. I would go down the rabbit hole of “ why don’t I fit in?” “Why don’t they get me?” That part was a journey of self love for me. But I think it’s also the coolest part of all of this. Because again if you grow from it, you can learn to extract your confidence from your own self. Not from a producer going with another option. At the end of the day a rejection has NOTHING to do with you, I promise. You are perfect. That’s it, end of story.

In addition to acting you are very active with your community. How long have you been working with The Miracle Project? What drew you to the organization?
The Miracle Project really changed my life. It’s a theatre, improv, music program that uses expressive arts to build self esteem, communication and social skills for people on the autism spectrum. It’s all inclusive so anyone can join. Our students are such an example of joy and love. A friend of mine knew I was looking for an organization to volunteer for and recommended I come check it out. I fell in love immediately. The arts changed my life so to see it impact and help these kids was so beautiful. But what was even more beautiful is how these incredible human beings changed my life. I began to see the world through their eyes, and what a world! They live with such wonder, they wear no masks, they are so genuine and funny and loving. I could be going through the worst of days, and would show up to class and it would flip my whole day around. I honestly feel like people on the spectrum actually have it right and we are the ones who are misunderstanding how to live.

Why do you think theater is so important for kids with Autism?
I think it’s just such a beautiful bridge of connection. Acting and improv can be a great way to loosen up. After all we are teaching these kids to “socialize” in a neuro typical world. And it just isn’t natural to them because they are so open and raw. At the same time they just like anyone — are yearning to be understood. So what better way to help them communicate and socialize than by playing? When we play we open up, when we all open up we are on the same playing field. The arts bridge differences, and us teachers get to meet them in a world where we both are visiting, where all of us are acting and “playing a part.” The world of make believe. We get to join their world making them join ours. How cool is that?

It has been a rough few years, how have you been staying positive during these times?
It has been a rough few years for many. I have so much compassion for that. I also know that in rough times people come together and I think that in an of itself is incredibly positive. I have to say I am so unbelievably grateful for these past couple of years. It’s the biggest growth spurt I’ve ever had, it helped me connect deeply with my loved ones, and more importantly it helped me connect with myself. My experience with the pandemic goes hand-in-hand with my belief that even in (or especially in) moments of pain and chaos we can find so much good, and so much light.

What is your motto in life?
This is the motto I always try to follow: Get out of your head and into your heart. When i live from my heart and everything I do stems from there, life is beautiful no matter what. I feel aligned and full. When I am in my head I go down too many rabbit holes. So yeah, my heart is where it’s at ;) And hand in hand with that I would say the motto I love living by the most is — to love myself, unconditionally, unapologetically and fully. I work at it everyday, because I know that’s the key to my happiness.

To know more about Gabriela Milla, please follow the links below:
Instagram: gabriela_milla
Podcast insta page: thankyou_exx
Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCoM7dWFYNV7LizlhNpPPzmA

Photography by Jonny Marlow.

Gabriela Milla - Even Heartbreak Is Universal