ON MY BLOCK'S SIERRA CAPRI [IN PRINT]

INTERVIEW BY IRVIN RIVERA

PHOTOGRAPHER: SHANNA FISHER

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The recent turn of global events in the past couple of years, plus the global pandemic, has made Hollywood more real - for the most part. There’s an obvious emergence of the need for representation in all fronts of mass media. People of color and minorities are booking major roles, albeit slowly. The tide is definitely steering to sharing more authentic stories from different perspectives. Minority stories are getting some light, LGBTQIA+ stories are being told more often. Finally, Hollywood is sort of moving towards the right direction in terms of representation and visibility not just for marketing and optic’s sake, but for much needed, necessary, real reasons on why we should be sharing more diverse stories.

The audience are extra sensitive nowadays. The audience is smart and they could easily perceive and call out authentic from not. There is power in authenticity and it’s really exciting if you see someone on screen that operates on that ground.

Sierra Capri, the star of this Collectors Print Issue is as real as you can get. She's the embodiment of a strong, young, unapologetic Afro-latina woman on TV. As one of Hollywood’s star on the rise, Sierra advocates visibility and representation. On My Block, the successful coming-of-age Netflix show where she stars together with a diverse cast of actors, has proven Sierra’s growth and range as an actor.

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She’s all about telling stories that are rooted from the truth. It’s important to have people in the industry who understands the value of truthful storytelling and representation. And when you have a huge global fanbase looking up to you, getting inspired and listening to your platform, you have a voice. This voice will eventually inspire and spark movements - be it a tiny spark of inspiration, or a burning passion to help change the dated narratives of the past.

In this issue, we sat down with Sierra on her role as Monse in On My Block, her memorable experiences on her journey as an actor so far, her affinity to storytelling, and telling stories that comes from truth, what keeps her creative and busy, and the importance of visibility and representation.

It was exciting when I learned that I would be working with Sierra again. I photographed her years ago while she was doing press for the first season of On My Block. Her evolution since then is evident. She is now a grown, more confident woman who seems to be more in touch with herself.

Sierra Capri played Monse Finnie, the Afro-Latina character on Netflix’s On My Block for all four seasons of the show's run. She brilliantly played and embodied the character that resonated well with the fans. Like Sierra, Monse is relatable and unapologetic. She’s a no-holds bar kind of young Afro-Latina woman and a lot of people around the world could definitely relate to that. Sierra approached the role with an undeniable charisma perfectly paired with an I don’t give a fuck attitude. She’s a tomboy with a lot of heart. She is someone who is strong, yet not scared to be vulnerable. She's someone who is not afraid to say what she feels and isn't afraid to cry. She can be angry, she can be messy and just be. That’s Monse, and that’s also a lot of people.

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To be able to embody a highly relatable character is challenging. Not everyone would be able to connect with you on a deeper level if you weren't coming from an authentic place of truth. Authenticity, and truth are both the running themes of this issue.

Sierra loves to tell stories and believes in its power to transform, to inform and to inspire. The rising star believes in the power of visibility and representation and the importance of seeing yourself on screen. Sierra is all about living your truths, creating, and inspiring people through her art.

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Congratulations with "On My Block."

Thank you.

It’s so amazing that you're a part of that project. You all did great with this beautiful legacy that you're leaving to the audience, to the new generation. So what was that journey like?

It was a whirlwind but it was such a great time and I'm so glad that I had that experience. I’m thankful to the producers and the creators because they chose me and chose all of us to make this show. And something that I feel was very essential in today's society is something that a lot of people could see themselves being represented in a lot. I feel like we didn't have a lot of representation at the time when our show came out, especially on Netflix. I feel like we were one of the first Netflix originals that had just a purely minority cast as their main leads, if I'm not mistaken. So, that was amazing. And the fact that we were able to be a part of that ship in Hollywood and still be so close to each other and get to see everyone's growth and evolution, and I mean, we really are a family like the way that people see us on screen. I think that's why the chemistry is so great, is because we truly feel that way about each other. Like they're my brothers and sisters. So I could not have imagined doing the show with anyone else. But yes, it's just so crazy to see where we started versus now. I don't think I can go back and watch season one. I tried and I was like, oh my god, from season one to season four. It's crazy, we're so different. And we've grown so much.

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I was just going to say you’ve all grown up, not just physically but as people and it shows in the way you portrayed the characters that you're all playing. And it's incredible to just watch you all grow and see how your dynamics evolved as characters as well. It's incredible.

Yes, for sure.

Really, good job!

Oh, thank you. Thank you so much. I appreciate that.

Do you still remember that moment that led you to Monse? That first moment, when you're like, oh my god, I'm going to be Monse!

Yes, I do. Oh, Lord. Yes. I was literally about to start my last year of college. I was studying biology at the time. And I thought that the career path was to be a pathologist. But I have always loved the arts. Both of my parents were in the arts, so I don't think they were too shocked when they knew that acting is something I wanted to get into. But of course, they were like, well just get your degree first and then you can pursue it later. So when this audition came up, I was literally in my dorm room and then I saw the audition, and I submitted my headshot. And then I think like two weeks later, I got an invitation to actually send in a self-tape. So I drove for hours to a lady who I knew could help you with that. So I did the tape over at her house. And yes, it just happened from there. And then I flew to LA for a cam read and that's where I met everyone. And it wasn't just us, it was a couple other people there for each of our parts. So there was another girl there for Monse. And I had no idea what was going to happen. I was like, yes, the other girl that came in for Monse is the complete opposite of me. So I don't think I got this. But this was a great experience.

And you got it. You're Monse.

Yes!

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When you read the character description, the script and all that, what initially drew you to Monse's character?

Probably the fact that, literally, I remember so clearly, the first line of her description was tomboy. And I'm like, Oh, I can do that. I can do that easily. But they said that they wanted her to be like 14. And I'm like, well, I'm told that I look really young so maybe we'll see what happens. But I thought that might have been an issue, but definitely finding out that it was going to be her and her three male best friends. I felt I could really relate to that because I have three older brothers. So I was like, I can kind of use my relationship with them to figure out the dynamic and how to handle that type of situation.

And you did it.

I tried.

What's your proudest moment in your career so far?

Oh, my goodness. Proudest moment. I feel like my performance in season four was probably my proudest moment. Just because I felt like I was really able to show my growth and my evolution and get to do more so what I wanted to do with the character, and I felt like, it was just such a time that we were all trying to take in those last few moments that we were together and knew that these were the last moments we'd be able to share a screen together. So I was fully present every single day. And I was always like, taking pictures and we would be talking and just reminiscing on things. So yes, I'll definitely say that.

Aside from acting, what else keeps you busy?

Oh, my gosh. So many. I write a lot, I love to write. Again, I've been developing my own projects and always trying to write as much as possible in classes, if I'm not doing a project. I also love to dance. So I take dance classes, I just do anything and everything that I can to make sure that I'm on top of my craft, and I'm always ready for whatever comes next. So I feel like, regardless, if you are actually on a project or not, you should always be doing something to help work towards your main goal and help you just become better in general.

ALL 4 SEASONS OF ON MY BLOCK IS NOW STREAMING ON NETFLIX