BIO

Responsible…Perfectionist...Charismatic... Thus is Carla Ohana Sánchez. Carla Sánchez was born January 14th, 1978 in Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela. She is the oldest of two sisters. Her grandmother says that Carla was an artist since she was a little child. “There was no place where we went that Carla did not make some spectacle, reciting, dancing, or acting some poem I taught her.” Her parents say she always had that inclination towards the arts. In school she was always acting in plays or other performances.

Carla Sánchez moved to Miami, USA in 1995 and it was there in the United States of North America that her career began as a professional actress. After a couple of years of intensive preparation, Carla Sánchez conquered the world of commercials and music videos in Hispanic TV in the United States, working in advertisement campaigns such as Federal Express, Goodyear, Royal Caribbean, Wendy's, General Motors, American Airlines, Publix, SprintPCS, Winn-Dixie, Univisión.com, among others. She went from hostess and reporter to being the producer and writer of various segments for TV shows. Soon after, Carla Sánchez was already starring in independent films in Florida without knowing the preparation that these experiences would bring for her future ahead in her career.

"I knew that my life was acting. That’s why I have focused and constantly prepared to obtain my dream," Carla says. It was not until the year 2001 that the life of this young Venezuelan actress drastically changed.

"My agent called and she said: ‘Carla there is a casting for an European film happening in Miami. It’s Thursday at 2:00 pm. I’ll send you the script and you have to translate it to Spanish, okay?" What Carla did not yet know was that this audition was going to be the beginning of many opportunities to fulfill her dream.

At the end of 2001, Carla Sánchez was chosen to play the only Latin co-starring role in one of the most successful Swiss films of the country’s history Ernstfall in Havanna, breaking all box office records within a week of its opening in Europe.

WEB SITE: www.carlasanchez.net

.:: OUR INTERVIEW WITH CARLA SANCHEZ ::.

Q - Carla, everybody will want to know the basics first. Where did you grow up?
A - I was born in Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela and spent seventeen years living there before I moved to Miami.

Q - What was it like growing up in Puerto la Cruz?
A - It was very different than living here, even though is not a tiny town, there were not the mediums to begin my career on acting, or modeling (Which I wanted to do all my life) however, I can tell you we have the best fish that you can eat in front of clear, crystal waters of beautiful beaches.

Q - Were you popular in school?
A - Popular? Not at all. I would say totally the opposite actually. But I don’t regret that experience because at this point in my life I enjoy and learn from anything and everything that happened in my past.

Q - When and how did you start modeling?
A - Actually, I do not consider myself a model, because I make my living out of being an actress. But I can’t say that I did not want be a model, because I believe every girl’s dream at some point in life is to be a model. However, that lasted from when I was 15 up to 19 years of age. And then I realized I was too curvy and short to be a model, jejeje… and I devoted myself to my real passion, “ACTING”.

Q - How did you get the part of Miranda Esposito in the Swiss film 'Ernstfall in Havanna'?
A - That is an amazing and beautiful story. I have an agent in Miami, and she called me to tell me “Carla there is a European film casting in town, I’m faxing you the script and you have to translate it to Spanish, ok?” so I prepared for my audition, treating it as important as any other film audition, (I take my job very seriously, by the way) but knowing that as soon as I walked out of the casting door I had to forget about it and go on with my life. Anyway to make the story short, about 8 to 10 months passed until I received a call from my agent telling me “Carla the production company wants to flight you to Switzerland to meet once again with the director, and right then and there I was going to know if I got the part or not, what a thrill! So I got to go to Switzerland, and three days later after a makeup rehearsal, a dress rehearsal, and a script rehearsal, I had the contract in my hands and the widest biggest smile ever :-)

Q - What did you most enjoy about being in the film?
A - It was actually my first time working in a movie I knew it was going to be on the big screen. I got to meet and work with wonderful people whose professionalism and punctuality surpassed my expectations. And I learned so much everyday on the set; it was a paid intensive acting workshop :-)

Q - What’s next on your plate? Any other immediate projects coming soon that you’re at liberty to mention?
A - Well, I begin rehearsals in September for a new theater play, and in January, 2003 I have a project in New York, another movie. And for April, 2003 I might be going to Chile for another movie.

Q - If you had to describe yourself in 3 words, how would you do it?
A - Perfectionist, Perseverant, and per…Charismatic. Jejeje…

Q - Is there anything people don't know about you that may surprise them?
A - That I can become a little girl with my man, talking like a baby and everything.

Q - Do you have a favorite quote?
A - "All things come to those who go after then" - Rob Estes

Q - If you could take a dream vacation anywhere in the world, where would it be?
A - To a magnificent Island where they cook the food in front of us, and there are no sharks in the blue water…. Can you tell I’m afraid of sharks?

Q - What's your favorite food?
A - Ripe plantains with a type of white cheese from my country.

Q - What was your craziest experience ever?
A - I went to a water park a couple of years ago, and there was this free fall slide, but the scary thing was you had to get inside a comet and they took off the floor, so you just fell. I don’t know if I’m making myself clear but I can tell you it was scary and crazy…

Q - If you were anyone else for a day, who would you be?
A - I would be Meryl Streep shooting Bridges of Madison County.

Q - If I looked in your cd player now, what kind of music might I see?
A - I like different kinds of music, but right now I have Franco de Vita who is a Venezuelan/Italian singer very popular in my country and abroad.

Q - What makes you smile the widest?
A - When I get a role I am in love with.

Q - Some things I have always wanted to try:
A - Getting in a mud hole, skiing without feeling cold ;)

Q - The most impulsive thing I have ever done:
A - I have to say when I was sixteen I yelled to a school mate in the middle of a test because she got into my nerves. I learned to control my impulses and either think things through or wait until that uncontrollable feeling disappears and then talk.

Q - What advice would you give to models/actresses just starting out?
A - First of all, prepare yourselves; if you want to be an actress take acting classes, research about photographers, teachers, agents, and go with the best, which doesn’t mean pay more. If you want to be a model research too and make sure you don’t trust a stranger that comes up to you and say “I’ll make you famous, or rich” because the truth is things don’t come that easily. And most important of all never give up your dream, anything is possible in this life we just have to pursue it until we make it happen :-)

Q - Anything else you want to say to our readers?
A - I invite them to visit my site www.carlasanchez.net and to remember that "things come to those who go after them"…

Un beso para todos :-)