"Almodovar's Future Muse" - A Profile of Julia Lucrecia

Mazen Hassan

Feature Story

3/3/2011

In Spanish countries, the quince is the moment every girl waits for. It is a spectacular celebration, much like America’s version of a sweet sixteen. Except it is much larger and more grandiose, as it is the transition into womanhood for these young females. Most girls ask for money, jewelry, expensive purses, maybe even a car – but Julia Lucrecia, 19, isn’t most girls. She asked for the one thing she had waited for her whole life – her first trip to New York City.

Upon first arriving in NYC in the summer of 2006 for the New York Film Academy’s Acting Program, Julia Lucrecia fell in love. “I have always been obsessed with acting and performing, and here was the first opportunity I had to finally perfect my craft.” She made three short films during her month-long stint at NYFA, and networked to make contacts that may hopefully benefit her in her future. “That summer changed my life, I knew that New York was where I wanted – no, needed to be. My mind was made up.”

Born June 18^th, 1991 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Julia always knew she wanted to be an actress. “I used to be part of this group called "Teatro en Movimiento", which basically means, “Theater in Movement. “We would meet every other weekend and have scripted improvs, and basically give a performance for whoever was in front of us,” she said gazing out the window, with a bright, beautiful smile on her face recalling old memories of where her dreams began. “It was loads of fun, mainly because we just made small skits in regards to the political drama of Puerto Rico. But I knew I wanted more…I wanted bigger and better.”

So with her parent’s blessing and support, she applied, and was subsequently accepted to The New School, and made her big move to the city in August of 2009. Though her family (her mother, specifically) was worried about sending their daughter, alone, to the Big Apple, they felt comfort in the form of her oldest brother, who lives in Long Island, NY. “I am the youngest of five siblings, but my brother and I are super close, and I am so glad to have him nearby.”

Julia wasted no time diving right into her passions, and taking advantage of all that her city of dreams had to offer. She went to every audition she could find, involved herself in whatever groups would have her, and took a full course load to fully immerse herself in a “New York state of mind.”

Now a sophomore, Lucrecia is still doing incredibly well in all her courses at The New School, and takes part not only in the Lang Theatre Collective, but is one of the stars of the Lang Spring Production of “The Vagina Monologues.” She also works two jobs (babysitting and as a tutor for HEOP), and is an intern at a Flamenco Dance Company in Manhattan. “They don’t pay me anything, but I get free flamenco dance lessons, which I love, as it has been a passion of mine since I was thirteen.”

Sounds like a lot for a nineteen year old to take on, right? Again, Julia isn’t your typical nineteen year old girl, she has many more goals and accomplishments she’s set her sights on, and isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

When asked what she ideally wants to do in her future, after graduating, her luminescent green eyes light up at the prospect of all she has yet to do. “I would love to go to Spain and study cinema, and maybe get cast in a Pedro Almodovar film and be one of his many, famous muses,” she says with a coy smile.

I then ask her when she will feel that she has finally “made it?” She stops and ponders for a moment, almost entranced in thought. “That’s a very overwhelming question for somebody who wants so much,” she says giggling. “Well, in some way, I feel I have made it. I am 19 going to a great school, working three jobs, doing two plays, living the life I promised myself at 15. But that doesn’t mean I’ll be satisfied in two years. In other words, I feel it’s important to always feel like you ‘made it,’ yet still have a lot to do…does that make sense? …basically, I want to conquer the world,” she says seriously and filled with confidence.

Though it may be easy to dismiss the idle dreams of a young wide-eyed girl…somehow, I believe her sincerity. And I expect to see her blazing the screen of the next Almodovar film, and becoming the new Puerto Rican Screen Siren for a new generation.