Four illuminating, radiant faces of different ages shine on the screen in Maria Servellon’s wonderful short film, Hyphen. One of those faces is, of course, the writer-director Servellon. Another, and perhaps the most screen time, is Rosanna Jiménez.
Perched on a train traveling to, you guessed it, an audition in New York, Rosanna allowed me to call her to discuss Hyphen and her status as an actress.
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Robin Write: Will I will say first of all is, I really enjoyed Hyphen. It was very different. I liked that the four girls, the characters, looked quite similar. Which works perfectly with the notion of Maria [Servellon] wanting this to be kind of about one person, but split into four people. So let’s just go straight through to auditions, I mean, how did you get the part? What was that process like?
Rosanna Jiménez: Yeah, I did audition a few times for the role of Mia in act three. And I met with Maria, and Julianna [Quiroz]. And she was like a very close friend of Maria’s and also did wardrobe and makeup. That was a really nice experience. I was really excited about the script and this story. So I remember being pretty nervous, but they made it an easy process, and were very welcoming.
They were still kind of figuring out what the character would be like. And you know, the trajectory of the story. So they’re very flexible with my take on it. It was a really nice collaborative experience. They moved pretty quickly I think. I found out after two weeks or so, not very long after the first audition.
Had you seen the script before that though?
I had seen the script for my act, I had not seen the entire script at that point.
Yeah, I think that yours feels a lot like the longest in a way, because act one is between three family members, and then you’ve got the kind of, they’re like Mean Girls, I suppose.
Right, yeah, the Mean Girls thing.
And then there was a song. Yours was also very much more dialogue, tension driven. Is that what you were nervous about then? That the third act, it was quite confrontational.
A little bit, yeah. I was a little bit nervous about that because I remember talking with Maria, and she’s like, Okay in this scene you have to express frustration and disappointment, but your character is a very suppressed person. So it was really hard to juggle both. Having to picture someone who’s suppressed a lot of their personality, and their desires, but is also trying to finally get enough courage to do so.
And that one scene, it was kind of a hard. I remember that being a little bit stressful because I didn’t want to overdo it. I also still wanted to get that point across, and make it be powerful. It’s a turning point in the film right before that last bit when she finally goes away. So I felt there was a little bit of pressure there. And I also knew that it was a like a very personal story for Maria, and I wanted to help get that across. I didn’t want to let her down.
Yeah, well, I think, I’m not just saying this because I’m talking to you, but I think you did it. You did that really well. What you said there. I was going to mention that you could tell some things were troubling her straight away. Even though she’s not particularly particularly looking sad. I mean, the camera was close on you a lot, and with those facial shots I think you nailed it. So hats off.
Oh thank you.
Plus the dialogue, and you’re playing off someone else as well. So, did you know the actor you worked with, or did you know any of the other cast members in Hyphen?
I didn’t know any of the other cast members. Rollin [Atkinson], who I worked opposite of, he played Liam, my boyfriend, and that scene we had rehearsed several times together before filming. So that was nice to kind of get to know him and work on the scene quite a bit before getting onto set, because it is a very different environment on set.
And then, obviously, I’d spoken with Maria quite a bit before, and she’s also in the cast. But I didn’t actually meet the two other actresses, or several others, as it was an ensemble cast. Not until the public screening later on, I didn’t get to meet everyone else until then. But that was an exciting experience because I hadn’t seen the movie. And so I got to see everyone in it, and then I got to meet everyone who was in it.
Yeah, absolutely. Did you always want to be an actress? Is that what you did education-wise, or did you have another sort of plan?
I did when I was younger, I did a lot of theater, a lot of school productions. And then I pivoted to just being about sports for quite some time. Then I started taking acting classes maybe like five years ago. Got back into it, but didn’t really actively pursue it, was kind of doing it just for fun. Then a coach of mine recommended I try to work with some Emerson graduate productions. I do have a full time corporate job, but I aim to do this full time. That is my hope, yeah.
Yeah. Hope so. Well, what’s next for you? Anything lined up, more auditions?
Yeah, I wrapped up a film this summer. It’s now in post production. It was a feature, thriller. Yeah, it was a really good experience. We were on location for a little over two weeks, out in the woods in New Hampshire, filming. So that was a really great experience. I learned a lot. It was quite an immersive experience. The producers are pretty eager to get that into some festivals, so hopefully that will do well.
And I’m on my way to an addition right now actually, in New York. So I keep auditioning, as much as I can, for anything that comes my way, that I think is good. But yeah, it’s kind of a hurry up and go sort of lifestyle. I had dinner with Maria last night, we were talking about that. She said even as a director, she experiences radio silence for quite some time. And then a barrage of inquiries for submitting her film, and just like networking and stuff. It’s kind of the way it goes I guess.
So you two are good friends now?
Yeah, yeah. She was so busy this past year, we barely saw each other after the film was released. And I recently reconnected with her, and it’s great. Yeah, I’d say we’re friendly. She’s a great person. I would love to work with her again. I don’t know if she even mentioned this, but she’s working on a new screenplay and trying to get funding for that film. And we had the nicest discussion about that project, and it was like, you know, I would love to be a part of this. So we’ll see. Maybe we’ll be collaborating again in the near future.
Yeah, I do hope so. I mean, when I spoke to her, she did have good things to say about you – all of you really. But yeah, like I said, it’s a really good film. I liked the the variation of it. I love the way it was edited.
Yeah, the editors. Oh my gosh, they did such a beautiful job. The film story really came alive with the editing. It was incredible.
Of course the music as well. Just the last question. I mean, just generally film-wise, what is it that pushed you towards the field, like actual films, any particular actors growing up, that triggered that passion?
Growing up I was obsessed with old films, you know, Shirley Temple and I Love Lucy, very like big goofy actresses. They just seem like they were having so much fun, and I wanted to do that. And obviously making people laugh and entertaining people I thought would be like the best thing ever. And then growing up, obviously I admire a lot of the talented actresses and actors of our day. I got super into The Americans, I hope you have it in the UK.
Yeah, we do.
With Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys. And their acting was so, it just really took my breath away. There are very subtle and powerful, and so natural, yet obviously portrayed Russian spies living in America – which is an insane premise. But they did it so well, and I was watching that and being like, Oh my gosh, this is what I aspire to be.