Latin Hollywood: How Maria Conchita Alonso broke boundaries and changed the Hispanic landscape in music, film and television

Strap in for a thrilling conversation with the extraordinary Latina powerhouse Maria Conchita Alonso, whose stellar career graces a staggering 80 movies, 10 telenovelas, and three Grammy nominations. As Maria unwraps the layers of her remarkable journey, from her hometown in Venezuela to making her film debut on "Moscow on the Hudson,"  I can't help but notice her undying zeal for storytelling. The tales of this formidable trailblazer are bound to spark a fire in the hearts of budding performers of every culture.

My conversation takes an engaging turn into Maria's stint in beauty pageants, her singing career, and her strong voice in the world of freedom of opinion.  Immediately, we hear her deep-rooted commitment to animal rescue and a first-hand account of the communist grip on Cuba and Venezuela.

But there are mindset nuggets, too! From embracing our divine feminine to the importance of not letting money be the sole driving force in life, my chat with Maria Conchita wouldn't be complete without a sneak peek into her upcoming projects, events, and performances - including a spellbinding Masquerade Casino Night event for her foundation. This episode is nothing short of a treasure chest, filled with nuggets of wisdom from a woman whose spirit continues to illuminate the entertainment industry.

This episode was sponsored by The Eden Magazine.


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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

This Heart of Show Business episode has been brought to you by its sponsor, the Eden Magazine. The Eden Magazine focuses on awareness and educational articles to promote and emphasize humane and environmental content for the next generation of animal lovers. The Eden Magazine is available online and in print to take you to the world of living a healthier, in harmony and cruelty-free world.

Speaker 2: 0:31

Welcome to the Heart of Show Business. I am your host, alexia Melochi. I believe in great storytelling and that every successful artist has a deep desire to express something from the heart to create a ripple effect in our society. Emotion and entertainment are closely tied together. My guests and I want to give you insider access to how the film, television and music industry works. We will cover dreams come true, the road, less travel, journey beginnings and a lot of insight and inspiration in between. I am a successful film and television entrepreneur who came to America as a teenager to pursue my show business dreams. Are you ready for some unfiltered real talk with entertainment visionaries from all over the world? Then let's roll sound and action.

Speaker 3: 1:29

Hello to all my listeners of the Heart of Show Business. It has been a few months. I have been busy. I was at the Canthal Festival. What a timely coincidence that as I get back from the Canthal Festival, I get to interview a true and real movie star, maria Conchita Lonzo, who I feel she is a trailblazer when it comes to be one of the first real Latina stars I think that the only two people. When you think about the real Latina star, I think to me only two names come to mind. I mean I'm not going to mention the name of the film star the actress, producer, singer. She has three Grammy nominations, 80 movies, 10 telenovela. She's been on like 100 plus TV shows and you know what? She's been even on Broadway with Kiss of the Spider Woman. So I mean we have so much to talk about here and so, without much ado, welcome to our show, maria Conchita.

Speaker 4: 2:42

Thank you. Thank you, it's my pleasure to be here.

Speaker 3: 2:46

It is so wonderful to have you like I'm literally having goosebumps because, as I was saying to you right before that, I feel that life is a wonderful combination of synchronicities and when I first moved to America back in 1984, I was living in Westwood in one of those condos and I wanted to see movies and experience movies in the real theaters and we had the Afco theater that was down on Walsher in Westwood, and the first movie that I ended up seeing was Moscow on the Hudson, which, of course, was very timely, not just because of the story and the immigrants. I was an immigrant myself, but I just loved it. I actually think I saw it three times, so I feel it.

Speaker 4: 3:29

I played an Italian. It was very funny. People did think that I was an Italian. And I was driving with my mother one day and we see it announced in it and I'm like, oh my God, they're probably going to show the trails. You know, let's go inside and see. So we enter the movie theater, we saw the trailer and we're like, oh my God, I can't believe my first thing. And then we left. We did that twice. You know, we just went in the theater, bought the tickets just to see the trailer and then we didn't say to see the movie. You know, it was so funny.

Speaker 3: 4:14

My mom and I were so excited, it was so exciting to see you and I'm not going to lie Now that I remember at the beginning I was like who is this woman? How dare she play an Italian? But you did a great job. I mean, I didn't think for a second that you were not. And I'm curious as and I know it's it's a little just only five years ago we're going to say, right, just five years ago.

Speaker 4: 4:38

But I wish, I wish it was just five years ago.

Speaker 3: 4:42

Those were better times. Oh, they were Maria Cocci. But we all know time is just an idea, so we're just going to pretend it was five years ago. And you know, I'm curious to see if there were other Italian actresses that were up for the role. And what made the casting director think well, we're going to go with this gorgeous Venezuela beauty born in Cuba, versus like an actual Italian actress.

Speaker 4: 5:06

I know that, I know or nail, a multi was the other one and I can't remember if there was a third one, but I think at the end it was just between or nail and me and Paul Mozersky, the writer, director, here, have my baby cookie. She had eye surgery. She had cataract eye surgery. So you know, just four days ago, and she sees already, she sees. I can't believe it, but she has to, she has to be very relaxed because one of her eyes has high pressure and that's very dangerous. So anyway, cookie is here with us.

Speaker 4: 5:54

And so, yeah, paul Mozersky, who was that director writer, he went to the audition with with Robin and he could not stop laughing. He and I'm like, why is he laughing so much? You know it's I didn't think it was so funny what I did and he just couldn't stop. And then it took. It took them like I think it was about three weeks, between three to four weeks for me to to get it. So you can imagine that there was so nervous, so nervous, and I and I I used to do back then somewhere between five and six classes a day of jazz ballet exercise and I was in a ballet class when they came to. Let me know that I had gotten the part. You know the head of the ballet used to be called Dupré. It was the best dance academy here.

Speaker 3: 6:57

Remember that one. Yes.

Speaker 4: 7:00

Yeah, so the owner or the manager of Dupré. She came and knocked on the window and you know, and they called me and they said that I got the part. Oh my God, everybody was crazy and it was so much fun, so much fun.

Speaker 3: 7:16

What an incredible journey, and you know, of course. I wanna ask you, because you know the Latino voices are finally being heard, right, but it's been a very, very long journey. Did you find for yourself that you were being typecast? You know, after, obviously, moscow and the Hudson, in doing solely and only roles of an immigrant, whether it's Latina, you know, european or where it was more open to giving chances at the time.

Speaker 4: 7:52

No, I never felt that. In fact, the movie that I did with Arnold Schwarzenegger, ronny Mann, that character, her name was Ambar and that character didn't have to be Latina. They didn't specify where she came from. I did one. The other one with Nicolas Cage, vampire's Kiss, she didn't need to be Latina either. Colors yes, pray out to two. But I never felt that I was typecasted. And just by playing an Italian, you know, yeah, italians are Latinos, but you know European, but you know I wasn't really typecasted as a Latina. When I got the part, you know I was an Italian.

Speaker 3: 8:48

So that was great, that is so wonderful and, by the way, I love having your dog in the show. Also, I interviewed Diddy Pfeiffer you know Michelle Pfeiffer's sister from Big Sky and when she came onto my interview she was on location and she brought in all her animals and she had her cockatoo with her and all of a sudden that during the interview we're having the cockatoo blowing into the interview and say hello. So this is just wonderful. I have three cats, so you know animals. I have one cat, love that so.

Speaker 3: 9:22

I feel it's such a blessing, such a blessing. And, of course, you've had also really really great career as a singer and a performer and a showwoman, right, and I was going to ask you what was the first instinct for you? Was it being more of an actress? Was it to be a singer? How did that whole thing?

Speaker 4: 9:44

flow. It just happened at the same time really. I started my career in beauty pageants and I was 15 when I won the Miss Teenager of Venezuela and then I won Miss Teenager of the World in Portugal and that opened the doors. I became a big model in Venezuela and then from there, then I went to Miss. I was a model and then I went to the Miss Venezuela pageant and I was Miss Venezuela for the Miss World in London Back then it used to be always done in London and which, by the way, I was like the second favorite and then I gained weight because I was very nervous and we were going every day.

Speaker 4: 10:44

You know, I'd go to breakfast and lunches and dinners and cocktails and all this, and what I do when I'm nervous is that I eat. So I gained one size, one size. So anyway, I became six runner up. My father used to say you lost because you were fat, you put sweat on you, you know whatever. So but then simultaneously I started doing soap operas in Venezuela when the first, my first album that's what it was called back then, my first CD would be called today came out and it was in English, it was called Love Maniac and it was Disco Music, so that was my first number one. Back then you didn't travel to perform in other countries, you didn't tour, you just stayed. You know, singers didn't go to other countries, you just stayed in yours. So I would say, like the first three albums were done in Venezuela and then, when I moved to LA, I was signed by A&M Records and that was my first album in Spanish, which was my first number one international and my first Grammy nomination.

Speaker 3: 12:13

That's amazing. That's incredible and I know so. That One of the things that I have so many things to talk to you about. But the thing is that one of the things that I love and I think I saw that in recent interviews that you were talking about being as outspoken and never really holding back your opinion about anything in the world. Then we live in a country where, unfortunately, everything is so politically correct. One of the things that they say to you here in America that the three things you can never talk about are politics, sex and religion, and being European or Latina. We all know that at the dinner table, we can cast each other out. We can say all kinds of things about any opinion about life, politics, religion, it doesn't matter. We're all very respectful towards another. There is never a shock. So I love that you are staying true to who you are.

Speaker 4: 13:07

We have to agree to disagree and we don't all have to think alike. A lot of my friends in LA it's a town where, politically speaking, I'm not what this town is and I've never hidden it and a lot of my friends are from a political point of view that is very different than mine. I don't care, they're my friends and I love them because they are good people. So obviously I could not have as a friend a communist. That I couldn't because, coming from Cuba and Venezuela, I've seen, I've lived a lot of things and I know where, what that is. But hey, if you're from the left, which I'm not, I don't care. You're not a communist, I mean, you're not an extreme leftist. I think that would be hard for me to be with people that are extreme leftist?

Speaker 3: 14:18

Yeah, me too, because, as you know, I come from Italy and I grew up in communist Italy and I saw the effects that it had. That's why I moved to America. Right, I think we all moved to America for the same reasons, you know, and for everything that it represents. So I know I have the same hard of time and at some point I said you know what I am, who I am. I think the way I think I'm going to express my opinions, whether it's politics, whether it's spiritual, whatever it is, animal rescues I'm obviously very spoken. I cast people out. I know that you are very, very active, which is why you are also on the cover of the Eden magazine. Tell me a little bit what animals, how animals, are affecting your life and why it's so important that we try to protect them.

Speaker 4: 15:07

Oh, my God, because they have feelings, because they, you know, they suffer like we do, they get hungry like we do, they have pain like we do, they need love like we do. You know, when I saw, when Chavez came to Venezuela and a lot of people started to emigrate, millions of people left the country and they would, a lot of them would live behind their dogs on the streets. They would just throw them on the streets. There's so many puddles, it's incredible. There's so many puddles that have been rescued from the streets and they're still on the streets.

Speaker 4: 15:54

So when I saw that, I'm like, oh my God, what's going on? What's the word? What's the humanity of people? What is that? So I I I've always been, you know, an activist, but I used to help here in Los Angeles, other foundations and stuff.

Speaker 4: 16:11

But then, when I saw what's happening in Venezuela, then I'm like, okay, I got to concentrate on Venezuela. And that's when I opened my, my foundation, my nonprofit foundation called VEE V fauna, which means Venezuela endorses the fauna, and what I do is I do events, to, to send money. You know, I don't have animals in my foundation, I just I just send money to veterinarians, to, to, to foundations, for them to buy food for medicine. It's really, really, really horrible, and nowadays it's even worse because people are not helping. People are not helping and this, these little things are, you know, I, I, I trust more nowadays.

Speaker 4: 17:10

I prefer to be nowadays more with with an animal which shouldn't call them animals, with these beautiful beans, than with people. You know not, I don't generalize, but it's, it's incredible. They're here to, to give us love and they I always say that the animals don't speak, because they are showing us what love is through their actions and they're teaching us that. That's what you've realized, really, if it's true love or not, because the words you can say, so many things you can, you know, and it goes with the wind, but it's your actions are what really shows what love is.

Speaker 3: 18:04

What a beautiful way to explain the unconditional love of the animal species. I had not thought about this before. It's true, they do not need to speak. We already know everything just by looking at their beautiful eyes, like this baby here was like looking at the camera. And another thing that impressing about you, maria Conchita, is that you talked about your mom, who's your best friend and my mom is my best friend, by the way. She's my business partner. She's been my business partner since I was 19 years old and she taught me everything about myself, about you know, conducting myself in business and in life, and I tell me about your relationship with your mama.

Speaker 4: 18:47

Yeah, well, my mom passed away it's going to be six years ago and but she was. She was fun, she was crazy, she was gorgeous, she was funny, she was very hard worker, she was a very honest person, she had no fear, and that's that's why I am the way I am, because she taught me a lot of what's important in life to respect, to accept people whatever they are, even if you are not like that, you have to accept people because you don't know what makes them happy. Whatever makes people happy, you got to say, well, that's what makes them happy. I don't know why, but hey, it's not up to me to point the finger at them if they're not hurting others, they're just living their life because it's whatever they like, because it's what makes them happy anyway. So my mom was always like that.

Speaker 4: 19:59

She was always someone that just went through life, not seeing others. She was very friendly. We know what others were doing. She had a lot of girlfriends and she was not a jealous or an envious person. She was gorgeous, but she always had great women friends like I do, and I think that's very important. It's very important because there's a lot of women that can't have another woman as friend and I love to have my girlfriends and to go out with my girlfriends, and the prettier they are, the better.

Speaker 3: 20:44

I love that too. I feel that we have to embrace our divine feminine and it's so great to be with that energy because we are natural empaths and especially when you are international, I feel there is a little bit less of that insecurity. This is what I've seen. I have a lot of. My girlfriends are all from all over the world, all ages, all professions, but we all share into supporting one another and lifting each other up, and I know that you have some really great points of view about life. Another thing that I saw about you, where you were talking about how much you love money, that there is no shame about wanting to have money, and I believe it's the same thing. Money is not a sin. Money helps us to save animals, helps us to help our friends, help us to be able to elevate our souls and our spirit and just reward ourselves for our hard work.

Speaker 4: 21:46

I just think that, as long as you don't do things because of money, money is very much welcome and needed and it's wonderful, but I'm not going to sell myself for money. I'm not going to be with anyone for money. I'm not going to accept the part in a movie that I don't like just for money. My mom used to say as long if you're able to sleep well at night is because you've done something right, and when your mind is in the right path, you know there's nothing that you should feel ashamed of, then you can sleep.

Speaker 4: 22:35

And so what I hate that is going on right now is how greedy people are. You know it's horrible how people care more about what you have than who you are. You know they care more about the car you're driving and not about what do you think about a lot of things in life, what's your heart about? Where's your soul at? So, yeah, so I hate that when people do things just for money. That's not me. That's not me. But hey, give me more. Yeah, I wish I wouldn't have spent so much money through my whole life, because I could have been helping a lot more, and I always say that when I die, if I only have $1,000 left in the bank, $500 left in the bank, it's because I did something good, something right.

Speaker 3: 23:43

And you know what, if you become the energetic match of what you desire, that's what you get. So the good money the good money, not the money with compromise and the money with selling your soul will come to you. The good friends, the good experiences, the good adventures. You know, you just have to be an energetic match to it. So we always have to remember where is our energy at? You are such a beautiful energy, I mean it's showing. I mean no wonder you perform above and beyond being on screen. I mean I can't wait to see you perform. When are you going to? I want to come see you Now that things are open again.

Speaker 4: 24:24

where are you going to be at my friends. Well, I just came. I just had a concert in Colombia and I had a concert in Guatemala and the next one. I can't tell you what I'm doing because it's a project that is very much, very much advanced already. It's been created with this company in Florida and Mexico. That it's very high end and we're going to be doing something that starts in September in Miami and what I'm going to be singing. But besides that, there's going to be something else that I can't talk about, but you will know because we're going to start promoting it. I think beginning of August, something like that, end of July, beginning of August, we're going to start promoting it. And I have also an event in Miami for my foundation for the fauna, which is called Masquerade Casino Night. It's going to be October 28. I'm just going to be a disguised event fun music performers, live performers. There's going to be a casino. So that's going to be October 28. And you'll see more through my Instagram, maria Conchita, underscore A, and all my social media. You will be seeing that.

Speaker 4: 26:04

Also, I've been writing songs. I just finished writing a beautiful song in English for a movie that I'm going to do in England. We don't have yet the date, but I wrote this blues called Tonight. That is amazing, the song, amazing, a ballad.

Speaker 3: 26:28

Wow. Well, I look forward to hopefully coming to your ball, because I have so many friends in Florida who moved after the pandemic Obviously they all went to Florida, so over there, and they would love to come and attend and support your foundation. You know, they have deep pockets and they're very humanitarian and very charitable and I'm sure they would love to come and support, and I love to come and support you. I'll be, you know, going to Toronto Film Festival, of course, and then I have the American Film Market, but in between, you know, I'd love to come and we'd love to support you, because I think we want to see actors and artists more than just actors, more artists like yourselves, who are multi hyphenates.

Speaker 3: 27:15

This is the era of the multi hyphenate, the bottom story, the era of multi hyphenate. So that means a person that is doing many things. So you don't give yourself a label where you're like, oh, I'm an actress, you know you are somebody who has great talents on so many areas that are, of course, many times in similar categories, right? So, in other words, that you don't have to define yourself saying Maria Conchita, actress, you are the singer, you are the producer, you are the composer, you are the head of a foundation. So I think this is something that the world is changing into and all of us who want to make the world a better place we must become. That I feel and I love that you are doing that.

Speaker 4: 28:08

I remember years ago, years and years ago, if you did more than one thing, it was wrong. Is it a weird? No, she's weird. Oh yeah, she mustn't be. Maybe not good doing and like what. No too many things and like what.

Speaker 3: 28:27

Yeah, remember they used to make fun of every actress that wanted to be a singer, or every singer that you wanted to be an actor. And they were looking down and then going, oh come on, it's just an ego. She want or he or she, depending on who that person is. They want, oh, come on. But why don't they stick to what they know best? It's like, but why? Why put ourselves in a box? Why not live outside the box, if we're there to create and to make the word a better place? They used to ask me too. They're like oh, what are you? Are you a producer? Are you a distributor? You have a pop. I'm like, I'm all of that baby. Yeah, of course, of course. Yeah, why not? Why not?

Speaker 3: 29:09

So to close it off, maria Cunci, I'm going to ask you something. I asked all my guests and I know I'm not going to put you on the spot, but you could, you could. So you can choose or you can do both. You can either define yourself in three words, what that wrap up where you are, and then give me what is your life mantra, that thing that, when you are in a moment of darkness, gets you out. What do you tell yourself if you ever experience those moments. You can answer both or you can answer just one of the two. I'll leave it up to you, okay.

Speaker 4: 29:47

I am. I am fearless, I am a good, good friend and I am honest. And I could continue.

Speaker 3: 30:01

Of course. Why just have three? Those are the core ones.

Speaker 4: 30:05

Yeah, and then what do I do? Oh man, I don't know, I can. I can play guitar or I can paint, or I can watch TV, a movie. When I was younger, I used to drive motorcycles in Venezuela. So when I was younger, I would just grab my bike without a helmet horrible, horrible and just go crazy in this, the freeway that we have in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, the freeway next to the mountain El Ávila, and it goes from one point of the city to the other point of the city, and I would just go and you know I wanted to feel like invincible and I wanted to be. You know, I wanted to let everything go, like I was so angry for or sad or whatever I would use. I used to do that, not anymore.

Speaker 3: 31:18

And I was like, why not racing while knowing that like it's kind of dangerous actually?

Speaker 4: 31:25

Man, I was in my twenties. I was in my twenties.

Speaker 3: 31:27

Okay, maybe we can raise speed boats, maybe we can get on this speed boat and just keep going and just yeah, that's fun Do.

Speaker 3: 31:37

Why not? Why not? This has been such a wonderful conversation and, honestly, I am so excited that we finally made this happen. I wish you nothing but the most amazing rest of your life success, awards, grammys, oscars, emmys, lots of movies and lots of saves of beautiful animals in Venezuela. Anything that that Maria Conchita alone so touches may turn into gold for you for you personally and for other people whose life you touch. And thank you for being on my show.

Speaker 4: 32:12

Thank you for having me.

Speaker 3: 32:17

Hi everyone. If you like the show, please rate, subscribe and review, and I will be dropping all the links so that you can follow Maria Conchita's journey both the past, but especially the future one. Thank you all for listening.

Speaker 2: 32:35

Thank you for listening to this week's episode of the heart of show business. If you enjoyed it, please share it with a friend. You can also subscribe, rate and review the show on your favorite podcast player. If you have any questions or comments or feedback for us, you can reach me directly at the heart of showbusinesscom.