We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alejandra Giraldo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Alejandra, thanks for joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I started very young, around 12 years old, I already felt a deep pull toward acting, theatre, dance, and singing. I joined a musical theatre academy, and being immersed in ballet, jazz, acting, and voice training helped me understand early on that this craft requires real discipline and commitment.

Later, during my bachelor’s in dramatic arts, everything began to connect. I started to understand acting as a full body experience where the integration of movement, voice, emotion, and truthful reaction within a given moment.
I was then drawn to clowning almost instinctively. Watching it on stage, the freedom, the playfulness and the honesty made me want to explore it myself. I’ve always had a strong comedic instinct, but it was often misunderstood or labeled as “too much” or “weird.” Finding clowning felt like finding a language where those instincts finally made sense. It felt like finding my tribe.

That said, it wasn’t easy. Even when something feels natural, committing to it fully is challenging. There’s always that voice that questions: Is this too much? Is this not funny? Am I wrong? What helped me move through that was consistency, practice, and, most importantly, being in front of an audience. Over time, the fear loosens, and it transforms into play, you start to truly enjoy the exchange with the audience.

After that, I received a full scholarship to pursue my master’s degree in the United States. Moving from Colombia to Los Angeles, I began focusing on acting for film. Even though I considered myself well-trained, I realized I lacked one essential skill: true listening. I was listening, but part of me was still trying to “manufacture” emotion instead of fully responding to my scene partners and the moment. I wish I had learned earlier to trust the situation and let go of controlling the outcome.
If I could speed up my learning process, I would focus sooner on presence, on listening without anticipating, without forcing, without ego.

The most essential skills for an actor, in my experience, are the ability to be present and to embrace vulnerability, especially the willingness to make a fool of yourself. That’s where truth lives. Clowning and improvisation are incredibly valuable for this because they strip away control and help you connect to your authentic impulses. They also sharpen your awareness of timing, rhythm, and the audience, which is just as important as connecting with your scene partners.
The biggest obstacle in learning more has been self doubt, the fear of being “too much” or getting it wrong. But in reality, those risks are exactly what lead to growth.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am an actress, theatre maker, and educator specializing in clowning, physical theatre, and screen acting. My work bridges stage and film, with a focus on emotionally dynamic, physically expressive performances and a strong foundation in voice, movement, and improvisation. In parallel with my performance career, I teach acting and clowning workshops, training actors to develop presence, authenticity, and a deeper connection to their impulses and audience.
I began my professional career in Colombia, where I worked for over six years in the national theatre scene, performing in recognized venues and festivals such as Festival Mujeres en Escena por la Paz and Festival de Teatro y Circo de Bogotá. These platforms are among the most important cultural events in the country and played a key role in shaping my artistic voice within a socially engaged and physically driven theatre tradition.
My work has also reached international stages. In Mexico, I performed in Eurípides: La culpa no puede ser de Medea, a clown adaptation of the Greek tragedy, as part of the Festival Internacional de Teatro Universitario (FITU XXX) at UNAM, one of the most prestigious university theatre festivals in Latin America. I also performed in 12 Minutos, inspired by Sarah Kane’s 4:48 Psychosis, at FITU XIX hosted by BUAP in Puebla.
In recognition of my artistic trajectory and potential, I was awarded the Colfuturo scholarship, one of Colombia’s most prestigious and competitive grants, which allowed me to relocate to Los Angeles to pursue a Master’s degree in Acting for Film. Since then, I have continued to build an international career across theatre and screen. I have performed leading roles that demand a wide emotional and physical range, and I have appeared in award-winning short films recognized in festival circuits, as well as in an independent international feature film.
In Los Angeles, my theatre work has also been recognized. I performed in Insuficiente at the Brisk Festival, where the production received a Special Merit award. Additionally, I participated in the Short+Sweet Theatre Festival, where the production was awarded Best Latinx Play, further highlighting my contribution to diverse and international storytelling within the U.S. theatre landscape.

As an educator, I have led clowning and acting workshops in Los Angeles, including collaborations with festivals such as Brisk. My teaching focuses on helping actors break through self-consciousness, embrace risk, and access truthful, spontaneous performance. This work positions me not only as a performer but also as a contributor to the artistic development of other actors.

What distinguishes my work is the integration of clowning and physical theatre into screen acting, a combination that allows for a unique balance of vulnerability, precision, and expressive range. My performances are characterized by emotional depth, transformation, and a strong connection to both scene partners and audience.

I am most proud of having built a cross cultural, international career grounded in discipline, continuous training, and artistic risk. I remain committed to creating and contributing to projects that tell complex, human stories, and to expanding my work within the global film and theatre industry.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the ability to transcend through the work. It’s not about me as a person, it’s about the craft. As actors, we become vessels for storytelling, fully committing to a character and a situation in order to bring truth, complexity, and dimension to life.

What I find most fulfilling is the impact that work can have on others. Making someone laugh, cry, feel uncomfortable, or even cringe, those are all deeply human responses, and being able to evoke them means the work is alive and connecting. That exchange between performer and audience is incredibly powerful.

I’m also deeply moved when people feel inspired by what they’ve experienced whether that inspiration feeds their own creative work or simply shifts something in their personal life. If a story we tell can stay with someone, make them reflect, or help them see something differently, then I feel I’ve done my job.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I believe supporting artists starts with creating more accessible and sustained funding, or both individuals and creative organizations. Grants, scholarships, and public investment are essential, especially for emerging artists who may not yet have the resources to fully develop their work.

Equally important is how we connect art with audiences. Marketing and outreach should go beyond targeting niche groups and instead aim to expand audiences. While specific communities are important, art has the power to reach people who may not even realize they would connect with it. Broadening access and visibility helps grow a more inclusive and curious audience base.

Another key element is arts education. Exposing people to theatre, film, and creative practices from a young age builds not only future artists, but also engaged audiences who understand and value the work.

I also think society needs to place greater value on artists as professionals. That means fair pay, proper working conditions, and recognizing that creative work is not just passion driven, it is skilled labor that requires years of training and discipline.
Finally, creating more spaces for experimentation and risk is crucial. Not all work needs to be commercially driven some of the most meaningful art comes from exploration, failure, and innovation.

A thriving creative ecosystem is one where artists are supported financially, respected professionally, and given the freedom to create work that challenges, connects, and evolves with society.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/almejandragiraldo/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alejandra-giraldo-3a3036178
• Other: Reel: https://youtu.be/9iMEITDt3Sk?si=_ufYXaUymj5pc3ci

  Actors Access: https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/Alejandragiraldo

Image Credits

Luisa Fernanda Rojas