We recently connected with Andres Borda and have shared our conversation below.

Andres, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

Since I was a kid, I always knew I was different from others. My parents knew that as well. I never allowed this sensation to make me feel less than others. On the contrary, it always empowered me to be unapologetically myself. While my closest friends would be playing soccer, I’d be crafting shows during recess. My parents are firm believers that one should always follow their calling no matter what. From a young age my calling became very apparent: performing arts. As time went on, I may have started to feel insecure about feeling different. However, my parents always prioritized my feeling of safety. My parents created the safe environment for me to pursue my calling. As I grew, I became interested in a bunch of other disciplines, such as: arts and crafts, chess, swimming, racket-sports, soccer, baseball, yoga, karate, rock-wall climbing, singing etc. I think what my parents did right wasn’t only to support my curiosity from a young age, but doing so unquestioningly. When I attended uni, I was sure I wanted to go intro direct entry med school. My parents once more supported my thirst for knowledge and experience. Later on, I realized that my true calling indeed after all, were the performing arts. My parents were incredibly supportive of this journey and said that the best gift you can give a child is unquestioned support for their curiosity.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I transferred out if med school (in Mexico City) back in 2018. I was unsure that acting was my tru calling but I knew that I would always have an itch. So I decided to scratch it. I took a leap of faith and applied to NYU as a transfer student in 2018. I left a biochemistry class I had one day in order to go audition on zoom. I never thought someone with my profile could have been admitted to a school of such great renown. Weeks later I got accepted and after tough decisions I decided to leave home and pursue acting in the US. When I arrived I felt like a fish out of water for SO many reasons, language barrier, I wasn’t a typical theater kid, I had switched careers completely, new country and huge cultural shock. During the pandemic I came back to Mexico and got my professional career started. I shot my first few commercials: Head and shoulders, Mazda, Funerarias J Garcia Lopez, and I even hand modelled for Dominoes Pizza! My very first commercial gig was Sky Blue Telecomm, which aired on nationwide TV and have thousands of billboards all over the country with my face on it. Great pickup line for a first date… I came back to NYU to finish my last semester and I met my manager Stevie Boothe. It is VERY VERY rare for international talent to gain interest from agents and managers. My very first auditions with Stevie, I was top two finalist for a series lead role for a Netflix TV show called XO KITTY (which was shot in South Korea). This was a huge firing motor in my career. Weeks later I shot my very first gig as a guest star for The Blacklist for NBC, season 9. I graduated with honors from NYU. I applied and obtained my artist visa straight after college, which is no easy feat. I now have shot my very first telenovela in Mexico, called Mi Amor Sin Tiempo, which has 80 episodes! I appear in 20 of them as a recurring guest star. In addition, I also shot a guest star role for an Amazon Prime series called “El Juicio”, with two great lead actors: Pedro Alonso (Money Heist) and Eugenio Derbez (CODA)

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

My very first role. I booked a major role for a Netflix series back in 2021. I was supposed to be the young version of the male lead of the show. I booked it! I underwent so many tests for hair and makeup to ensure the resemblance. I told everyone I knew about it. I shot my very first day on set. The following day, I get a call from the director notifying me that unfortunately the producers were unable to see the resemblance. Therefore, they took me out. I cried days on end. It was until years later that I realized that that experience only made my skin and blood thicker than ever. I still participated in the show as a different role. It allowed me to start to see that there are so many things we think “are personal” when in reality, they are not.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Making people feel. Currently we opt to shut our emotional brain in order to protect ourselves. Protecting ourselves only seems natural. However, we have grown so far from our own selves that we no longer know HOW TO FEEL. This is why being an artist is a gift. We get to tell stories oftentimes are not told, we get to redefine the narrative but most importantly we get to make people FEEL.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @andy.borda
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12526956/

Image Credits

Two photos in sepia: David Suarez.
Two actor headshots with blue background: Coco Jourdana.
One in black tank top: Diego Oviedo.