We were lucky to catch up with Dominique Moreno-Baltierra recently and have shared our conversation below.

Dominique, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you wish you had started sooner?

I first knew that I wanted to become an actress when I was a young child. Having been born in L.A., I think it’s just normal for most people living there to consider a future in the entertainment industry.

I remember that my parents had made some attempts to find me an acting agent when I was 10 or 11 years old, but they didn’t have any success. They enrolled me in some acting classes at this point, where I had some headshots taken. Back in those days, you would submit yourself to potential agents by putting your physical photos in an envelope and dropping them off at the agency’s office, which made it a lot harder for my parents, who had limited time and resources.

Somehow, my parents were able to make the connections to have me cast in a Spanish-language commercial. At the time, we were living in a heavily Spanish-speaking community southeast of McArthur Park in L.A. I remember there was a security guard who worked in the building where my parents rented an office, and one time, when I passed him, he stopped me because he thought I looked familiar. “I remember seeing you on TV” I remember he said in Spanish. That was my first taste of having someone recognize me, and it felt great. I wanted it to keep happening.

Unfortunately, at the time, that would be the extent of my acting career for a very, very long time.

The only other commercial I could count on my resume was a soap commercial for a company called Lever 2000, when I was a baby. Of course, I was too young to remember anything.

I was once scouted by a modeling agent in a mall Glendale or Burbank (suburbs of L.A.), and I remember going to the agency’s office. They had a look at my nails, and asked me a few questions about myself. The meeting was brief – no more than 15 minutes. I remember nothing came of it.

This story would repeat itself in New York a few years later, when I was 16. I made my second attempt at modeling by submitting to as many agencies as I could, and attending as many open calls as I could at all the major agencies. Unfortunately, these efforts did not lead to anything at the time. I remember there were many acting development schools that would charge for classes or headshots but the chances of landing any roles afterwards was questionable.

I ended up going back to L.A. later that year, and I stayed until I was 19 years old. I remember it being impossible to attend any auditions because of the long hours I worked, the amount of traffic in L.A., and the distances involved in getting from downtown to west L.A.

I think one thing I wish I would’ve done sooner is just started filming my own short films, and writing my own screenplays. I remember I had the idea of making my own films back when I was 20, but when I suggested to ideas to one of my close friends, he turned down the offer, saying he was too self-conscious of his nose to appear on camera.

I had my own excuses, too: I needed to save up money to buy a quality camera. So I ended up postponing my ambitions for a decade. I had a lot of other things going on in my life that demanded my resources and attention.

If there’s one thing I could go back and tell my younger self, it would be to stop waiting for things to be perfect, stop waiting to have the right equipment. It’s okay to start filming on an iPhone or an Android camera. Buy a cheap camcorder. If people turn you down, look elsewhere. Look on local Facebook groups for actors, or even join an inexpensive acting class just to get the chance to meet other actors who might be interested in joining your project. People will volunteer their time if they think the script is interesting or if you can get them an IMDb credit. A lot is possible even on a non-existent budget, it just takes persistence and creativity.

Another thing I would tell myself is to stop waiting for opportunities to fall out of the sky. My friend once said to me, “it’s like I was waiting for things to happen in my life and suddenly before I know it my 20s are almost over.” I think a lot of people can relate to that feeling.

You have to go out and make your own luck and seek out opportunities. If you don’t find success, try asking questions online, try researching ways other people have achieved what you want to do. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Pursue multiple things. That way if something doesn’t work out, you can focus on other opportunities while you plan your next steps.

Dominique, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I want to be able to tell stories that are not told very often. I want my films to present a sort of window into faraway worlds and a window into lives that are underrepresented in media. I also want to present unique concepts to viewers to get them to think about how modern society is evolving.

One of my biggest influences is the Black Mirror series. I think they did a great job presenting a lot of shocking, bold ideas to audiences. I wish to do the same, but with a tone of more optimism. Life is never just all bad or all good.

When it comes to modeling and acting, I want to be part of a modern wave of people that help to expand the boundaries of what is considered “mainstream beauty”. I want to live in a world where there is more mainstream representation of minority groups, and especially in modeling, I want to signal that it’s okay to not be super tall or super young.

Lastly, I want to represent mothers. I want to signal to other women that motherhood doesn’t have to fit one mold. It’s okay for your path to be totally unique or different. I also felt very lonely as a young mother when I had my first daughter at 18, because I did not know anyone who worked in the same field as I did (web development) and who also was a young mother. I’m so glad that the world has become more of a connected place and that there are more spaces online allowing for more open communication. I want women to not feel like motherhood is synonymous with the death of their dreams.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I am currently in the middle of reading Britney Spears’ autobiography The Woman in Me. I remember when I read about her meteoric rise to fame during her early teen years, it really made me put my own life into perspective.

I think it’s very important to share their life stories, even if it’s hard or potentially alienating.

I’ll be honest, sometimes when you read about such huge success stories, it’s hard not to feel like you’ve missed the boat by comparison, or to think “if only I had been born to parents with the right connections, I’d be in a different spot.” I think it’s okay and normal to feel this. When comparing yourself to another, it’s easy to feel defeated.

I think, for this reason, it’s so important to offer opportunities, even small ones, to people around you. If someone offers to give time to your project, you should give them a leg up by giving them an IMDb credit, or if you can afford it, by paying them a fair rate. Maybe you can adjust your script to give them a larger speaking role.

This also applies to things outside of film, of course. If you have the chance to offer an opportunity to the underdog, it may make a huge difference in someone’s life.

Lastly, as long as you’re still alive, it’s never too late to pursue something. Life is long and full of surprise turns.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I’m going to share a few lines from the movie Tomorrowland (2015):

Casey: “There are two wolves” … You told me this story my entire life, and now I’m telling you: There are two wolves and they are always fighting. One is darkness and despair, the other is light and hope. Which wolf wins?
Eddie: C’mon, Casey.
Casey: Okay, fine, don’t answer.
Eddie: Whichever one you feed.

The above has been incredibly relevant to my life, as I have had to learn to consistently feed the “light and hope” side.

When I was 20, I lost custody of my oldest daughter to my ex-husband, and this was quite a challenge to navigate emotionally, especially as a young person.  For one, I found motherhood at such a young age while working professionally to be very isolating. I did not know of any role models in a similar position, who were both successful professionally, young, and also a mother. Combined with a marriage that didn’t last, and someone that did not want to co-parent, it was a lot to deal with at the age of just 19.

The past 12 years have had many struggles with regards to seeing my oldest daughter. However, this past decade has also brought me many blessings, such as my other two daughters.  Despite the extreme challenges, I have also been able to be present in my oldest daughter’s life and made sure she could get to know her siblings, as well.

In 2019, my ex-husband and my daughter moved to Montana from California. Knowing nobody in Montana, going to visit her was an incredible challenge. However, I have learned to use this to learn to become more resourceful, network better, and always keep a sense of hope no matter how isolated the situation seems.

I currently split my time between the US and Europe, mainly because of my oldest daughter, and needing to travel to see her.

This situation has challenged me to arrange my life in such a way that my work is done remotely, and has given me the adaptability, perseverance, and knowledge to handle the logistics of having a life across multiple borders.

In turn, this has made it easier to take on filmmaking. When I was in my early 20s, I was quite shy and hesitant to take on a “lead” role sort of role in any group. This past decade has taught me that if you have a vision that you would like to accomplish, you will need to take the steps to do the networking and logistics to get it done.  This means putting yourself out there, being open to criticism, taking things with a grain of salt when needed, collaborating with others, not being afraid of the answer being “no”, and keeping a persistent sense of self-confidence in yourself and your vision.

This past decade has given me a wealth of life experience, and I have met so many different, varied people from all kinds of walks of life. I spent a decade living in France and also lived in the UK. As a teen and as a child, I spent time in many cities across the US, such as New York, D.C., and Los Angeles, among other places.

I do not believe I would have had such a wealth of stories to be able to pull inspiration from for my film projects if I had not had the challenges that I’ve faced.  It has also underscored to me the importance of telling stories of people who may be underrepresented, and how important it is to preserve stories for future generations.

Being a parent is also a huge reminder of one’s mortality. Children grow so fast, and years pass quickly. I want to give others the message that it’s okay to pursue your dreams and that it’s okay to take a non-traditional approach to motherhood.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dominique.cc
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/dayoldporridge
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/zezipaktli
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/dominiquemb
• Other: IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm15018344

Image Credits
Carlos Montelara, Nara Gaisina, Peter Lewry, Jay White, & Dominique Moreno-Baltierra