Coral Peña on The Pressures of Hollywood, Harlem’s Gentrification, and the Moisturizer She Swears By

By landing on the moon in 1969, the United States effectively “won” the space race between America and the Soviet Union. But what if America failed to launch? How would that have played out on the global stage? That’s the premise of For All Mankind, an Apple Original series starring actress Coral Peña.

The Dominican actress was born and raised in Harlem and truly kicked off her career with her role in Steven Spielberg’sThe Post, acting alongside Meryl Streep. I recently caught up with the talented actress while she was taking a break on set from filming season three of For All Mankind to discuss her career trajectory, the pressures in Hollywood surrounding the ethnicity of one’s name, and the skincare product she swears by.

Hi! How are you doing? Where are you today?

Hey! I’m doing as well as one could be doing. I’m literally in my trailer right now on the Sony lot in Los Angeles, waiting to get called back to set to continue filming the third season of For All Mankind!

What led you to becoming an actress?

Truth is, it wasn’t a moment or a specific event. The idea of being an actor was always lingering in my brain, I just didn’t know I was allowed to be an actor. I had no idea how you started or became an actor. I figured you either needed to have famous parents, have a ton of money, or were just plucked off the street one day. The moment I realized that I could go to school for acting was probably the moment it all started to click for me.

As far as auditioning for parts this year are any of the narratives you see taking place in present times? I'm interested to see how scripted art will portray these weird times.

I hope no one tries to make a film or show about the pandemic and the state of the world right now. For some time, at least. What’s happening before us is still happening, and I don’t think we will properly be able to unpack it or understand it until we’re more removed from everything.

Something you love about yourself:

I think I’m a pretty patient person—with others, with myself. It’s much easier to navigate the world when you don’t jump to conclusions too quickly. It’s better to wait for things to unfold in front of you before making decisions.

What are your favorite spots in Harlem? What would you tell someone to do if they were in your childhood neighborhood?

Harlem is nothing without the people. So many beautiful neighborhoods in New York have become so gentrified and a lot gets forgotten or disregarded. It’s all here because of black people, poor people, and immigrants. So that’s what I would tell someone about Harlem: you can never be a part of Harlem if you don’t uplift its people.

What’s your skincare routine? Any essential products?

Biologique Recherche is the best line of products I’ve ever come across. My skin changed, like day and night, when I started using their Creme Dermopurifiante. It’s expensive, but it’s worth it.

When you're in a shitty mood, what do you do to make yourself feel better? Or perhaps, do you just let yourself feel the feelings? 

I find someone to talk to. If you’re feeling down, you have to allow yourself the opportunity to open up and get out of your head. Otherwise you can spiral.

You said this in reference to your approach to working with Meryl Streep, “If I make this really normal, I won’t mess up.” I love that mindset-geared approach to all uncomfortable or anxiety-ridden situations in general. Is that something you do frequently or just when you're with big name movie stars/directors?

Truth be told, I don’t really get nervous with big names! I love acting and my focus is just on playing and acting with my scene partner. Also, the person on screen is different than the person in real life. My brain usually doesn’t even connect them as the same, so when I recognize they’re two different things then I can’t get nervous.

What's been one of the most challenging aspects for you in pursuing your career?

Keeping my public persona and private life separate. I think it’s important as an actor to keep a bit of mystery. When the time comes, I’ll probably rid myself of all social media.

What's something you learned over the pandemic that has really stuck with you?

I started working out, and I think it’s something I’ll continue to do for the rest of my life. Often times working out can feel like it’s just a means to look a certain way, so for a while I really turned my back on it because I didn’t care about my appearance and I didn’t want to get to the point where I started to care.
Now I’ve learned how to work out in a way that really feeds my body. I like being active and strong. It’s become meditative.

I also read that you once thought about changing your last name to be "less Latin." Can you walk me through that a bit--why you felt the need to? And why you are happy you ultimately didn't?

I’m happy you asked this question, because I’ve always wanted to clarify this point. I did an interview with a lovely Latin journalist who brought this subject up a few years back. I think my response might have read differently than what I shared interpersonally in that moment.  

The idea of changing my last name was never in my head until I became an actor, and thus I began receiving that question often. But the only reason I got asked about it so often is because I’m Latin. So in the past when I’ve answered the question it’s always been theoretical — “what if I changed it?” My answer was never literal. The thought was never something that organically entered my brain. I never actually thought about changing my last name, and I never wanted to change my last name. I’ve spoken about it in the past — in interviews, with mentors— because it’s fascinating, when you really break it down, just how many actors feel pressure to do so. Sometimes actors are told to do it because they’re told it’ll help get them roles. Ultimately for me, “getting the role” never outweighed the reality of what message I would be sending by changing it. I don’t want to diminish my blackness and take on whiteness. I could never be less black, less Dominican, and more white if I tried. And I don’t want to try.