Cover Story - Raising Melonie Diaz
Tagged the queen of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, the 24-year-old actress Melonie Diaz is as real as they come. Starring in four films (American Son, Assassination of a High School President, Be Kind Rewind, and Hamlet 2) all shown at the festival, the petite Puerto Riqueña from New York’s Lower East Side knew that the art of entertaining was something that came naturally to her at a very young age. From breakdancing at family gatherings to attending New York’s Professional Performing Arts High School – alma mater to Alicia Keys – Melonie was on the road to success, even if she didn’t know it herself.
Her first film was alongside Luis Guzman in Tom DiCillo’s 2001 Double Whammy, when Melonie was only 17-years-old. “Melonie’s like my little sister. She is a wonderful young woman. In a sense of what I feel and see her do, she is a wonderful talent. With the right material she’s going to go very far,” explains actor Luis Guzman. “Coming from the Lower East Side of New York helps tremendously. I’m grew up down there, she’s grew up down there and it has impacted us, even in regards to our work. She’s a great girl!“
Then came what many call her most memorable role to date, Peter Sollett’s Raising Victor Vargas. Melonie went on to play roles in movies like Lords of Dogtown (2005), A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006), which landed her an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Female, and Itty Bitty Titty Committee (2007) in which she played the lead role of “Anna.” But it wasn’t until she landed the role that was also offered to Kirsten Dunst, in Micahel Gondry’s Be Kind Rewind, that film critics proclaimed she had found mainstream success.
Now with the high school comedy Hamlet 2 in theaters and with this Christmas’ comedic-drama Nothing Like The Holiday’s on deck, Melonie feels she is on the same path of the likes of Eva Mendes and America Ferrera who have crossed color lines and are respected for their craft beyond being Latina. “It was such a wonderful treat [to have her on the set of Nothing Like The Holidays.] Guzman reveals. She’s a joy to have on set. I appreciate watching her work and working alongside her. From what I do in this business and my experiences, I didn’t need to give her any pointers or any talks about the art. However, she’s open to things and that’s a good thing to have in this business.“
With a style all her own, ULM talked to the Puerto Rican starlet to get a feel for what Melonie Diaz’s life is really about…off-set. Touching on family, friends and what she looks for in a man’s style, the self-proclaimed moody actress also gave the scoop on her personal take on Benicio del Toro, Penelope Cruz, her favorite pair of jeans, purple people and fairy dust.
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