We had the good fortune of connecting with Elvia Hill and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elvia, why did you pursue a creative career?
Let’s be real, the journey an actor takes is a hard one. This career can take a toll on your spirit and mental health. Many would even say physically. There are many ups and downs and if I didn’t feel the fire in my soul for acting, I would have given up already. I like being creative. When I don’t act, I sing, dance or paint. I feel like this gift was given to me for a purpose and I don’t take that lightly. Simply put, I decided to pursue acting because I love it and I know I can make an impact on others.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have been acting for the last 4 years professionally and it has been an amazing ride. I started doing local projects and background work to get on set and see amazing actors at work. That meant that at one point I got to be on set with Will Smith, Martin Lawrence and Paola Nuñez. I was in awe of their performance. Paola’s character in Bad Boys 3 was so bad ass. I hope to book a strong female role like that in the future.

Eventually I started booking bigger roles in projects that meant a lot to me because I got to represent my culture. I am Puerto Rican and it’s not often that I see roles for Latinos that are multidimensional and interesting or represented correctly.

Those projects include Comé(Eat) on HBOMax and I recently filmed the feature Nochebuena directed by Adam Lopez and written by Glenaliz Quezada. Nochebuena is a beautiful story about love and family with a fun Latin twist. Nochebuena brings to life the Puerto Rican Christmas and I haven’t seen that on the big screen yet. I believe representation matters and being part of Latin projects is really important to me since we have been underrepresented for so long. I love my culture and I want it to be represented in the best way possible. I am really fond of my character Maria. She is a fun, sassy mom and I really connected with her. The cast was incredible and it includes Rose Bianco, Tanairi Vazquez and Rene Rosado.

My most notable role at the moment is playing Maria in Season 5 of Cobra Kai. My scenes were filmed in Atlanta and Puerto Rico. It was a wonderful experience and I hope I come back for Season 6.

Getting to where I am today has been a lot of hard work not only on my side but from the people that represent me as well. A huge lesson I have learned along the way has been to not dwell on what I don’t have and to be happy with my current circumstances. If I think too much about what I want and what I don’t have, I miss the present and the beauty that my life currently offers.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
One of the first places I would take them would be Centennial Olympic Park in Downtown Atlanta. It’s a beautiful park. Then we would go on the SkyView Ferris Wheel because at the very top you get an awesome view of Atlanta.

Then I would take them to Ponce City Market. There is so much to do here, you could literally spend the whole day there. The roof has mini golf which is one of my favorite activities. We would definitely make a stop at El Super Pan and get a delicious Cuban and some yucca fries.

On a Wednesday night we would go to Tongue and groove to dance some Bachata and Salsa.

I love to kayak so we would head to the Chattahoochee Nature Center and take a guided tour and kayak the river for a bit.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have so many people I would like to recognize. Mainly my family for always being supportive and always telling me to chase my dreams. God, because I couldn’t be who I am without him and the calling he has put in my heart. Thank you to the wonderful acting coaches that really made me enjoy the process and the craft. Andi Matheny, Eugenie Bondurant, CJ Bornacelli and the late Jack Turnbull.

If you ever need a reader, check out the Actor Trade App and the Facebook group Rehearsal & Self-Tape Partners for Actors. This wonderful group of actors have helped me countless times when I needed a last minute self tape reader for auditions.

Finally to all the amazingly talented actors I have met along the way. Continue doing what you love and thanks for always lifting your girl up!

Instagram: @itselviahill

Other: www.imdb.me/elviahill

Image Credits
JC Stuart, Ashley Phillips Photography, Curtis Bonds Baker, Nelson Sanchez

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