Meet Cyrina Fiallo | Actress, Writer, Creator

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

Hi Cyrina, any advice for those thinking about whether to keep going or to give up?
As an actress and a writer, I’m forced to think about this question a lot. Rejection is such a huge part of my career and sometimes it feels impossible to keep trying. For as many successes as someone might experience, there are, at best, double or triple the failures. For me, it’s important to remind myself exactly why I got into this business in the first place. I’ve always been a creative person, but it’s connecting with other human beings that fuels me. I love people’s stories, their uniqueness, their motivations. I love how a great piece of writing or a performance can make me laugh, or cry, or cause my heart to swell, knowing that someone, somewhere, has felt what I’ve felt. That I’m not alone. I can’t give up because I am driven by the desire to participate in art that might make someone feel seen or feel less alone or maybe even inspire them to seek joy or creativity or fulfill their own passions. I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of a huge community of creative people who have similar goals and, while most of us will struggle most of the time, being connected in this pursuit makes it a less lonely and very worthwhile journey. I honestly couldn’t imagine doing anything else and wouldn’t want to… so I have to keep going!

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
As an artist, the best thing I can do is be myself, which tends to come with a little extra eccentricity and vulnerability. Sometimes this can make rejection feel more personal, but I think it’s worth the risk because it makes the successes even sweeter. So, as simple and silly as it might sound, the thing that sets me apart from everyone else is me! I’ve learned that the more I try to please someone else or fit into a particular mold, the less I enjoy my work. I absolutely love feedback and being collaborative, but I have to trust my instincts and make sure that I’m doing my best to both represent myself and serve the project.

Hopefully, the future will be filled with many opportunities for me to showcase all of the humor and heart and silliness and weirdness that brings me joy as a performer and writer and makes me uniquely me!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Even though I haven’t lived in Miami for a while, I come back to visit my family a lot. They always share the new and exciting places and restaurants with me, but if I was going to tell a friend about the best places to go, I’d start by saying Cuban food is a must. I always get my fill from several places when I’m here (I’m actually in Miami right now!) but my mom makes the absolute best tostones and my dad’s black beans are unrivaled in my opinion. But since most people can’t go to my house to get those, I always recommend taking a trip to Versailles in Little Havana. There is so much history in the area and the food is consistently good. This one is random, but Flanigan’s is a fan favorite of a lot of creatives that now live in LA. We actually bonded over it on Twitter recently. It’s where me and my theater friends would go after every opening night of our shows. Every one of us has a faded plastic cup with Big Daddy’s face on it.

I never leave Miami without going to the beach. There is nothing better than getting to jump into an ocean that feels like bath water. And of course, you can’t go to Miami without making it to South Beach. I’ve never left there without having an amazing story to tell someone.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I moved to LA from Miami with Natalie Morales and Chrissie Fit — two supremely talented artists who continue to be two of my best friends and most favorite collaborators. When things are hard — professionally or personally — they are always generous with their ideas or encouragement or companionship. I admire their work ethic and focus as artists and their ability to stay humble and available for their friends and families. I am so proud of everything they have accomplished, and I’m so excited for people to be able to see some of the things we’ve been working on!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fifers3000/?hl=en

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cyrinafiallo

Other: IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2687265/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

Image Credits
Jon Johnson Emmanuelle Yang Scott Witter Matt Stuckey Catie Laffoon