Actors Eliana Alexander and Daniel E. Mora have the rare chance to play important lead roles in the web series Sin Verguenza (Without Same). Their performances have garnered them each a Best Actor Imagen Award nomination. They will be competing among some of Hollywood finest talent come September 9th. Sin Verguenza was also nominated in the Best Web Series category, Best Supporting Actor and Best Advertisement.
Alexander and Mora’s nominations are notable because they are performances in a small independent production, competing against big budget TV show, yet the caliber of talent has been deemed on par with those of TV network shows. Alexander is up for Best Actress in the television category, against Jennifer Lopez (Shades o Blue), Eva Longoria (Telenovela), America Ferrera (Superstore), Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin) and Sofia Vergara (Modern Family), Jaina Lee Ortiz (Rosewood), and Raini Rodriguez (Austin & Ally). While Mora is competing with Oscar Isaacs (Show Me a Hero), Gael Garcia Bernal (Mozart in The Jungle), Wagner Moura & Pedro Pasqal (Narcos), and Jon Seda (Chicago PD).
Elina Alexander plays the mother
Sin Verguenza takes a departure from the usual stereotypes Hollywood presents. For one it is Latinos in lead roles dealing with tabu issues within the Latino community such LGBT and AIDS . At the heart of the story is Alexander’s character, Adriana Salazar, the matriarch of the family. The “telenovela” follows the fictional Salazar family, who live in East Los Angeles. The storyline is based on the experiences of patients of AltaMed, the largest HIV medical provider for Latinos in Los Angeles. Altamed is also one of the producing entities.
The web series was created and conceived by Natalie Sanchez, MPG and Clinic Administrator of Altamed’s HIV department and Hilda Sandoval, PHD a trained in mental health professional and expert on the impact of HIV in the Latino community.
Drama ensues when a member of the Salazar family is faced with HIV. The big question is, who? We watch this family deal with the unthinkable and we watch as the family is impacted – from baby to grandma.
AltaMed created and produced this one-of-a-kind bilingual telenovela directed by Paco Farias and designed as an educational tool to draw in audiences and provoke discussion on HIV prevention, using a television drama to tackle the shame and stigma associated with HIV within the Latino Community. Through the Salazar family we learn about unexpected contributors of risk in the ongoing spread of HIV in the community and ideas to prevent it.
Daniel Mora plays the dad
A groundbreaking and innovative way to both entertain and educate. However the process of preparing for a role in a production such as Sin Verguenza, which has a teaching component to it, is the same as any other acting job, but with the knowledge that your work is directly impacting families in ways that none of the other shows can.
The second season of Sin Verguenza recently premiered on YouTube and on its own website as word of their nomination came.
So on September 9th at the Imagen Awards, Eliana will proudly stand among her fellow actresses, knowing her performance stands among the best. We caught up with Alexander to get her thoughts on her nomination and the importance of having her work recognized.
LatinHeat: First of all congratulations on your Imagen Award nomination. Tell us, what is the web series about?
Eliana Alexander: Sin Verguenza is a drama based on a true story of how the Salazar family deals with the unexpected news that one of its members has HIV. As the Salazar family learns about the risks in the ongoing spread of HIV so does the audience.
Sin Verguenza was filmed in English and Spanish to reach more audiences and was developed to address the impact HIV has on the Latino community.
LH: So this is not only a dramatic telenovela, like so many many of us grew up watching in Spanish language TV, but it is also a tool to educate. Can you talk about the uniqueness of the web-series?
EA: It is inadvertently educational. It is an amazing project that has a powerful message regarding the HIV and AIDS epidemic. A show that reaches so many and leads people to the right place for treatment and gives them hope.
LH: Tell us about your character, Adriana?
EA: Adriana Salazar is a very strong woman who loves her family very much and fights for their unity. A committed wife and mother who is proud of her family’s accomplishments and hopes for a bright future for her children. Her world turns upside down when HIV comes into their lives yet through the pain she manages to create possibilities for the family to stay strong.
LH: You are nominated among some major stars how do you feel about that?
EA: It is an honor to be nominated alongside these wonderful women. I am very grateful to the Imagen Foundation for acknowledging my work. I am blessed that they considered a nomination for our web- series in a mainstream category. They truly have shown us that our series matters.
LH: This is the second season of Sin Verguenza. How has the audience responded to it?
EA: All the responses we have received have been fantastic. We have heard from Alta-Med that there has been an increase in HIV testing specifically because of the series. As an actor it is an amazing feeling to know that I am a part of a show that saves lives.
In addition, a close personal friend told me the story compelled her to get tested for HIV. This was a life-changing experience for her and I was touched beyond belief when she shared this with me.
LH: Describe your family in Sin Verguenza?
EA: There is our open gay son, Enrique, Christina, who is trying to navigate college while helping us the family business; and Esther, my mother, our much loved abuela. We are a strong family faced with trials and tribulations; yet persevere through all of the hardships with love.
LH: What is the significance of being nominated for an Imagen Award… and now for the second time?
EA: Anytime we are nominated as a show its an acknowledgement for the work as a collaborative team. It is great PR for the series and because of the attention we will get more viewers, which in turn will help more people.
LH: Tell us something about the process of filming this web-series?
EA: Being that the show was filmed in Spanish and English all of us had to be ready and strong. Getting to deep emotions is one thing and having to relive them in two languages made for some exhausting days. I am fortunate to have amazing cast mates and we really worked well together as a team.
LH: Tell us about a special moment for you working on this project?
EA: There are so many. First is really loving my cast and feeling like a real family. The other is knowing that we are helping people all around the world. Saving lives is a gift and having just a little part of that means the world to me.
Good luck on Friday!
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