Milcania Diaz-Rojas

You made your acting debut in HBO’s SHARE, a film with a deeply emotional storyline. How did that experience shape you as an actor, and what did you learn from working on such a powerful project? 

 

It was a great jumping point for me. The storyline was something that captivated me from the beginning, because it felt like a true story, a deeply vulnerable story, without the fairytale happy ending. The story that just isn’t always told. Pippa was an incredible director, but the entire crew made that experience so special. I still keep in touch with some producers and castmates today. I remember having so much fun throughout that whole shoot. At the time I had really only worked on a couple of short films, and worked mainly with friends, so being able to work on set, and learn from my cast mates, some of which were already very established in the industry was a big eye opening moment that also solidified that I am on the right trajectory. The full circle moment for me was that I was leaving an athletic background to pursue my passion in the arts and the irony that the first role I would book, would just so happen to be a basketball player- I really took that as a sign that I am on the right track. 

 

 

Having a team that really understands my vision and the trajectory I am aiming for has been imperative for me in this business. Because what ends up happening is that we go out for so many things, and get so many rejections until we eventually build  that “tough skin” but if you’re going out for things that don’t inspire you or don’t align with where you see yourself in the future, you might end up also burning out. I say that as an artist, but also as a mom who already has to prioritize my time and make the most of it. When roles come around that really make my heart pound I just get excited, I get re-inspired each time, and am reminded of why I love what I do. These stories always seem to make their way to me when I need them the most. That’s something that’s completely out of my control unless I am the one creating or collaborating on the project, so I  just make sure I am prepared to receive those roles when they come to me, and I’ve also been very into the creating process lately and inspired to continue to create my own work as well. 

As an alumna of the prestigious CBC Actors Conservatory at the Canadian Film Centre, how has your training there influenced your acting style and approach to storytelling? 

The conservatory was such a gift. The fact that I was able to spend nearly every day working on my craft filled that creative cup for me, and inspired me. Having received the majority of my acting training from one place prior to CFC, getting to explore different methods and techniques with my cohort really opened my eyes to different ways I am able to access different depths of my work. The intuitive work we did with Lindy Davies resonated with me a lot and was closest to the style of my process. It is definitely something I keep in my tool belt when I go to my work. Something I took that was different for me was the focus on autonomy of choice- the conversations we shared about trusting my choices not only in my work but also trusting my choices in my life, in my writing, trusting my choices in any and every endeavour I approached really helped build my confidence. Being in a program that also emphasized all aspects of the film making biz including our mental health as artists was a beautiful thing to have a safe space for. I loved the Meisner workshops, the biggest takeaway from that was really just staying in the moment and overthinking things or choices too much. But one of the greatest gifts I received from the program was to be able to create our short films from start to finish and be challenged in that way. Getting a real look at what producing and creating is, as it is something I plan to continue to do throughout my career, and learning from professionals which has inspired me and also given me the confidence that I am equipt for it. Again just trusting my voice and my choices .

 

Your short film ZURY has received critical acclaim, and you’ve been nominated for Best Actress at the 2024 Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival. What inspired you to write this film, and how does it feel to be recognized for both your acting and writing? 

 

It feels good to be recognized for my craft, but honestly the best feeling for me comes way before that when I’m actually doing the work, the preparation, and actually getting to play the character, so being recognized really feels like the cherry on top or the overflow of blessing. It is pretty crazy to see how far I have come though, doing this for nearly a decade and receiving my first honour as an actor. It’s a great feeling. I will say that because I have studied acting for so long, it is something I am naturally more confident in, but when it came to writing it felt much more vulnerable because  I haven’t put my writing out there before, so it felt special to finally be able to share that, because I have written several scripts, but the fear of it not being good enough held me back several times. So having the opportunity, as well as the resources with the Canadian Film Centre, learning the process of building a script in a professional capacity, having a writing mentor and getting that extra push of encouragement and guidance really helped build my confidence. Seeing how my peers received the story was another reassurance, and fast forward now to winning a few awards at several film festivals really gave me the green light for myself to continue to create. It feels like I have permission to put myself out there more now, even though it really was just fear and excuses holding me back. Nonetheless I’m excited because being part of the entire process has been very inspiring for me. 

 

 

I think audiences should expect the unexpected. It’s a post-apocalyptic thriller, so obviously the genre gives you an idea, but family is at the heart of the film. You can expect action, you can expect a lot of beautiful familial moments, a whole lot of suspense. I play Dawn, who is the love interest of Emmanuel Freeman, the eldest son of the group who is finding his own way. As far as my character goes, Dawn is about her business as much as anyone else, she believes in community and serves her community as a nurse, but she is also loving, flirtatious, she is smart and might have a little attitude, but it’s definitely warranted. I think she restores Mannie’s hope in the world outside what he was taught. There is a really fun scene I got to do between “Mannie” and “Dawn which the audiences seemed to love at the TIFF screenings, so I’m excited to see how everyone responds to it, and I hope everyone loves it as much as we loved making it. 

 

 

Going from leading a micro budget indie film to playing Dawn on a larger budget film was definitely a big difference, but there was something really special about being on that Indie film and I think doing the one definitely prepared me in many ways for the other. The late Reeyaz Habib was so passionate about his story which made it easy to get behind it, also I already empathized with my character Kai on many levels because of shared experiences that I can’t give away too much of right now, but I thought it was such a fun and unique concept. Something about being on an indie film like FLS, was that it brought everyone together because it was all hands on deck, we really all helped wherever we could because we just wanted things to go as smoothly as possible – which spoiler it rarely does in this industry, we are always pivoting and finding creative ways to solve problems. But looking back I appreciate every moment. Each opportunity I have had has been a gift to build my skills, my experiences as well as my confidence as an artist. Fat Lady Sriracha was also my first time leading a film, so doing that taught me the amount of responsibility that comes with leading a film. Since it was my first time, I put an immense amount of pressure on myself, and over prepared but there were some gems I learned from that. One was the gift of coming prepared with my interpretation of the character and not necessarily ideas of what I will do, but with choices to play with, another was not being afraid to ask questions and really collaborate. Going from a low budget indie, where for the majority of the shoot I had one take and a safety, I got a note from the director before the shot if I was lucky, which was cool because he trusted my choices and trusted my artistry, so my process and preparation came in clutch because I had no choice but to bring my A game, so going from that to having rehearsals where we were able to play and explore with the director felt like Christmas in a different way. Also, we shot Fat Lady Sriracha in less than 2 weeks so you can imagine how packed the days were and the pace in which we were moving, compared to 40 Acres which was about a two-month span. 

 

Family and faith are clearly important parts of your life. How do they influence your work as an artist, and how do you balance your personal values with the demands of the entertainment industry? 

 

Family is everything and my faith is everything. Without those things, I wouldn’t be who I am today. I was asked a question this year, “If you only had one year to live, what would you do, and what would you change”? That question really hit me, because we often get caught up in the hustle of everyday life, but immediately I thought back to 2020 when everything was in an uproar, and we really didn’t know what would happen to any of us. In those moments it was really clear what mattered the most. The gift and privilege of holding our loved ones close, the privilege of having shelter over our heads, clothes on our backs, food on our table and the blessing of having a job to provide for ourselves, and especially the faith and hope in God and that He would be our peace, our protector and provider through the storm and through it all. 

 

Balancing my morals and values in an industry that isn’t always aligned with those values has been difficult at times, but I have learned to trust that what is for me will come to me, and when one door is closed, even if I am the one having to close it, there are still 10 other doors, even if the next door doesn’t come for some time. I have learned to trust God through it, and pray for his protection over me and my career. My being in the film industry is not something that my family ever really understood, or fully got behind, but I understand that it is because of the horror stories they have heard about the abuses of power with young women, and the agendas that are often pushed through the media. I am thankful that I have a team that has been supportive of me and of my boundaries, and that continues to support me and push me in the direction I want to go. 

 

For me boundaries and morals go hand in hand in this industry. When I started there were things I was not willing to do, because at the time I was not ready or comfortable doing them. As my confidence grew in myself, through taking classes and through my own self-exploration, I then opened up to the idea of doing the things I had set boundaries for, but it took a very long time, and at some point I realized that I actually did not want to do that anymore and reverted back. We are ever evolving people, it’s okay to be clear about things, it’s also okay to grow and change our minds. I think it’s important to always check in with what you are comfortable doing and the major, MAJOR takeaway I have learned in this industry and in my life is to TRUST MY INTUITION! Trust that gut feeling when it tells you this isn’t something you want to lend yourself or your energy to. This is so important for everyone but especially young women, and young women in this industry. You do not ever have to do something that makes you uncomfortable, and if you so choose to do it, make sure it is of your own volition. This is something I have gotten much better at doing, and in the same breath something I need to continue to work on exercising, but I have learned that my intuition is rarely ever wrong, and that I just need to trust it. 

 

 

When I first started acting I did a short film called 10k that was written by Andre Newell. At the time I was still pretty new to acting, but what I did have was that joy and love and natural knack for it. All my choices were mine, I wasn’t holding onto any notions or teachings, I was really genuinely working intuitively and having so much fun doing it. I was playing a rapper who is provoked into a rap battle, and ends up effortlessly destroying my opponent. I worked with a bunch of people I knew on that set, and also met people who I am still friends with today, but this was particularly memorable because at that time we really just wanted to create. It was a Guerilla style shoot, there was a real desire to collaborate and just make things! Along the way I somehow became precious or more attached to the perfection of things, and I feel like now I am feeling more inspired than ever to go back to that first love of just getting together to create and collaborate and make movie magic. 

 

I am so blessed to have such a beautiful culture and background. Being a first generation Canadian to two Dominican parents has been a blessing in my life. First of all because I am bilingual, but also because I got to eat delicious Dominican food my whole life. I really feel for those who did not have that opportunity, I know it must have been rough. But truly I have been blessed with this beautiful mix of afro-indigenous-Latina culture, and I try to bring that in myself to every role I play. Wherever I can, and especially in my own work, incorporating my own culture has been something I have always loved to do. In the film Fat Lady Sriracha, I played a chef and I was able to bring some of my culture to that by sharing some of the foods that were typical for Dominican cooking and bringing that in where I could. Being afro-Latina as a Canadian artist has been in no way easy. I feel like at least there have been more roles that have come to me as a Latina, but the representation I see on screen for afro-Latinos just doesn’t match that. This is something I want to change. It is so important for me as an artist, to represent for all the afro-Latino community. I remember when I first saw the film, “Colombiana” and seeing Zoe Saldana, absolutely killing her role, but seeing her there, a melanated Latina leading a film inspired me so much and really made me feel like I could do that. I want to do that for the little afro-Latinx girls and boys who precede me. That they can see their representation as a whole and see more afro-Latinos on screen. 

 

I love to travel, and I haven’t really got to do much of it yet, but I am so excited to travel. I am trying to learn a few languages of the countries I plan to go to first. I want to immerse myself in a different culture, see how different it is from my own and learn a thing or two, but mainly I am excited to try all the different foods. I used to watch cooking shows religiously as a kid, and my mouth would just water. I really want to do it all, I want to experience as much of this life as God has to offer. I want the kids, the family, to travel, to eat delicious food and expand my mind through books, but I also want to create beautiful works, to act in beautiful work that moves people and heals me, I want to direct, I want to start a business one day, possibly fail miserably, but learn something from it. As a mom, there are so many things I want to do with my daughter, I want her to see everything the world has to offer, I want her to be excited about life, and be grateful for the little everyday blessings. The most important part of our work is living, because how can we act if we have no experiences of our own to draw from? Advice I got when I started acting, from an actor I looked up to and did was that you need to have a life outside of acting too.  I am so thankful for that advice because it gave me permission to really have other hobbies, and passions outside of acting. Of consciously doing things I genuinely enjoy because I enjoy doing them and not as a means to distract myself from my work.