By: Matt Emma
The thin line between love and hate is an evergreen topic explored in art. While she’s had a diverse array of roles, actress Bruna Meijas concedes that those built around romance and its demise often offer her the opportunity to build unique characters whose personalities and motivations can vary widely. Female characters are no longer the willowy damsels in distress who appear as accouterments to male leads, and the recent film and television appearances by Bruna appear to reflect this ongoing shift in storytelling. Happy to be part of the growing group of women expanding the parameters of female characters and perspectives, Bruna feels her vocation is a calling and states, “I believe you have to do what you like. It’s your life, and it should always be your choice alone. It’s so much easier and pleasant to be dedicated to something you enjoy, and it’s my belief that you can only succeed in something you are putting your time and effort into. I believe it’s possible to be successful and financially stable in anything you choose to do, but in my experience, it’s easier to achieve that if you enjoy what you do. You will naturally be more dedicated, and growth will happen in a way that feels more like an effortless flow.”
Nominated for Best Romantic Short at IndieX Film Fest, Fading Silver presents a relatable portrayal of a young couple experiencing the dissolution of their union. Danny and Mira are talented when it comes to acting like everything is copacetic in public, but the walls come down when they are alone together. Far beyond the dialogue, Bruna emotes the inner turmoil of a woman who begins to understand that her mate may be willing to cross unacceptable boundaries to achieve his career goals, boundaries that diminish her belief in their relationship and bring her self-worth into question. Even in her silence, one can perceive that Mira appears to be contemplating her next few moves. It’s a performance that draws the viewer into a disturbing yet believable scenario.
A woman in an even more desperate situation is presented by Ms. Meijas as Melissa in They Were in White. When a man breaks into the family home seeking retribution from Melissa’s husband, Bryan, Melissa kills the intruder in self-defense. The fact that these men are intertwined in a grudge and Melissa is several months pregnant makes the possibility of her going to jail a serious concern, resulting in the couple making difficult and morally complex plans to avoid this outcome. Like many thought-provoking films, They Were in White invites audiences to reflect on where the divide between right and wrong exists. The motto “believe women” receives an intriguing delivery by Ms. Meijas as Melissa, one that is presented in a compelling and reflective manner.
Not restricted to cinema, Bruna Meijas recently appeared on Mathis Court with Judge Mathis. Alongside the two-time Daytime Emmy Award-winning Mathis, Meijas appeared as ER nurse Samantha Reyes, who is being sued by her ex-boyfriend. With a mix of heightened courtroom drama and moments of humor, the role leaned heavily upon theatre training as Bruna notes, “There was less than 24 hours from the time I knew I had the role until filming. This production leans into improvisation, which made it really fun for me and also kept me guessing as to what Samantha would do next. Almost all of my roles are built on months and months of research and preparation, but this project required me to work off instinct and exploration at a moment’s notice. The whole process was very rewarding. It required myself and the actor playing my boyfriend to be extremely focused, to be on the same page in some aspects and background regarding our characters’ relationship as well as knowledge of our characters’ personal history, and to be always listening very closely to one another as well as the judge and the bailiff, so that we could adjust and incorporate whatever would come up in the spot that wasn’t in the script.”
Principal photography will begin this summer for the feature film The Roommate. As Elle, a nightclub dancer, Bruna plays a confident and determined woman in this film who is unwilling to give in to the panic of a roaming killer targeting women. Meijas finds her inspiration in a different type of fear. “I completed my university education in a different field but always knew I wanted to be an actor,” reveals Meijas, adding, “I fulfilled my family’s wish of me earning a degree in a ‘safe’ vocation, but once I began auditioning and getting roles, I felt encouraged by the experience and chose to continue pursuing acting. The only thing that truly frightened me was not pursuing my desire to do what I have always wanted to do. It feels like this is a time when roles for female actors seem to be evolving and expanding, and I’m deeply invested in being a part of that trajectory.”
