PATRICIA DELEON
An Actress, Model, and Animal Activist
By Dina Morrone
Patricia De Leon is an actress, model, and animal activist. Her passion for animal rights and animal welfare has led her to have recently fronted an anti-bullfighting campaign in Europe. After being crowned Miss Panama, Patricia showed the world that there was much more to her than just her beauty. She hit the ground running, worked hard, and established herself as an actress. Patricia’s support for animals earned her notable status as a spokesperson for PETA Latina, lending her face to four campaigns.
She stars as recurring characters on two high profile ABC drama series – STUMPTOWN, as the character ‘Laura Alvarez’ opposite Adrian Martinez which was created by writer Jason Richman and director Ruben Fleischer. And ‘Elena’ on the GREY’S ANATOMY spinoff, STATION 19. The shows created is Stacy McKee, and Shonda Rhimes serves as executive producer. Patricia’s two upcoming feature films, CENTURIAN XII, in which she has a starring role as supportive mother and wife, ‘Isabella Hall’ opposite Billy Zane and Amber Midthunder, and ONE HEART, where she plays ‘Ana Torres,’ a strong-willed district attorney (Abigail Spencer, Matthew Lillard, Marc Blucas).
Patricia has worked with several highly regarded actors and directors in films such as A-X-L, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, HONEYMOON IN PARADISE, OPERACION: CAUSA JUSTA, CHATEAU VATO, CONFESSIONS OF A WOMANIZER THE GREAT BAKE OFF, YOUR MOVE, FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM, LIGHT FROM THE DARKROOM, BADASS, THE POOL BOYS, HOW THE GARCIA GIRLS SPENT THE SUMMER, CLOUD NINE, and ALL IN, to name a few. She also has worked extensively on television, in shows such as LA QUINCEANERA, NCIS: LOS ANGELES, MAN OF A CERTAIN AGE, NOTORIOUS, and LINCOLN HEIGHTS.
Patricia, thank you for taking the time to chat with us. We know you have a very busy schedule!
You have been a vegetarian and spokesperson for PETA for many years now. You’ve done four campaigns (which we’ll get into) and been a fervent voice for ending cruelty against animals. Can you tell us how you became a vegetarian and how you became involved with PETA?
I suffered from stomach problems as a child up until my early 20’s. I was in and out of hospitals, doing test after test until I couldn’t deal with it anymore. One day I ended up at the ER with lots of pain. I was sent home on a strict vegetarian diet. I now know my body can’t digest the proteins in meat. Not knowing where to start, I went to GOOGLE for recipes, and I ended up bumping into a video from PETA about fur. I cried and cried so hard afterward. I said, that’s it. I want to contact them and see how I can get involved. I learned through PETA the respect for the life of an animal, in every sense.
Of all your campaigns with PETA, your anti-bullfighting stance was the most notable. What made you speak out against this? Do you think things have changed for the better since you did it?
I think that is teamwork. Through my message, I believe I have been able to help other people open their eyes to see that we have choices. People used to tell me, ‘but you are Latin, you are supposed to eat meat.’ Just because our parents grew up in a traditional Latin home, that we have to have traditional meat and dairy diet is absurd.
Do you think it’s hard to be Latin and vegetarian?
Exactly my point. I think that Latin culture is more aware, more open to listen and inform ourselves.
How have things changed in our society as it has become more acceptable to be vegan/vegetarian?
People are healthier. They have lower cholesterol, heart problems, and children are not developing obesity problems early. It’s also much more acceptable to respect the life of an animal.
You’re a successful actress in both Hollywood mainstream and the Latin world. What is it like straddling both worlds? What has one taught you about working in the other?
I miss my Latin world a lot. Getting used to the American market was a bit challenging for me. I am Latin, in every way, which includes being stubborn. I feel that I’ve taken the best out of both worlds. Comparatively, the Hollywood mainstream is so organized, on time, strict, and planned. Not that it’s not in the Latin world, but there’s just more flexibility in the way things and times are handled.
In the last several years, there’s been a call for Hollywood to be more diverse and inclusive.
Do you think the movement has made casting directors and showrunners more aware of a need for different voices?
I think the Latin community needs not to speak up but to write better content and tell our stories. We have directors and producers, writers, actors. We need great narratives and to be considered for these roles. If those roles are not written for us, how will we get there? We need more Latinos behind the lens to create better content in Hollywood.
How do you think Hollywood has changed its attitude about Latin actors since you started?
When I first started, I was playing the part of a nanny. Now we have lawyers and doctors, leading roles, not only the janitors, gardeners, or prostitutes. Also, having an accent or speaking Spanish wasn’t a plus like it is today. Now sometimes the scripts we get are in Spanish.
You made a lot of headway this year by being cast in a recurring role on two major shows on ABC: STUMPTOWN and STATION 19. At the start of your acting career, you were cast on ABC’s LINCOLN HEIGHTS. A decade passed between those roles. What has changed in your acting approach in those ten years?
The preparation and focus are the same. I think the most significant approach change has been taking on a guest role and saying to myself, “I belong here, and I am part of the show” instead of tiptoeing like a guest on set. I earned a spot to be here. That’s allowed me to give myself the freedom to make brave, risk-taking choices on set.
Can you tell us about the characters you’re playing in STUMPTOWN and STATION 19? What are the nuances or differences between the parts?
In STUMPTOWN, I play Laura Alvarez. She is Tookie Alvarez’s wife, played by the amazing Adrian Martínez. They’ve been married for years, and it seems their relationship is in a tough spot. In STATION 19, I play Elena, who creates a big plot twist to one of the main characters.
You have some big film titles in the works with CENTURION XII opposite Billy Zane and Amber Midthunder; ONE HEART with Abigail Spencer, Matthew Lillard, and Marc Blucas; and ONE NATION UNDER GOD working with Kevin Sorbo, Casper Van Dien, and Antonio Sabato Jr. How are you juggling being a full-time actress with auditioning for new roles?
Auditions are part of the job. Sometimes I’m in my trailer shooting auditions with my scene partners. We all help each other. We tape auditions in hotel rooms or on set between takes, with poor lighting. We always get them done under any circumstances. We all help each other reading sides, taping each other.
Do you have a few anecdotes working on the sets of these films?
Hahaha. Many, but one especially. I had a scene with Matthew Lillard, and I had a long monologue. It was a walk and talk — the sun was going down, and I couldn’t get it through my tongue and out of my mouth. There was so much pressure because of the lighting, so Matthew turned around and said, “K breathe, YOU can do this. Come on, and you are doing great, Let’s go!!!” It took that to get the take.
Is there a character you strongly connected to or identified with, in one of these three films?
Yes, Isabella Hall in CENTURION XII. It was very challenging, as the character I was playing was losing a loved one to cancer. I’ve never been so vulnerable while working and fighting against that to not fall apart and put my best out there. I had the most loving and caring director, Dana Gonzáles, and a fantastic cast and crew.
Shifting to another project of yours, I want to talk about PDL Cosmetics, a lip stain, and lipstick line you’re working on. What drove you to start your own line, and will it have the same values of cruelty-free awareness you have in your daily life?
Makeup is a very personal topic for me. Growing up in Panama, I didn’t belong in the pretty group, the most popular click or the academic group. On the contrary, I was more of a wallflower. I wanted so badly to belong and be part of a group. Makeup helped me find my own identity. I remember how back in the day big lips weren’t pretty at all. Matte lipsticks didn’t exist, so I used to put powder over my lips to make the lipstick less shiny, which would minimize their size. I was a teenager, and it goes that deep.
I’ve been working on cosmetics for quite a while now. I worked on a previous line as a collaboration but decided two and a half years ago to work on one of my own. I wanted to create a luxury line for every woman though I focused on Latin women — we love color and love makeup. You can bet that we [Latinas] are well put together, and our makeup is flawless. Our music, food, style of dress is colorful and happy. I wanted to convey that in my makeup line and include my own animal rights values, which is why the line is vegan and cruelty-free, made in the USA.
Some of the profits will go towards a project that helps women in need, those suffering from cancer, going through abuse, or living on the street.
When do you expect it to be available for the public?
It available since May/June 2020.
Where can readers follow you and get to know more about you?
I’m on IG and Twitter @patriciadeleonb
Special Thanks to:
Patricia DeLeon
Dina Morrone
PETA
Photography: John Russo, Deborah Hanock
Makeup: Heather Coopersmith, Authony Merante
Hair: Steve Romero
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