CONVERSATING WITH YHORLIFE

Danilo Carrera, one of the most beloved Actors right now after bursting onto the scene playing beloved villain Franco. I had the pleasure to find out more about this charismatic Thespian. Enjoy the interview!

How would you introduce yourself to people who are unaware of you?

La primera pregunta...I’ll introduce myself as [Danilo Carrera] a normal guy with a special job; I’m a kid from a small town — Guayaquil, Ecuador. 

Your first project in Mexico was “Pasión Y Poder” playing Franco. How did you prepare for this role?

For me moving to Mexico for “Pasión Y Poder” was crazy. I had no time to prepare anything because it was on a Tuesday, and they told me I had to be in Mexico by Wednesday, and I started shooting on Monday. So I was just trying to pull whatever tool I had in my career or from colleagues. I had to create this character. That ended up being the villain of the story, but it has helped me to grow so much. It was an amazing process but I was just tyring to handle/solve every problem in every scene as it appeared.

What is something that not many people know about you?

I guess not many people know that I have a family, and I’m a family guy. I am devoted to taking care of my mom, and spending time with my brothers. I am the oldest of five, so for me it’s very important to keep the family together, and to be an example for my brothers- that come after me. So that’s really something that many people don’t know about me.

You and your partner Michelle Renaud are serious Couple Goals! How do you guys balance your individual career ambitions and your relationship?

It is crazy to hear all of the time that we are “Couple Goals.” It is hard, we have a normal relationship like everyone else, and for us it’s hard to have differences—arguments— discusstions. But we try to manage everything privately, and not share everything — there is a saying in Spanish, you know… “Dirty clothes you wash at home.” So when we have a problem, like everyone else, we try to work it out in privacy. And try to keep our careers as our priority too. So that we can keep growing and achieve our dreams together. Whatever I can help her with, I will, and she’s shown me that whatever I need she will be there for me— so we manage that way.

What is your first love: acting, modeling, or hosting? How did you get into the other areas?

My first love none of the above, none of the above. It was soccer, soccer… my love is soccer, to be a soccer player. Believe it or not—I have to say writing. It’s something, my fans and the media have not heard about. I will be coming out with a book soon. That’s my first love even before — modeling, hosting, which I like, I love all of them. My first love is soccer, and in the creative world it is writing for sure.

Please describe your upcoming show “Quererlo Todo”

“Quererlo Todo” —means wanting everything, wishing to have everything, and la novela is just amazing. La novela we have everything we need, we have an amazing cast, and an amazing story, amazing locations. People right now are in their houses, and are not coming out of their houses. So, for them to watch all of the places that we are shooting—watching have teh forest, seeing the green, and seeing a lot of spaces. It’s going to be amazing for a lot of people who are home right now. My character es “Un Macho.” He’s a tough guy who falls in love. He’s ahead of his time, he’s like a hero, super-hero, but without super powers, it’s crazy. If he needs to get into a fight to take care of someone or protect someone, he will. He’ll go against four or five guys, take a beating, it doesn’t matter, he will keep moving forward. He will get on a horse and he will do anything form a horse to help all the people he needs.

What do you do to stay balanced and healthy?

To stay balacned for me, it’s a mix of many things. I try to sleep, that’s the hardest for me to sleep 8 hours a day, but I tyr to do it. Then I try to eat healthy. I try to eat a lot of Salmon, and I try to eat not many things with fat, you know good carbs. The thing I enjoy the most is jogging—running, going out and playing soccer. Going jogging before you have breakfast every morning is so amazing, you burn so much fat. Three times more fat than you would burn if you went jogging after you had breakfast. For sure it’s so amazing for your mind, you prepare your day while you run, you plan to run for 20 minutes, and then all of a sudden its been 30 minutes or 40 minutes, because your mind just flew. With all the things that you are going to achieve during the day, and you did more exercise than you expected.

What are your thoughts on the current BLM movement?

I believe that if one day every single Human on this planet, would act from the strongest feeling there is—that is Love. We would not have movements, or bad news on the media, or sad stories. We would have Respect, Unity, and we would all be in Peace and Harmony. There would be no differences, no frontier, or lines dividing Countries. There would be no people telling from here to here we eat this, and from here to here we speak this language. We would be one World thinker. I believe we should all act from Love, it’s hard but I do believe one day we will get there.

The last and most fun question! How do you unwind?

How do I unwind and relax… for me it’s very easy. I just need to get to my family. Sometimes work— media, interviews, photo shoots, scenes working; meeting new people; new meetings for new projects, shootings again, recording. The rush goes for so long, that we don’t have an escape, I don’t know, even if we go on a cruise, or on a trip we get tehre and it’s the same. There’s a camera waiting for you at the airport, then there’s a camera at the hotel (because they know where we are going to sleep). Then you have an event. It’s fun, but it’s a rush. When I need to disconnect I go to Ecuador. Yes, there are cameras at the airport when I arrive but when I get home and go to my farm, I don’t have cell phones there. I don’t have WiFi there. I am just with my family. Listening to my brothers and going back 10 to 15 years when we were little and had no responsibilities. When we were able to play all day— for me that’s just priceless and that’s what I do. I go to my family, to my Mom, Dad, Grandma, and my Brothers.

Yhorlife Conversates with Mich Duval.

Patricia Manterola. One of the most recognizable names in Latin entertainment. The highly talented, creative, and kind Patricia honored Yhorlife by taking a moment out of her busy schedule to do the interview! I was a fan of Patricia’s before but after this interview it solidified why she is wildly successful- she’s humble, joyful, and just radiates positivity! 

©PATRICIA MANTEROLA

How would you introduce yourself Patricia to people who are unaware of you

First… hi and thank you for having me at YhorLife. Well, I am a very blessed woman that found her passion when I was a little kid. I have been acting and singing since I was eight years old. I feel blessed that I have been able to build a career based on my passion. Uumm it is a true blessing – it is like I have been able to express who I truly am; also, being able to live from it, it is truly a blessing. I discovered early in my career, at about eighteen or nineteen years old that fame is a powerful tool, that you can impact in a positive way the lives of others.

So, I feel blessed that I found my passion early when I was a kid. 

And found the purpose of that passion. I am a blessed woman – I would say that. Also, of course in the personal life; my dream was to have a family and a life partner. I have them both and surrounded by love and health in abundance in all those areas. So yes, I feel really blessed.

What is something that not many people know about you

Oh my gosh, uuhhh I have a sister, and this comes with a remarkably interesting fact. I have a little sister, Michelle, who is an incredibly talented and successful actress; as well she was born the same day that I was born – April 23rd…. but years later. So, she was my birthday present. So that is something a lot of people do not know that I have a real human doll as a birthday present – and I love her very much. Another thing that comes to mind is that I do not drink alcohol. I have tried to change a lot of habits in my life, for the habits that are bringing me closer and closer to my peace inside. And the habits that keep me there. So, I switched to healthier habits in the mind, body, and in the soul.

Please describe your incredibly successful Renta Congelada, and how you prepared for this

Hahaha…. thank you so much. Well you know Renta Congelada is the first time that I ever explored a sitcom, a comedy. I feel that I am the worst comedian in the world. If you put me in front of an audience trying to make them laugh, they will laugh at me but not because of what I say. Because I am so bad as a comedian, I have never felt strong enough to make them laugh; but as an actress, this is the first time that I explored that area. You are using your acting skills, of course sitcom is different because they do not need comedians. They need real actors. I really prepared my character the way that I prepare for other characters. Then I learned the technique of comedy based on great directors and actors that I have on the set. You also learn that comedy has a very special rhythm, so people in the audience can understand the jokes, and the funny situations that you go through as a character.

I really prepare my character as normal, however, but one thing that I truly put into the character is when I read the first draft of the script I instantly saw Delia as ‘The Nanny’. Do you remember ‘The Nanny’? that successful series from a long time ago and I saw Delia with a lot of similarities with that character. So she was my inspiration to give life to Delia.

You animated “La Voz Kids” and “Siempre ninos”, have you always had a passion for animation? Do you incorporate some of the current events in the world into her storylines to help the youth be aware and formulate opinions?

Yes, well I never felt also that I was a host, like to host a show. After I did my singing, acting career, and I became let’s say famous a lot of these Premier lo Nuestro, The Latin Grammy’s, The Billboard’s  - all those events invited me as a presenter, as a host. I felt so natural, I always told to these production companies, that I was not a host, but I would love to do it. Only if I could be natural on the way that I present myself as a host, I will be okay. They said ‘yes’ that is what we are looking for, we want naturality, and we love that. Then they invited me to hosting “The Festival Vina del Mar” in Chile, and then other Awards in Spain as well. I do not consider myself a host per say… but I feel amazingly comfortable doing it. 

So now the second part of the question…yes, every time I have the opportunity to be a host and to have a microphone in front of me, I always use that to impact in a positive way the lives of others. Especially for the youth, because now that I am a mom, and I have kids; I know how important it is to make them compassionate and make them aware. 

They need to know what is going on in the world, with their language, with the information that they can process. For example, I became a vegan, seven to almost eight years ago; I did it first for health, then respect for animals, and my lifestyle changes. My kids were not at the beginning (a vegan). Then little by little when they saw me, and they began asking me information on why I became a vegan, I was then able to explain the reasons. As well I told them that I was going to respect their decisions, and little by little I saw them change.

I think my son, Lucca, was four, or three years old when he told me ‘Mommy I do not want to eat anymore animals, I love animals, I respect them. So if I can be healthy and not eat animals let’s do it’. So, he became a vegan just because he saw me as a role model, because they say you teach by your actions.

Then my husband became a vegetarian and then a vegan; then my other two kids. Then, it was so beautiful one of my twins, Alesso, loves sharks, and we were looking at videos of sharks on the internet. One video popped up about sharks, and the problem that exists how they kill the shark for their fins and sell the fins in the markets; and then throw the sharks back into the ocean. He was devastated, he could not understand how people could be so evil to cut the fins of sharks then throw them back in the ocean to die without fins. He then told me that day…’ not because I do not like meat, but if I eat meat, I am supporting these things, so I am not going to eat animals anymore’.

I feel with your actions, and your words, of course that has an impact, so in my hosting role…every time I have the opportunity I incorporate some of the current events in the world to impact in positive ways. That is how we can help together, and especially with the younger generation. I will do it.

You are incredibly talented. As an actress how did you create/make your character come to life and be relatable?

I try not to act, hahaha…in my life. Of course, we all have a little bit of acting in the way that we interact with other people. But I always try to be true to myself. My audience has seen me growing in this career since I was a kid. They have seen all my ups and downs. I have always tried to show them the way that I am, so when I cry, I cry, and I say it when I am strong. I love to share the tools that help me to become stronger and every time I failed, how I stood up again and became better; and how I learned from that experience.  I have been creating that character daily, focusing on being honest and open. I think that is what is making me relatable to others, and people can relate to the things that I go through. I also feel blessed to have the support of so many people that care about me, and about my life. I think they know how much I care about their lives, so it goes both ways.

©PATRICIA MANTEROLA

What drives you

I think it really goes back to self, who we truly are…that drives me. Going back to that peace, that we all are and have, it is inside of us. But how many times because of our mind, our thoughts, that ego mind – we forget. This is what always drives me, the little things that remind me to go back to that peace. And with that practice if I can share, and impact this to the lives of others; this makes me happy. Every time I have the opportunity to talk about this in my world, the entertainment world, which is not that often; I always try to incorporate those little tools like, meditation and yoga (the tools that have helped me). All these things that you can do daily to make you feel better. That drives me a lot.

What advice would you give to a 13-year-old girl that has the same aspirations as you – being an actress & making a career doing what they love?

Well believe in yourself that is the first thing. I had the blessing of a mom that repeated this to me since I was a kid…’You can do it. You can do whatever you want, I am not saying that it is going to be easy, but You can do it. And believe in yourself.’ That was and has been stuck in my head since I was a kid. So, I am blessed, and I thank my mom for that. So, I would say that to them, believe in yourself. Do not worry what people can say about you, and especially in this social media world. Our kids are exposed to so much criticism that can make their self-esteem go super low sometimes. We as parents, or public figures must make sure, and remember to tell them to believe in themselves; and not put much attention what others say about you. Also work hard, that is another thing. Often many people only see the tip of the island in the middle of the ocean, and they do not see everything that was done underneath (that island), the hard work. So, yes believe in you, hard work, and that will make you successful in whatever you decide that is your passion.

What are your thoughts on the current BLM (Black Lives Matter) movement?

Well honestly, I believe we are living in an era that we can not just stay quiet. BLM, women being abused, kids being abused, and animals are being abused. We are abusing each other. It is time to speak up and to change that. The way that we can do that – 1. Create and impact others, teach the younger generations to be more compassionate for others. To really practice no judgment and be compassionate. Embrace our differences, those differences make us powerful and unique. I am so thrilled to be in an era that we can speak up hard and we can get together and do this movement together. On my next song I wrote in this pandemic – it is about how many people just stay quiet – but not anymore, we are here, we will open that door because we are coming through that door. I am totally supportive.

Are there any upcoming projects you are able to share with us

Well, I just shared one…ahahaha, that is one of my new songs. I hope I can collaborate with some of my powerful friends and do something powerful with that song.

The last and most fun question! What is your favorite way to pamper yourself and get a boost?

Ohhh my gosh, I love to sleep. I know it sounds boring. Since I have become a mom, I have not been able to sleep like I like. So, whenever there are no activities for the kids, or interviews, and traveling; I ask my family to let me sleep in. For me that is the most delicious thing I can do for me, to be in a dark room sleeping in, and just those extra hours of rest. Also taking a bath, having massages with my hubby.

Thank you to you, blessings, and stay healthy.

©PATRICIA MANTEROLA

Thank you, Patricia, it was a pleasure.

Yhorlife Conversates with Marriam Mossalli