Inspirational Women In Hollywood: How Alanna Ubach Is Helping To Shake Up The Entertainment Industry

Photo Credit: Kelly Balch

Failure is just a word. All you have to do is be patient. We’re all artists. Just live and love. Stay away from the toxic weirdos. Your mind will thank you. Once you forget to have a meaningful personal life, you’re headed for trouble.

As a part of our series about Inspirational Women In Hollywood, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Alanna Ubach.

Alanna has a 30 year span of impressive credits in film, television and theatre. Ubach can currently be seen opposite Kate Beckinsale on the Paramount + series “Guilty Party.” She will be back on December 10th for a second season voicing “Queen Tulip” opposite Nicholas Hoult’s “Patrick” on the Hulu series “Crossing Swords.” In 2022 she will return for season 2 of HBO’s critically acclaimed “Euphoria,” and she recently joined the cast of the hugely popular HBO Max series “The Flight Attendant.” She was last seen opposite Kim Cattrall in Fox’ s drama series “Filthy Rich.”

Ubach also has a thriving voiceover career, most known for voicing and singing the lead role for “Mama Imelda” in Pixar’s groundbreaking movie, Coco. Other notable voice work includes the aforementioned “Crossing Swords” as well as “Cutter,” the officious rule follower on “Monsters at Work” on Disney+.

Other notable film credits include her critically lauded performance as “Judge Jeanine Pirro” in Bombshell opposite Charlize Theron, Gloria Bell, Waiting 1 and 2, Legally Blonde 1 and 2, and Meet The Fockers, where she aged up to play the 50 year old nanny who deflowered Ben Stiller. Her myriads of loved television appearances include 5 seasons as a series lead on Bravo’s “Girlfriends Guide to Divorce,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “Hand of God,” “Californication,” “Hung” and “Men of Certain Age.”

Ubach grew up in Downey, California to her Mexican-born mother, Sidna, and Puerto Rican father, Rudy and lives in Los Angeles with her husband, musician Thom Russo and their 2 year old son.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

I was born and raised in Downey, California to a Puerto Rican father and a Mexican mother.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

My parents loved to take us to Vegas shows. I was awestruck the first time I saw Captain and Tennile on stage. I knew at the age of three that performing was what I was going to do.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

There are many stories.This is a wild one! The year I came out in Meet the Fockers, I auditioned for SNL. It was between me and Kristin Wiig! Apparently, I was too visible on television and film, even as an unknown. SNL loves to “discover” talent that mostly comes from the comedy circuits. That was an amazing experience. To have been Kristin Wiig’s competition! WOOT! I might be her biggest fan! It was one hell of a heady experience to say the least.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I auditioned for “Showgirls” as Elizabeth’s best friend. The role was a hefty seamstress. I wore a tape measure around my neck and made myself as dowdy as possible. The casting director was horrified. LOL! Never look like a crap at a Joe Eserhoss audition.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I am beyond grateful for my manager and mentor, Margrit Polak. She was one of my first teachers at the Strasberg Institute in LA and has been managing me since I was 15.

You have been blessed with great success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?

Failure is just a word. All you have to do is be patient. We’re all artists. Just live and love. Stay away from the toxic weirdos. Your mind will thank you. Once you forget to have a meaningful personal life, you’re headed for trouble.

What drives you to get up every day and work in TV and Film? What change do you want to see in the industry going forward?

My 4-year old son is the biggest reason I get up every day with great intentions. As far as the industry goes, I feel there is so much rich content nowadays. I’ve seen a huge evolution in film and TV since I started in the 80’s. YOung actors, today, are so knowing and and they’re thick-skinned. By the time I want changes to happen, they’re happening.

A shot from HBO’s Euphoria which comes back on January 9th

You have such impressive work. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?

I’ve been blessed to have worked with such amazing talent on Euphoria. Those kids are exceptional in every way. I hope to keep working with lovely people and create memorable characters.

We are very interested in looking at diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture and our youth growing up today?

Diversity in film and television helps open viewer’s hearts and minds to being culturally sensitive. Without ethnicity, race, and culture, we are doomed as a species.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?

1. I wish someone had a crystal ball and told me that I was going to be eventually okay after my father died. I was nineteen and very worried that I would never overcome my grief. My twenties were beyond brutal. I’ve seen some crap. It took ten years before I began seeing the world clearly. I forgot how to act in life and in my work. It was a scary time.
2. Don’t drive above the speed limit. Ugh…I have terrible parking ticket luck.
3. You make 30 percent on every paycheck. Don’t go hog wild with the spending! I was audited when I was a teenager! A teenager!
4. Include your property taxes with your monthly mortgage payments. When I purchased my first place, I was young and stupid. I didn’t even know what an interest rate was.
5. Don’t worry so much about being liked. Ay, the energy I’ve spent trying to please people — -I could have climbed Mount K. with all that energy!

Can you share with our readers any selfcare routines, practices or treatments that you do to help your body, mind or heart to thrive? Please share a story for each one if you can.

There is an App called “headspace. I meditate every morning. It’s the first thing I do when I wake up. I’m not a pro, but three minutes really does make a difference. I don’t allow ups and downs to mentally affect me as I once did.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

Don’t ever worry about what people think about you. They’re too busy thinking and worrying about themselves.

You are a person of huge influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?

I am a big believer in free college education. My mother was very poor and the library became her second home. After my father died, I quit school. I was afraid I would be up to my earlobes in debt. Costly education doesn’t make any sense.

Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!

I can tell you right now that Fran Lebowitz is far too busy and smart to have a conversation with me. But if I saw her in public, I might smile, wave and mouth “I love your opinions.”

Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?

Look for me on Instagram! Alanna Ubach