Rising Star Valentina Herrera On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Entertainment Industry

An Interview With Elana Cohen

“Stay excited about every audition”. If you allow it, not hearing back about the last one could mess with your mind, but it’s not the end. Things happen for a reason.

As a part of our series about pop culture’s rising stars, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Valentina Herrera.

Valentina secured her first role in “All the World Is Sleeping,” a movie directed by Ryan Lacen. Shortly after moving to Hollywood, she secured the lead role in “Odd Squad,” the 5-time Emmy Award Winning Show directed by J.J. Johnson and Sinking Ship Entertainment.

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 Chandler, Arizona up until I was seven years old. Throughout the years, my family and I have moved between Texas and California several times. So growing up has been quite a ride and an amazing learning experience.

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

At a very young age, I would record myself on my parents’ personal electronics making up my own little shows and movies. For two years, I begged my Dad to take me to acting classes. He finally gave in and that’s how it all started.

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

After a long six month break from acting, I was ready to start auditioning again. Only two months in, I was super excited to book the role of Anna Maria in the Slumber Party.

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. 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?

Some years ago, when starting my first acting classes, our acting coach gave us a script to learn for next week’s class. When I got home, I threw it in with other old scripts that were laying around my bedroom. So I ended up learning a totally different script for the following class. I was so embarrassed that I learned to carefully organize my scripts and keep them in their proper place every time they were given to me.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?

At the moment, I’m prepping and doing press for Disney’s new movie The Slumber Party. I hope when people watch it, they will not only laugh, but can also see a little bit of themselves, relating to each character in different ways.

Most young people your age don’t have to balance work and school. Can you tell us how you manage to balance your schoolwork, auditions, and time on set?

I’ve been doing homeschool for six years now. When I’m at home and not on set, schoolwork is easier to manage…. but when I’m working on set, they will always have time to squeeze in my schoolwork, and provide a tutor for me.

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?

My parents have sacrificed so much for me. I could not be here today without them. On nights when I was overthinking about acting and getting into my head, they stayed up with me, gave me advice, comforted me and reminded me that I wouldn’t be here if I couldn’t do it. For this and much more, I will always be thankful for my parents because they helped me get to where I am today.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

1. “Don’t be so hard on yourself when things don’t turn out the way you’d like, there will always be more opportunities”. Last year, I wanted to book a role so bad that I bombed the audition, but a few weeks later

I received a new audition and booked that role which was for Anna Maria of the Slumber Party.

2. “Before filming, stay focused and remain in character even if off set”. Sometimes I tended to goof off in between scenes and believe I could have given more if I had stayed in character.

3. “Have fun with every audition…. do it the way you believe the character should be”. A few times I found my auditions turning out a bit weird or awkward because I was not being natural or true to myself.

4. “Live in the moment while on set”. While filming, I’d find myself thinking about what others were going to say about my acting. I found out it’s much better to enjoy every moment on set and even make new friends.

5. “Stay excited about every audition”. If you allow it, not hearing back about the last one could mess with your mind, but it’s not the end. Things happen for a reason.

How do you think you can use social media as a platform to be a positive influence to your fans, and for society at large?

I’m very happy about having a platform. Social media allows me to inspire other girls and show them they’re equally as important as anyone else. I want to show them “girl power”. Instead of comparing ourselves to others, we should know we all have something very special to give. I hope teens my age can be inspired to see that if I can do it, they can achieve their dreams and do anything they set their minds to as well.

If you had the ability to choose to work on any TV show or film, or work alongside any co-star, or with any director, what or who would that be, and why? You never know who might see this article, especially if we tag them. :-)

My two dream co-stars would be to work alongside Christian Bale and Zendaya. Christian Bale is an amazing actor in which he transmits strong emotions with just a simple glance. Zendaya has a unique way of making her energy break through the TV screen. I truly admire their talent and it would be a dream of mine to work with any of them.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

You can follow me on any of these two Social Media Platforms -

Instagram: @starringvalentina

Tiktok: @ofcimvalentina

This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!

“Courtesy of Disney; interview completed in June/early July, 2023”