Gigi Zumbado takes the edge off new Valentine's Day slasher 'Heart Eyes'
Love is a killer in the new Valentine's Day horror flick 'Heart Eyes" — but Gigi Zumbado brings levity and charm to this cheeky, yet gruesome movie.
The Cuban American actor stars alongside Olivia Holt ('Ally') and Mason Gooding ('Jay'), two co-workers at a marketing agency who find themselves together, but not together, on Valentine's Day. Meanwhile, the 'Heart Eyes Killer,' known for killing young couples in Boston and Philadelphia, has set his sights on Seattle, where the movie takes place.
Directed by Josh Ruben and brought to you by Screen Gems and Spyglass Media Group, the same company behind the 'Scream" franchise, "Heart Eyes" is bound to keep date night-goers on the edges of their seats.
The horror factor, however, takes a back seat when Ally and Jay share comically gratuitous moments of rom-com schmaltz.
Zumbado's charisma shines through in lighthearted scenes as Monica: Ally's co-worker, wingwoman and occasional fashion police. Their on-screen kinship likely stems from Zumbado's real-life identity as a "girl's girl."
Born and raised in Miami, the 28-year-old navigates the entertainment industry alongside her two sisters, Carmela and Marisela Zumbado, who are also actors.
'I always say that we have three raffle tickets in the raffle," Gigi Zumbado said over a Zoom call with De Los. "We read for the same roles, even though we're very different. We're always sharing notes and giving each other advice."
As the youngest of the three, Zumbado has forged her own path in showbiz, having previously taken on the role of Tammy Ocampo in the Epix series "Bridge and Tunnel,' and appearing in such films as 'Pitch Perfect 2" and 'Tone-Deaf.' She is also featured in an upcoming comedy pilot for CBS, 'DMV,' alongside former "Saturday Night Live" cast members Tim Meadows and Molly Kearney.
But before Zumbado ventures off into her promising future, will her character Monica survive this Valentine's Day unscathed? Zumbado spoke with De Los about the making of "Heart Eyes" and bringing a taste of Little Havana to Hollywood.
The following Q&A has been lightly edited for clarity and length and contains spoilers.
Your character Monica took the edge off an otherwise intense thriller. What did you think of your character? Oh, I love her. She's very fun. Monica is a blast. It's so funny because I feel like I'm in a different movie than everybody else. I forget how scary and hectic and crazy it is. Monica [offered] comedic relief. To come in and just, like you said, take the edge off and get to laugh a little bit.
You say your character was in a completely different movie than the others. What kind of movie is Monica in? My character's in a Mary-Kate and Ashley [Olsen] movie. I [cannot] comment so much on the slasher aspects of it. I just got to laugh and have a nice fun time with Olivia Holt. [It] felt like we were just kiki-ing all day long.
I kept thinking, 'Is Monica going to be part of the horror?' But [spoiler alert] it felt nice to see a best friend who doesn't die. What a concept. [laughs]
If you did have to defend yourself from the killer known as 'Heart Eyes,' what would you use? A chancleta. [Visibly takes off her shoe.] This one's a little one, it's a little kitten heel, it doesn't do much. My dad always told me and my sisters, "If you got a heel, use it."
How does it feel to come from an acting family? Are your parents actors? Our parents are not actors at all. I do self tapes with my mom sometimes, and that's a horror scene in itself, trying to get her to act opposite me if my sisters are not available.
It's fun, though, because our parents never pushed this on us, ever. We were just the entertainment of our family, always dancing and playing instruments, and so that's how we came into entertaining, through music.
The three of us all live together in Hollywood now. If Carmela goes in before me to an audition, she'll come out of the room and be like, 'OK, they hated this, they like this, they're looking for this.' I get an extra minute to prep. Then if Marisela goes in next, I'll be like 'OK, Mari, they liked this from Carmela and this of me, but you do this and da, da, da, da.'
We're super lucky. I don't know how people can handle this industry without having two best friends beside them cheering them on as well. I wouldn't be able to do this without my sisters.
How does it feel to live in L.A., coming from a Miami household?We just turned the Hollywood Hills into Little Havana. We have our mom with us, and we got our dad out here. Now that all of our grandparents have passed, we go back less, and now my aunts and uncles and cousins [come] out here for the holidays. We're such a tight-knit group. We're just not accepting anything else.
What comes next for you? I'm really excited about a pilot that I shot in November in Montreal. It's called 'DMV.' It's a CBS pilot, a workplace comedy, and it has the most incredibly talented, hilarious cast I've ever worked with.
I feel like the smallest fish in a huge pond with these comedic legends. They're "SNL" alum, and they're incredible. I'm really hoping we get to go forward because that was a blast and those people are just so gifted and it felt like being on a TED Talk, just watching them all interact with each other.
I did see that it was in development. That's so cool. Dana Klein is amazing. She changed my character's name to Cecilia and made her a Cuban girl from Miami. It was so cool to get to bring out my roots and showcase, you know, a little chonga from Miami to CBS.
I am starting to notice more Latino characters in mainstream media that don't necessarily have an overly detailed backstory; they can just exist and be who they are. Totally. That was probably the biggest compliment to me. In "Heart Eyes," this character of Monica was an open ethnicity [role]. I just happened to be Latina. I had gotten sick of only reading or booking things specifically for Cuban girls. There was a time that you just needed to be Cuban and were asked, 'Do you speak fluent Spanish? Were you raised speaking Spanish?' It had to be [this] exact Latin story for you to be able to tell it. I don't think that's realistic or how it works.
I think we all share a lot of things in our different cultures. And I was so proud that this role had nothing to do with being Hispanic. I happen to be Latina. The writer is letting me showcase that, but that's not why I booked it. And that was such a compliment to me.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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