There are so many possible means of gaining notoriety these days. All too often there are short cuts to getting attention for your work or talent. Like a match that ignites quickly and burns out just as fast, the individuals who take this approach rarely experience an enduring career. A firm foundation provides for several levels of building. Actress Tsuria Diaz subscribes completely to this premise. Diaz has a long list of television productions to her famed career in Mexico (Rosa Diamante, Como Dice el Dicho, El Octavo Mandiamento, Me Mueves, etc.), which would not have been possible without her training in theater acting. While television and theater have distinct differences, the pressure and immediate nature of the later instills a confidence in actors from which TV and film productions benefit. One of Ms. Diaz’s most noted and acclaimed live performance roles is that of Marimar in the play Perras. The tale is as malevolent as any great Shakespearean tragedy but set in the world of an all girl’s school. Via her character, Tsuria is given the opportunity to play someone in a difficult situation that could happen in any time period but with a very present day woman’s mindset. The range with which Marimar could be presented is wide; critics, the play’s director, and her costar all agree that Diaz presented her character as both vulnerable and tough…portraying a young woman who was at times both endearing and off-putting. This was all part of the actress’s grand design to prepare for any production that would come her way…as a true professional.

Perras (Spanish for “bitches”) is the story of two young women who are expelled from their “nice” all girl school. The vastly different economic and social backgrounds of students at this school is a microcosm for overall society. The two main characters, Sofia and Marimar, are best friends. What Sofia doesn´t know is that Marimar is pregnant and the baby’s father is actually Sofia’s father. Desperate, Marimar performs an abortion by herself. Unaware of the potential risk of doing this, she pays with her own life. Perras presents the idea of unintentional betrayal by those closest to you. While searching for comfort from a society that has treated one with malice, we can sometimes make decisions that steer us towards even greater harm… and to those we care about. The subject matter of Perras might be difficult to watch but the convincing and heartfelt performances of Diaz and Jimena Sanchez (Mairmar’s best friend Sofia in Perras) is transfixing. To communicate such a dire situation in a way that connects with the audience and endears them to tough characters takes great talent and subtlety. Jimena professes, “Tsuria and I spent so much time preparing the most complicated scenes of the play but each time was as if it was the first time. She has an impressive ability to seem honest and spontaneous every single time. It’s very easy for an actor to simply learn one way that works and always deliver lines in this manner but Tsuria is always searching for something that is in the moment. When you work with her, you pay attention because just like the audience, you want to see how she is going to perform each time. Her professional way is simple, she enjoys the entire process. What for I really admire about her is how she always kept a good vibe and positive energy, even in stressful situations. In live theater there are no retakes, you must perform and persevere. When you learn to do that with such artistry, as Tsuria does, I’d have to imagine that acting on a set which gives you the opportunity to do several takes with different approaches…it gives her even more chances to impress those she works with as she did during our time together.” The bond between the two lead characters and actresses was palpable during the performances of Perras. Cultivated in over a year of work, the cast often rehearsed without any props to focus solely on the emotional content and interaction of the characters. The direction that Guillermo Rios instilled in her is something which Diaz credits to this day for her professional work on stage and TV. She notes, “Guillermo was rough on us at times to be honest but he helped me to learn and understand how to own the truth onstage. He never allowed us to ‘lie’ and this is the foundation of my acting skills. I feel very thankful to him, even though it was a hard at rehearsals. It’s as if he built this chip in my head; this inner voice that in every single audition, project, or class I’m taking tells me, ‘Slow down and see the world as she (the character) would see it.’ That fact alone was well worth all of the hard work.”

There’s not a lot that Tsuria Diaz has in common with her character Marimar but…it is acting. A fifteen-year old pregnant teenage girl who unwittingly kills herself and conceals the reasons from her best friend is a dark persona to inhabit. Diaz finds it necessary to leave the character’s emotional journey on the stage and not carry it into her everyday life. While onstage she is clear about her process stating, “The scene where Marimar explains how she did the abortion by herself and the last scene in which she is seated and singing the national anthem (because she used to sing it happy and proud but now she is dead) are particularly difficult emotionally. You literally breathe through the pain, guilt, and fear in these scenes. This is why I love acting, because you understand human nature. Without judging, just deep empathy for another human being is what you feel. Marimar died because the son she was expecting was from her best friend’s dad. She inserted a hook inside her thinking it would work, but it was despair and guilt that drove her to death. Acting allows me to inhabit the lives of these characters and learn from them. In honesty, it makes me better as a person.” An avid lover of dogs (she has rescued seven) gives a glimpse into the warmth that is underneath the surface of Tsuria Diaz in every role. Even her darker characters have an endearing vibe about them. She concedes that it is essential to every role to find that tenderness stating, “I want to achieve the best version of me as a woman, I can possibly be. To be honest, the best way of living my role as a successful actress would be helping as much as possible, indirectly or in a direct way. I have met many successful actors and business men and they all have something in common more than fame or money, they are humble. It’s a trait that is important to me. I want to achieve real empathy.

I want to touch someone’s heart and move love or hate, hope or fear, but I always want to move them. It has to be sincere though; I hate when someone is fake, I want to keep it real, in my personal life and as my characters.”