COVER FEATURE
At Home with Alex Meneses
The successful actress identifies with her character on NBC’s Telenovela, but her passions extend far beyond TV Photographer : JIM JORDAN
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lexandra “Alex” Meneses, a veteran of hit comedies like Friends and Everybody Loves Raymond, returns to television, starring with Eva Longoria in NBC’s new hit comedy Telenovela. Although the native Chicagoan still maintains a home in the Windy City, this model-turned-actress’ primary residence is in the hills above Malibu, California, a magnificent home whose design reflects her own colorful personality. Her new series playfully documents the behind-the-scenes drama of a fictional Hispanic television soap opera—called telenovelas, they’re immensely popular with Spanish-speaking viewers around the world—and Meneses plays Isabela Santamaria, an over-the-top diva who is one of the highlights of the show. One of the producers of Telenovela is Meneses’ longtime friend Eva Longoria, whose character of Ana Sofia Calderon has elbowed the past-her-prime Isabela from the starring role. Isabela may be a fictional character, even a bit of a caricature, but there’s a lot of substance to the diva, who is of an age when female characters in telenovelas are usually phased out, just like in mainstream Hollywood. “I was completely retired,” recounts Meneses, explaining she was married and had a young child to care for. But when she got divorced and her daughter began attending school, Meneses started auditioning for parts again. The second audition she attended was for the role of Isabela in Telenovela and she instantly knew her decision to come out of retirement was justified. My immediate reaction was, “I have to play Isabela. She’s strong, she’s sexy and she’s unapologetic.” To a certain extent, Isabela also reflects what Meneses and every other actress experiences in Hollywood: the unpleasant reality that women of a certain age are no longer in demand for leading roles. “When women age in Hollywood, people forget about them, and the roles for them begin to dry up, a problem men in the industry simply don’t have,” reports Meneses, who knows this from personal experience. “The difference between me and Isabela is that I have a real life that I love,” she says, and adds, “Even if I wasn’t acting I’d consider myself incredibly blessed.” Isabela, on the other hand, is not coping with the reality that she’s getting older and that the world around her is changing. While ageism is definitely a serious problem in Hollywood, Meneses is grateful the producers and writers at Telenovela are creating compelling roles for women, including older characters who are legitimately strong and sexy. Because the role of Isabela is so nuanced and has such relevance to contemporary social issues, Meneses considers it the best part she’s ever had the opportunity to play. Previously, she might have identified the role of Stefania Fogagnolo, Brad Garrett’s smoldering Italian girlfriend in Everybody Loves Raymond, as her favorite. The character of
Represented by: White Cross Management Hair Stylist: John Francis | Make Up: Adam Christopher Creative Director: Jim Jordan, White Cross Management Stylist: Tod Hallman for Ivy Eleven Written by: Roger Grody | PR: Andrew E. Freedman Produced by: Erin Green | Layout: Renee Easley
Stefania was not only extremely popular with viewers, but Meneses was nominated for an American Latino Media Arts (ALMA) award for the part. Noting they spent two weeks in Italy shooting, Meneses recalls, “You’re in Rome, eating fantastic food and hanging out with Ray Romano…What’s not to love?” Earlier in life, Meneses lived five years in Europe, include a two-year stint in Italy as a model. Her modeling career, however, began far from the catwalk in Milan. She was working as a makeup artist in Chicago—to pay for acting lessons at the renowned Second City improv group—when an agent approached her and said he wanted to represent her as a model. “At that time, nobody looked like me in the industry…even Cindy Crawford was considered exotic,” says Meneses, who landed a job on her first audition. “I was offered $10,000 for the shoot, so I said, ‘bye-bye makeup!’” When she moved to Los Angeles, Meneses began studying at the prestigious Lee Strasberg Institute and embarked on a prolific acting career. In addition to Stefania Fogagnolo in Everybody Loves Raymond, Meneses’ www.ClienteleLuxury.com | 35