In recent months, you’ve probably come across headlines like “Boricua stars with Hollywood greats…” or “Puerto Ricans in a movie starring Robert De Niro” that make our chests soar.
And you may ask yourself: Who will be the new star who wants to shine in Hollywood?
This is Jessie Camacho, a beautiful Mayaguez woman who, despite moving to the United States with her family at the age of 15, has taken the island to her heart with a mission to make Puerto Rico’s name better known.
The talented Mayagüezan always dreamed of pursuing a career and being successful as a model and actress outside her home country… and so she achieved it step by step.
While her name may seem new to the world of show business, the reality is that Jessie has had a successful career in the world of entertainment since the 2000s.
He made his first steps in the industry on television. Specifically after his participation in the third season of Mark Burnett’s reality show Survivor (2001). One of the highest rated television shows in the reality show genre of its time. This was followed by his entry into Protagonistas de Novela (2003) with William Levy and Ximena Duque, another “reality show” in which he demonstrated his acting skills and his talent for animation and improvisation. From there, doors opened for her to become the host of several shows on the Telemundo network in Miami, including Descontrol, an entertainment show, music, guest artists, dance segments, rankings and fashion. Her desire to develop her career in entertainment led her to move to Los Angeles, from where she excelled as an actress, participating in twenty productions for chains such as ABC and streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Apple TV. +.
She also attended awards shows as a presenter, appeared as a model in music videos, and provided her voice in commercials and audio books.
Now that he has reached the big screen following his participation in the comedy “About my Father” (May 2023) with Robert De Niro, he feels closer to realizing his dream.
What was it like to play with star actors like Robert De Niro, Kim Catrall (Sex and the City) and Sebastian Maniscalco? – the obligatory question. “I had a lovely time. I also discovered that I love comedy, and this one in particular,” Jessie said, continuing: “When this audition came up, I really didn’t know what it was about, I did it and then the casting director in New York called me and said he got the part, without any further details. A few months later, when it was time for me to film in Alabama, I found out that Robert De Niro and other important actors were in the cast, and that gave me an emotional “shock.”
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“Because it’s a comedy, a lot of it is improvised. On the day of the recording I thought they would just say the lines I wrote for the audition. It was interesting that every time we did a take, Robert De Niro would say a different line, Maniscalco would say a different line… In the end, all the takes were different. So I had a great time,” he described COMPLETE WELL-BEING The 49-year-old actress, who already made her debut in this genre through Comedy Central, assures that she has a very good command of this genre, also due to her background as a presenter and presenter.
Curiously, the actress believes that the drama and romance genres are more challenging for her.
“I have a strong character and crying is not easy for me. I just shot a film and had to practice a lot, concentrate and really get into the role to create a complete character. Although it was difficult for me, it went quite well when I had to do it. I didn’t think I would cry and I did. Even I was surprised,” she tells us, laughing. He also assures that he enjoys working on productions in the action genre as they do not pose a challenge to his career.
And an interesting fact about Yessenia Camacho – first name – is that before entering the world of entertainment, she studied criminal justice and worked as a police officer for six years. Yes! As you read, this slim and delicate actress is a police officer.
“When I was at school I took a criminology course and a conversation with a police officer sparked my interest in the profession. Also, my grandfather was a policeman in Mayagüez and at some point I accompanied him to work and I really liked it. I began studying justice straight out of high school while working as a deputy sheriff with the Orange County Police Department in Orlando, Florida. I worked as a police officer for six years…I say it was in my blood…” he recalls.
He also says that in his first film projects he was very interested in playing roles related to his training as a police officer, be it a detective, a police officer or a similar role full of adrenaline. But “no paper came out.”
Ironically, now that he’s looking for other roles, the roles he so desperately wanted to play have arrived. In fact, one of these occasions was her participation in Emily the Criminal (2022), a production on the Netflix platform in which she plays a detective; and in a brand new Apple TV+ series, whose official name is yet to be confirmed, in which she also plays a police officer.
“I also have a thriller or horror film coming up and I am playing different roles. I love what I do,” he said.
He has rediscovered his roots
You can soon see Jessie on FX in the production “Justified: City Primeval” alongside Timothy Olyphant and in the Netflix series “Neon”. The latter caused great emotions for the talented Puerto Rican, as she was able to exchange ideas with other Latin American colleagues, including her compatriot Daddy Yankee. But also because the filming allowed him to have a pleasant stay on the island.
“I love coming here. He had wanted to work in Puerto Rico for years. In 2010 I was on the island hosting the Billboards for Telemundo but somehow wanted to return. So for me this new opportunity was a success. There is another production that I recently invited my beloved country to record, about which I cannot give many details.” And it is one of the things he enjoys most about his home country, namely the domestic tourism, the visit the beaches and the connection with nature. But also “eat”. “Yes! When I don’t have anything to record, I like to go out to eat. Especially mofongo. I’m 100% Puerto Rican and I eat everything. If I stay for a month, I enjoy all the Creole food that I can’t enjoy outside the island, like bread , Empanadas… But as soon as I get on the plane I change the “chip” and as soon as I arrive at home I plan to go to the gym daily to lose the pounds I gained in Puerto Rico because I “I also like to train and take care of my figure and my health. And since I have friends who are still police officers, I will also train with them at the shooting range,” he added.
Credits
Makeup and Hair: Erick SoNo Nazario | Stylist: Jackie Mendez | Fashion: G&B Boutique | Photography: Julio César Photography | Photo assistant: Francisco Strazzara | Coordination: Al Meléndez | Location: Above Ponce
Dream big
Regarding her future projects and aspirations on a professional level, Jessie exclaimed: making films!
“I always strive to advance in my acting career and I’ve had a lot of good opportunities. I would like to keep making films and keep sharing the “set” with great characters. “For example, I’d like to do a movie with Tom Cruise… I said so! … I said so and I’m sure it will,” she concluded.