Queen of Swords -
Interview with Tessie Santiago – By Mary-Jo Sawyer
In July 2019 Daryl
McCullough asked if I would be willing to interview Tessie Santiago.
Would I? Of course, as I loved the Queen of Swords TV show. She
agreed, and was busy with filming, and raising a new son so we
weren’t able to include it with the August 9th 100th Anniversary
Celebration for Zorro! I’m so pleased she was able to respond to this
quickly. I hope you will enjoy it! My questions are in bold print,
followed by her responses.
1) The role of
Tessa Alvarado/Queen of Swords in the Queen of Swords was your first
starring one. Could you tell us about the experience of auditioning
and preparing for the role?
It is truly a
Cinderella story in that my life changed almost overnight. I was
interning with a casting director for college credits in Miami. There
was a nation-wide search for the starring role of the new series
Queen of Swords. They were looking for a Latina actor who resembled Catherine Zeta-Jones in The Mask of Zorro. Coincidentally, after
being a natural blonde my entire life, I randomly dyed my hair dark
brown the week before my audition for Queen of Swords. My family
hated my new hair but it worked perfectly for the role. The producers
later told me that I might have been overlooked for the role if I had
not auditioned as a brunette because they had a very specific “type”
in mind to play the Queen. Timing and luck are everything in this
business. The opportunity presented itself and I was ready. I had
spent most of my school years on a stage and I felt very comfortable
in front of the camera. After the producers received my audition
tape, they flew me to LA to do a screen test for the role. During my
screen test, I saw many well-known actors auditioning for the role
and I had ZERO professional experience. Although I was nervous and
did not think I had a chance, I gave it my all. Sometimes things are
just meant to be!
2) I know you had
several stunt doubles for the series, but did much of your own
horseback riding and fencing, too. Did you already have these skills,
or did you learn them for the show? If you needed to acquire these
skills, what was involved?
I grew up in Miami,
Florida and spent most of my time on the beach. I can honestly say
that before Queen of Swords, I never thought about riding a horse or
sword fighting. When I got the role, I went through some rigorous
training involving fencing, horseback riding and mastering a whip.
Funny story…I trained on an old horse who was very SLOW. When I got
to Spain, the horses on set were an entirely different breed. They
were GORGEOUS AND POWERFUL. The first time I mounted my Spanish
horse, Chico, he bucked me and I went flying. Chico let me know who
was boss! I had to disregard the training I received in Los Angeles and had
to quickly learn how to communicate with these amazing Spanish
horses. My training in L.A. was rigorous but it was my experience on
set where I refined my skills. This was also true with fencing. I
trained with some of the best in Los Angeles but it was on set, in
Spain, where I was able to put all I had learned into practice. I am
a pretty good dancer and I believe this helped me pick up fencing
more easily. Fencing always felt like a dance to me. It wasn’t long
before I was doing my own stunts and having a BLAST!
3) Your QOS
character had different sides to her character. There were so many
good episodes that showed off your fencing and riding skills. Three
of my favorites highlighted other sides: “Counterfeit Queen”
(Interacting with your double), “The Emissary” (Playing the
aristocrat, the queen, and the femme fatale), and “To Catch a
Thief” (where you really showed your humor). Did you have any
favorite episodes that you’d like to share a story about, or
anything funny that happened on or off the set while filming in
Spain?
Every episode of
Queen of swords brought new and exciting experiences. I can honestly
say that this is the show I’m most proud of. I enjoyed all aspects
of playing the Queen of Swords/Tessa but I especially loved finding
the humor in my character. I started to understand the importance of
rhythm in comedy and got better at it with every episode. Don’t get
me wrong, I also loved being in a good fight scene or acting in a
dramatic scene, but it was the comedic moments that I explored within
my character that made it really fun for me. Finding the humor also
gave the more dramatic scenes, and even the fight scenes, more
colorful levels that made them far more interesting in my opinion.
Anthony Lemke was a master at giving his character these levels. He
was the bad guy you loved to hate…and he was funny! I loved
watching him and Valentine Pelka doing a scene together because they
were both so frightening and yet so charming! As far as the stuff
that happened off-camera…my love interest, Peter Wingfield, played
a prank on me when we had our first on-camera kiss. During the first
take of this kiss, he passed a Tic Tac into my mouth and I swear I
thought he had lost a tooth! I somehow stayed in character, and kept
what I mistook for his tooth inside my mouth, until the director
yelled “cut”! I didn’t want to embarrass him by announcing he
had lost a tooth, so I remained professional and kept this Tic Tac in
my mouth until I realized everyone was laughing…and the joke was on
me!
4) Since the QOS,
you’ve acted in a variety of TV shows and movies including “Good
Morning, Miami,” and “Kitchen Confidential” to the more recent
role of Luna Vargas on “Scandal,” to name a few. Could you share
some of your favorite experiences?
Good Morning Miami
was a blast! I was working with such talented comedians, and I had so
much fun tapping into my Cuban zany side for that role. This sitcom
was filmed using multi-cameras in front of a live audience...and I
loved it. There’s nothing like the energy of a live audience! It’s
both terrifying and electric. It was like performing live on stage
again. Scandal was an interesting experience because although it is
not a comedy, there is a definite pace to the show. I had to talk
fast and fierce. It took a lot of energy and focus just to get my
lines out! I enjoyed the challenge.
5) You were
nominated for an ALMA award in 2001. Could you share about your
experiences as a Latina actor in auditioning and securing acting
roles in the climate of Hollywood?
The climate of
Hollywood is constantly changing. I was very fortunate to build my
career during a time when audiences were demanding characters that
were more diverse. We are such a diverse country and Hollywood has
been slow to represent this. That being said, things are getting
better. People in the industry have become more educated and are less
likely to lump all Hispanics into a stereotypical image. These days,
I rarely get asked to play a character with an accent so that I
appear "more Hispanic". The changes are small and slow to
come, but at least they are moving in the right direction.
6) Do you have
any upcoming acting projects coming up that your fans would love to
know about?
My biggest role
right now is being a mom to my baby, Jaxon. I’m taking a little
time off to enjoy him because he’s growing up so quickly!
7) Congratulations
on the birth of your son! What are some of your favorite things about
being a mom?
I love everything
about being a mom! Well, maybe not the sleepless nights. I have never
known a love like this. You hear other parents talk about it, but it
wasn’t until I had Jaxon that I truly understood how amazing this
love is. It’s also terrifying to be responsible for another human
being! I just love to watch how he observes everything with the
wonder and newness that we as adults no longer have. He is such a
joyful baby. I feel so blessed to be his mother. It’s truly a gift.
8) With a son,
and a husband also working in film, I have to ask the age-old
question: “What do you do to help balance work and family life in
the Los Angeles area?”
It’s not easy! We
definitely spend a whole lot of time traveling for work. Even though
that can be stressful (especially with a baby), I love that we get to
share all these wonderful experiences as a family. Jax is exposed to
so many new people and places, and even though it’s unconventional,
I think it makes for an interesting upbringing. In addition, my
husband and I are very selective about the job offers we accept,
because we are so aware of how precious this time is with our son.
Neither one of us wants to miss all those “first moments”
9) Fans will be
interested to learn you’re also an artist. Your pictures are
colorful and meaningful, and the pet portraits will melt any animal
lover’s heart! What has been the inspiration for some of your
paintings? Are you still painting, and if so, do you have any
upcoming shows? Is any of your art for sale to the public?
I love painting! It
still amazes me to think that I was completely unaware that I
possessed this hidden talent until I was 30 years old! It makes me
wonder what other gifts may be lying dormant in all of us. Painting
has become a necessary creative outlet for me. It feeds my soul. My
inspiration comes from many different sources like my love for
animals, my colorful Cuban culture and the faces of people in my
everyday life. I love painting portraits! I take several commissions
a year depending on my schedule and I have a few pieces left for sale
from my last show “Matadora”. That show was inspired by my
experiences while living in Spain and the strong women in my life. My
website,
www.TessieArt.com,
features all the pieces from that show along with my dog portraits
and other various works
