Jonathan & Sergey talk to Isabella Gomez

Isabella Gomez was born in Medellin, Colombia where she was raised. She grew up an only child surrounded by older kids and adults, making her an outgoing little girl. Isabella loved to be the center of attention from an early age and would make friends wherever she went, from school to waiting rooms. She was always very assertive so when a 6 year old Isabella told her mom that she wanted to act, her parents knew she meant it. Luckily, her mom Eliana had a close friend that was involved in the industry and through him she started dipping her foot in the commercial world in Colombia. She was in love right away, and her vivacious personality at such a young age caught the eye of those around. From there she was booked to be the host of the launching of a government issued program that focused on providing food for kids in need in the state. At the mere age of 6 she hosted a 2 1/2 hour long ceremony all by herself, shocking the audience and those working with her. She continued to host ceremonies and kept working on commercials.
 
When Isabella was 10 her dad Sergio decided to move to the United States in search of a better life. Once in Orlando, Florida she pushed to finally be put in professional classes so she could further pursue her passion, but the language barrier prevented her from being able to go in right away. Determined to train, Isabella worked on learning English and getting rid of her accent. Soon enough, her mom agreed to enroll her in the little acting studio down the street, the Lisa Maile School. She eventually took almost every course available, all the while forming a strong bond with an administrator there, Loretta Rispoli. She would later make a phone call to close friend Traci Danielle, president and owner of Brevard Talent Group, urging her to give this little newcomer a chance. Soon after Isabella had signed with her very first agent, an agent she still has to this day and considers a close friend. Now with Traci’s help Isabella broke into the commercial industry in the United States, working on projects such as Tobacco Free Florida, Friendly’s, Publix, Universal Studios and so on. After working with a couple different coaches she decided to try a new one her mom recommended, Kia RiddickTaylor. This ended up being a match made in Heaven both in a professional sense and a personal one. Isabella found a new home, a new family and a second mom in her studio. Due to the relaxed, open-minded nature of the class and the people in it she was able to finally fully give herself over to her craft with Ms. Kia guiding her every step of the way. It was with her that Isabella believes she began finding who she was as an actress. With a whole new skill set and a boosted confidence Isabella was sent off to audition for her very first character role in a then new Nickelodeon show called Grachi. The process took about 6 months, a time in which the show was renamed Every Witch Way, and she had made it to test deals and was being flown out to Los Angeles for the final audition. It was everything her and her parents had dreamed off, it seemed as if she had made it. Getting the call that she had in fact not been chosen shattered her. However, instead of wanting to quit, it made her want to get booked even more. She flew to LA and met with a few managers, one of them being Doyle Rice, who her dad took an immediate liking to. However, she chose someone else and secured her first manager. Isabella went on to a Theatre Magnet Program in high school and her freshman year she flew out to LA for 7 weeks so she could partake in her first pilot season. After booking a print for Coke and several callbacks for different shows she landed her first character role, Cristina Sandoval on Matador, Robert Rodriguez’s upcoming show. For about the next year she flew back and forth from Florida to California in order to work on the show and attend school and soon after talks of moving to the City of Angels began. She kept auditioning and training and half way through her sophomore year she got cast as one of the leads in The Illusion by Tony Kushner. The show is set up so the leads play 3 different characters throughout the show and she played Melibea/Isabelle/Hippolyta. She took the challenge head on and after it was over she felt certain she was ready to take the next step in her career.

 

In the summer of 2015 Isabella and her family packed up once again and moved cross-country so she could further pursue her career in acting. Her contract with her previous manager being over, she reconnected with Doyle Rice and signed with him. His style and personality were a much better fit for her and her family, making them more excited and driven than ever. She started training and auditioning again, but she found it difficult to adjust to a new teacher and to being in the room after doing self tapes for so long. The first 6 months of her living there were dry, with just a single callback and an increasing frustration. After the holidays the new year came and Isabella had a long chat with Ms. Kia that reassured her she has the capability to do this. With a new mindset and a new pilot season to focus on she put all her energy and effort into her craft. She booked a little role on Modern Family and continued to audition for other projects and soon after she found herself at a callback standing in front of Norman Lear. He was looking for the daughter in a remake of One Day At a Time, this time with a Cuban-American family. A chemistry read and a few days later she got the call that she had booked the role of Elena Alvarez, who she would play alongside the legendary Rita Moreno as her grandma and the wonderful Justina Machado as her mom. Now the first season is almost done and Isabella has started looking for her next project until the possible season 2 of ODAAT.