Over 30 years ago, I spent time on several Hollywood sets as a young actress in the early 90s. At first, it was exciting. Lights, cameras, big productions. But the more I experienced, the more disillusioned I became.
Hollywood was soulless.
If you were an extra, you were cast aside — treated like second-class citizens. We were shoved in basements, fed whatever leftover junk food they could throw together, and mostly ignored. The stars? They had beautiful trailers, catered meals, assistants. It was a clear hierarchy, and everyone knew their place. The energy on set was cold. Nobody really spoke to each other unless they had to. Even actors with smaller speaking roles were treated like they didn’t belong. It was all about status and separation.
Back then, I looked down on independent films. I’ll admit it. They seemed low-budget, raw, even a bit amateur. They didn’t hold my attention because they didn’t have the gloss, the polish, the money.
And then… 30 years later, I stepped back into the acting world.
First with Vases, a horror film shot in Gibraltar. Then with Magdalena’s Land, a powerful indie feature filmed in the mountains of Gaucín, Spain. And something inside me shifted.
Indie films are nothing like what I remembered from Hollywood.
You step onto set, and you feel it. Heart. Passion. Purpose. There’s no hierarchy here. No one is “less than.” Everyone is equal — whether you’re the lead, a supporting role, behind the camera, holding the boom mic, or just helping out with coffee runs. You eat the same food (or sometimes skip the food altogether if it’s not in the budget). But nobody complains. Because we’re all here for the same reason: we love it.
It’s not about how many millions the film will make. It’s about telling a story that matters, that moves people. It’s about showing up at 6 a.m. and staying until midnight, not because anyone’s paying you a fortune, but because you believe in the vision and you care about the people you’re making it with.
I’ve seen people fly in from across the world to work on these films for free — artists, professionals, creatives who just want to be part of something real. Something meaningful. This isn’t about ego. It’s about art. And the energy? It’s electric. It’s alive. It’s human.
Hollywood made me feel invisible. Independent film has made me feel seen, valued, and inspired.
I will never look at indie films the same way again. And I am beyond grateful to be part of this beautiful, messy, soulful, passionate world of real filmmaking.
This is what cinema should be.
