What’s the difference between Angela Valdez and Lela Loren? Angela is a character on the Starz drama Power, and Lela brings her to life through some serious acting chops and wardrobe magic. It’s everything we love about TV in one show. We are obsessed with the scandalous drama series, and felt #blessed that on the eve of Season 2, Lela wanted to girl talk with us! Her chilled out, quintessentially California personality was completely different than what we expected from her on-screen power bitch persona. We totally vibed as we chatted about the importance of a skirt suit, and why almost anyone can work a yellow dress (surprised?) Feel out the rest of our chat, and catch more Lela Saturday nights on Power!
How did you fall in love with acting?
I discovered acting by accident. A fine arts class I had signed up for was overbooked. So I called the registrar freaking out, and by default they squeezed me into a beginning acting class. I hated it initially. The first day of class, the teacher made us crawl around on the floor like we were babies, seeing everything for the first time, and I thought everyone had lost their mind! But slowly it got under my skin.
I’ve always been driven by those big looming, questions: What is this life that we live? What does it mean to be human? What. is. this? While acting doesn’t answer those questions, it plays with them, and that’s the closest I think I’ll every get to an answer. Acting is the art of the human condition. We have all these things that run our lives that aren’t tangible: love, shame, will, fear, loss, joy. I fell in love with stepping into another perspective, another temperament, another way of moving. It’s thrilling to take a character that exists as words on a page and flesh it out. The exploration is endless.
What are you looking forward to in your career?
I’m still at the place where I pinch myself at work and wonder if this is really happening. So I’ll speak to what I want to work toward and what I hope for. That’s easy: progress, access, and longevity.
Is there anything on Power that you wouldn’t wear in real life?
I really have no cause to wear suits in real life, which is why I feel so fortunate that I get to play Angela, because I absolutely love them! (Though I have a hunch that if I had to wear them in real life I would find them constricting). Angela also wears a lot of black, while I gravitate toward whites, creams, colors.
Has your TV characters style influenced your personal style?
Angela has made me fall in love with the pencil skirt. And her elegance has definitely seeped into my wardrobe, but I’m a Northern California girl.
Do you get to give input on your characters outfits?
Our costume designer has such an amazing eye and sense of style that most of the time he hits the nail on the head! But every once in a while I’ll make a request. For example, in the Miami episode I really wanted a yellow dress as one of Angela’s outfits, and Frank made it happen.
When you go to red carpets and events do you try to dress in character?
No, never. I want people to get a sense of me, because I am quite different than Angela.
How would you describe your personal style?
I would say day to day it’s laid back and loose California. Jeans, flip-flops, t-shirt or a light cotton dress. When I get dressed up, I like classic, elegant looks that are feminine and a little flirty.