One On One With “The Mosquito Coast” Star, Cosima Cabrera

Los Angeles-born actress and writer Cosima Cabrera co-star in AppleTV+’s drama series “The Mosquito Coast,” starring Justin Theroux, which airs new episodes every Friday.

“The Mosquito Coast” follows the dangerous journey of a radical idealist and brilliant inventor, ‘Allie Fox’ (Theroux), who uproots his family for Mexico when they suddenly find themselves on the run from the USD government. In this new season, Cabrera stars as ‘Andrea Bautista,’ an alluring wealthy Mexican woman and Harvard graduate who is a thorn in Allie’s side as an imposing antagonist. The character of ‘Andrea’ was originally written as a male character, but the show creators ultimately decided that they wanted an intelligent and powerful woman instead – enter Cabrera, who, as a Mexican-American Yale graduate herself, felt a strong connection to the role. She also enjoyed a role that showcases Latinas in characters other than the stereotypical “sexy bombshell”, and more fully layered and developed people, with illustrious careers and experiences.

Born in Los Angeles to parents who were both attorneys working in public interest – her father as an immigration lawyer and her mother as an age discrimination attorney – Cabrera was instilled with a socially conscious upbringing that impacted all aspects of her life. She was always interested in acting and did some commercial and acting work as a child, going on auditions and casting calls at a young age. She was also extremely academic and graduated from Yale University as a Theatre and Literature double major. She is currently in the master’s program for clinical psychology at Antioch University. As an actress, some of her most recent roles have included: “American Horror Stories”, “The Resident”, “The Cleaning Lady”, “The Neighborhood”, “SWAT” and “Westworld”.

Cosima is currently writing a pilot which she plans on producing and starring in. In her free time she donates blood to the American Red Cross, and works with the LA Regional Food Bank, and AIDS Health LA.

StarCentral Magazine recently caught up with Cosima to discuss her journey in the entertainment industry, and here’s what went down:

Can you tell us more about yourself? How did you get started in the entertainment industry?

I was born and raised in Los Angeles and started in the industry at a young age. I was very academically oriented as a kid, but I did a commercial and professional theater while growing up in LA when I wasn’t busy studying.

What do you like most about acting?

I like telling stories and learning things from a character and about the world that I might not otherwise have the chance to explore. I like the collaboration process also and building a family with the cast and crew of a project.

Can you tell us about your role in The Mosquito Coast?

I play a Mexican Harvard MBA who aims to build a large resort in the Guatemalan jungle. She’s a wealthy businesswoman who wants to expand her family business.

What sort of person is going to relate to this character?

She’s an intelligent, ambitious, talented, and confident woman, so anyone who fits those descriptions will relate to her. She is also tearing down the jungle for the sake of building her business, so I think few people will relate to that (laughs).

How is this character like you? Different?

This character is like me in the sense that she’s a Latina Ivy League graduate, which is what excited me about playing this character because I’m also Latina and Ivy League educated, as I graduated from Yale. She’s different in the sense that she is tearing down the jungle to build her business, which is the opposite of me since I’m very passionate about the environment.

Besides yourself, what celebrity would you like to see tackle this character?

Well, the character is similar to Alice Braga’s character in Queen of the South, so that was one of the inspirations for this character.

Besides yourself, which actor/s in this drama series is going to blow people away?

I think Justin Theroux does a great job, as does Melissa George and Natalia Cordova-Buckley and Daniel Raymont, and the entire cast to be honest.

What’s the biggest challenge to taking on this role?

Playing a powerful woman isn’t a chance I’ve gotten to do so often on TV, so that was a new type of character for me on television specifically, but that was what made it fun.

If you could play any other character in this drama series, who would it be?

Isela would be a fun role to play, the show was well-cast as is.

What has been the most memorable experience of your career so far?

I will have to say that getting to shoot The Mosquito Coast in Tulum was pretty memorable.

Who have been the most interesting people you’ve met so far?

The cast of The Mosquito Coast and every show I’ve worked on for that memorable have been some of the most interesting people I’ve met. The cast of The Cleaning Lady also had some of the kindest most interesting people I’ve met in it.

What are your future plans? Inside your career or out of it.

I’m continuing to audition and will hopefully be starring in a new series soon.

Photo Credit: Russell Baer