Aimee Carrero

Aimee Carrero, a Dominican-American actress and singer, is known for her voice role of Adora in the Netflix animated series "She-Ra" and the "Princesses of Power." She also played the voice role of Princess Elena on the Disney Channel animated series "Elena of Avalor." Besides voice acting, Aimee has been cast as the main role in many popular TV series like "Young & Hungry'' and "Level Up." On October 16, 2022, Aimee received the Breakout Performance Award at the Newport Beach Film Festival. Her exciting new films "The Menu" is out now. "Spirited" ( co-starring Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds) is coming out soon.

Suit by Ports International
Rings by Bella Madre
Earrings by JADE TRAU

You are both expert in voice acting and live acting, which role do you like better? And why?
Well, they’re two different muscles. Each has its challenges and rewards. Voiceover work allows me to play any kind of role, regardless of physicality, which is so freeing. When else will I ever play an 8 foot tall blonde Princess of Power? It’s also a double-edged sword—voice acting strips you of your physicality. An actor’s body/face is an essential storytelling tool, so the challenge is figuring out how to use only your voice to tell the story. Live-acting is an all-inclusive experience but you are limited by age, height, race and physical appearance.

Voice acting for animation is a very professional and different field. What would you usually do to get yourself into the character?
I always warm up my voice. It’s time consuming but it saves your instrument in the long run. Most people aren’t used to speaking or screaming for 3-4 hours straight. It’s important to protect your voice by breathing from your diaphragm so you don’t strain. I also do some body warmups because I like to be physical in the recording booth. If the character is running or jumping or dancing in the script, I like to do the same. It brings a little more authenticity.

Corset by Vivienne Westwood
Choker by Vivienne Westwood
Trousers by Dorothee Schumacher
Rings by Bella Madre
Earrings by MARIA TASH

We always say that Disney is “The Happiest Place On Earth “or “The Most Magical Place On Earth,” and you worked with Disney a lot. Can you share one magic moment or happiest moment when you working with Disney?
Disney means so much to so many. My favorite memories of working on Elena of Avalor was meeting people who have been touched by the show. As a performer, you can never guess how your work will be received, so it’s a real gift to get to meet folks in the world that get any kind of meaning from it.

**Left:**
Suit by Sergio Hudson
Rings and Earrings by Bella Madre
**Right:**
Suit by AYA MUSE
Earrings by uncommon matters
Rings by Misho
Heels by Sophia Webster

You also stepped into theater performing. This year, you cast as Honey in “WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF,” how does it feel to perform on stage than playing for TV series or film? What did this role mean to you?
I’ve been fortunate enough in my career to be able to do stage work. I’ve done 2 off Broadway plays in New York but had never had the chance to do theater in Los Angeles until this year. I’d seen “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” on Broadway 10 years ago—with Carrie Coon as Honey. It blew me away. It’s a classic and yet it felt so pertinent and modern. So when the opportunity came around to audition for The Geffen Playhouse’s revival, I dove right in. It’s not every day that Latin actors are cast in period pieces, let alone take on one of the most seminal characters in the American Theatrical canon. It was a privilege I didn’t take lightly. It meant the world to step into Honey’s shoes 8 shoes per week. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf is infamous for its brutality and breadth. It’s a 3 act, 3.5 hour, 2 intermission play. I don’t have many memories of that time, mainly due to the exhaustion of doing the play and also filming a tv show on my days off. They are different mediums—theater is a medium of language, television and film are mediums of visuals/pictures. But the thru-line is always emotional truth. On stage, you are always visible—it’s like you’re in a wide shot for the duration, you also tell the story beginning to end every night. It’s athletic in a way that most film and television isn’t. I felt like I ran 52 marathons by the time we closed the show.

**Left:**
Suit by Sergio Hudson
Rings and Earrings by Bella Madre
**Right:**
Corset by Vivienne Westwood
Choker by Vivienne Westwood
Trousers by Dorothee Schumacher
Rings by Bella Madre
Earrings by MARIA TASH
Heels by SOPHIA WEBSTER

Your new film “The Menu” and “Spirited” are coming out next month – they could not be more different!
Have you always wanted to be in a musical? (Spirited) Always! Even though my character doesn’t sing in Spirited: there is something so magical about being on a set of a musical. It feels heightened in a different way.

Working on The Menu: What drew you to the role? You also have a great scene partner in John Leguizamo – how was that?
The script, the cast, the studio. It’s also exactly the kind of movie I like to watch as an audience member. I found it funny, smart, and timely. It made me think. Working with John was a lifelong dream for me. I’ve been a fan of his for so long—I’ve seen every one of his one man shows. He is also a groundbreaker—he was one of the first Latino actors to break into prestige projects. He worked with auteur directors before anyone else did. Getting to sit across a table with him day after day, improvising and trading ideas was a master class.

**Left:**
Corset by Vivienne Westwood
Choker by Vivienne Westwood
Trousers by Dorothee Schumacher
Rings by Bella Madre
Earrings by MARIA TASH
**Right:**
Suit by Sergio Hudson
Rings and Earrings by Bella Madre
Shoes by Christian Louboutin

Can you also talk about working with a great ensemble as well – can you tell us a about working almost all in one location “the restaurant?”
It felt like the most acclaimed theater camp/summer stock in the world! Ralph Fiennes, Judith Light, Reed Birney, Janet McTeer, John Leguizamo, Rob Yang are all acclaimed theater actors. Stage experience came in handy during the filming of “The Menu” because we were all being seen at all times. The stamina required to be in character for 10-12 hours at a time is significant. Watching them work and getting to play with them was the experience of a lifetime.

You studied international relations in college, what makes you change your career direction? How do you feel about your decision?
I always wanted to be an actor, but my parents insisted I get a “real life” degree before I moved to LA. I just picked a major I was interested in and finished college as fast as possible. I’m glad I diversified my interests in this way because now I’m able to use my platform (however limited) to share my political views. I spent most of the Trump years doing Instagram explainers on just basic civics. I did an Impeachment 101 series. Certain politicians want us to think that politics and government workings are unknowable. They are not. Everyone can and should have access to how government works. Most people are either too busy, too discouraged by political infighting, or too shy to ask about the basics.It is imperative to have this knowledge because everything is affected by politics—even if it seems totally unrelated. Everyone in a representative democracy deserves to know how the people they elect to represent their interests work—or don’t work. Any art form is inherently political, so my interests are not so divorced, they are actually quite merged.

Saw you post your baby Moose a lot on instagram. Can you share a healing moment with him?
Animals are really the best of us. Every day I get to be around Moose is healing. He inspires me to slow down and relish the present. When I feel at my worst—my most unlovable, he loves me anyway. He also keeps me accountable. I wonder every day if he feels the immense amount of love, we have for him. I hope he’s not like “who are these needy humans making me cuddle with them all day?”

You have Amazon’s series “The Consultant” coming out next year – can you tell us about that project?
The Consultant is a hard one to pin down. Much like The Menu, it bends genre and plays with tone and pacing. There’s really nothing I can compare it to, which is what makes it so exciting. It feels new. It was described as a “dark workplace comedy” in one of the press releases and I thought that was the oddest description because it made me think of ppl around a water cooler making edgy jokes, which not the show at all. To me, it’s a twisty, strange, smart, biting take on how our lives can be so easily co-opted by the whims of those in power. I had the very best time working with Tony Basgallop (our creator and showrunner), and i couldn’t believe my luck getting work with Christoph Waltz, Nat Wolff, and Brittany O’Grady.

Looking ahead to 2023, what are you hoping to do next?
I’ve purposefully kept my dance card open to see what comes my way following the release of these projects. I’m hoping to keep on this trajectory—being able to do stage work, film, and TV. It’s taken me a long time to build up to this and I hope it continues. Success, to me, is being able to expand my range.

Social Media.
IG: @aimeecarrero

CREW CREDITS:
PhotoBook Editor-In-Chief: Alison Hernon
PhotoBook Creative Director: Mike Ruiz + @mikeruiz.one
Photographer: Ben Cope
Talent: Aimee Carrero
Fashion Stylist: Madeleine Kennedy at The Only Agency
Hair: Marcus Francis at TMG
Makeup: Stephen Sollitto at TMG
Retouching: Anastasia Kuzmina
Styling Assistant: Grace Taylor
Tearsheets by Daniel López, Associate Art Director, PhotoBook Magazine
Interview by Uno, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine