YALITZA APARICIO

Sometimes, when I'm surrounded by a lot of people, I shake, I'm so nervous.

My skin - very Mexican, very Oaxaquenan, and very human, from the color of my land and the diversity of its colors.

Politicians make a lot of promises when they are campaigning, and they come to towns, and people get enthusiastic about them coming to their communities. And then they don't fulfill the promises.

I don't think I am an actor, because I haven't studied to be an actress.

People who know me cannot believe that I am here, because I am so shy.

Yes, you can do it. You can dream about being on the cover of magazines; you can dream about being in a film.

In life, you have ups and downs, but you should never give up. You should always try to get ahead.

My name means 'sunrise of life.'

I wanted to be like my mum: as strong as her. She was my role model.

I have not decided if I want to be a teacher or an actor, because I like both of them.

I never expected a camera was going to follow all of my moves, and that was surprising when I saw it for the first time.

I haven't really made plans for the future; I'm just enjoying the moment, going with the flow. I haven't really had time to mortify myself thinking about the future.

I don't want my mum to be a domestic worker any more because it is so exhausting.

I'm not the face of Mexico.

For me, it has been very important to grow up knowing about my mom's work and that she was always, at every moment, supporting me and teaching me to have this strength.

I believe acting and teaching are not so far apart. As a teacher, you educate. And films educate, too, but they do it in a massive way.

It shouldn't matter what you're into, how you look - you can achieve whatever you aspire to.

I've never liked feeling closed in.

Just because you are a woman doesn't mean you have to suffer more. We have to get that idea out of our heads.

I really love teaching; I was actually studying to be a preschool teacher.

My sister sings, and in Mexico, we have these things called 'Casa de la Cultura,' which are specific places where they actually foster culture. They support people who want to do something in culture.

I realized that film can educate people of all ages in a far-reaching way.

Never, never in my life did I have it in my mind to become an actress or be part of a film.

It wasn't something that I really wanted or had dreamed about. Because of your socioeconomic status or your culture, you think you can't aspire to be an actress, and to participate in this medium, that sounds like a fantasy.

After every screen test, my family would ask how it went, but I would just say that I didn't know.