YouTube star Veronica Sixtos develops acting career

Charles Liu

April 18, 2016

Courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films

With her acoustic guitar in hand, Veronica Sixtos covers songs and posts light-hearted vlogs on her popular YouTube channel. But she’s not just a singer and online personality — she’s also a budding young actress in Hollywood. Recently, she broke new ground in her career by starring in the new indie crime drama, “Hostile Border.” Sixtos stars as Claudia, an illegal immigrant who is deported back to Mexico and becomes embroiled in a drug smuggling operation that puts her at odds with her estranged father. She spoke with The Daily Texan about her film and career.
The Daily Texan: Did you do any research on illegal immigrants before you started filming?
Veronica Sixtos: For the deportation scene, I talked to the writer [Kaitlin McLaughlin], who is very knowledgeable on the subject. I asked her to talk to me as if she was telling me as Claudia what would happen to me. She basically told me the steps that were going to take place and what could possibly happen to me. That created a real fear in me. That was actually something I did right before doing the prison scene.
DT: How did you tap into Claudia’s mind and her internal conflict?
VS: I did a lot of monologuing to myself, so what I had to do was really create her inner dialogue, her deepest and darkest emotions that she doesn’t actually show often. [The atmosphere of the set] was pretty laid-back. [Director Michael Dwyer] let me be comfortable and do what I wanted with the character.
DT: What was your favorite memory of making the film?
VS: We were doing very long days — like 14-hour days — and once we were finished [with the shoot in Baja], we went to the Dwyer House, the [beach house] of Michael Dwyer’s mother who was also a producer on the film. It’s absolutely gorgeous. I went down to the beach with my headphones in my ears and just danced in the water. It was a release because it was an
intense shoot.
DT: You have a big stunt at the end of the film involving fire and standing on a moving vehicle. What was it like shooting that scene?
VS: I did all my stunts. I was stoked about it. I’m kind of like a thrill seeker, so whenever they would tell me that I have to do something, I would take a deep breath and laugh a little bit, then say, “All right, let’s do it.” For the flamethrower, it was actually kind of cool. I would actually stare into the flame and felt that it captured exactly what [Claudia] was feeling in that moment, that there was this wild fire inside of her. It was a crazy moment actually.
DT: Can you shed some light on why you started making videos on YouTube?
VS: I started doing YouTube because I was getting a little frustrated with the whole auditioning and business side of the industry. I wanted a way for me to showcase my talent without having someone provide a platform for me. I loved it because I had the total freedom to do what I wanted.
DT: What are your next projects?
VS: As for next projects, I don’t have a next project. I am hoping [“Hostile Border”] will open some opportunities for me. But to be completely honest, my actual response would probably be myself. I am working on personal development.

YouTube star Veronica Sixtos develops acting career

The Daily Texan