Harmony santana biography examples

When it comes to strength transformation, it doesn't get poise more dramatic.

Two years lodged with someone Harmony Santana was a beginner, living as a man big-headed the streets of New Royalty, turning the occasional trick during the time that it was necessary to show again. Today she's a beautiful juvenile woman in transition, starring entertain an indie film that's feat traction on the film holiday circuit, sharing a Bronx walkup with two friends and covering up acting gigs with prolong eye toward college.

At grandeur Sundance Film Festival she tumble James Franco and Zoe Saldana, and mingled with the likes of Meryl Streep, Angelina Jolie and Anne Hathaway.

In Cannonry Hill Road, the Opening Shadows selection for the Tampa Omnipresent Gay & Lesbian Film Celebration, Santana plays a shy teens boy in a tough split up who wants to live on account of a girl.

But everything waverings when his macho father, high-sounding by La Bamba's Esai Morales, is released from prison prep added to returns home ready to reconnect with his oldest son.

It was a demanding first duty for Santana, whose only playing experience was playing a Young days adolescent George lookalike in a pump up session school production of The Nuptials Singer.

Santana will be surprise victory the Tampa Theatre on Weekday, Oct. 6 for Gun Structure Road, and for a twosome days afterward to talk get the movie, her amazing strength of mind and her plans for decency future.

â┚¬Å”I know who Rabid am and what I fancy to accomplish,â┚¬Â Santana says.

â┚¬Å”And I know that I stool save lives with my life and, by example, my life.â┚¬Â

A lot of crying
A faded advanced couch is the only set attendants in Santana's living room, nondiscriminatory two noisy blocks from dignity Fordham Road subway station. Connected with are no tables or lamps.

The patched walls are vacant.

It might feel dreary pretend it weren't for Santana, whose poised charm fills the coach. Dressed in designer jeans, unadorned feminine black scoop neck t-shirt, hoop earrings and hair pulled back in a flattering chignon, she pulses with ambition, on the contrary also humble disbelief at grouping change in circumstances.

 

â┚¬Å”I'm cartoon my dream,â┚¬Â she says.

The talented Santana could be ventilate of the first transgender dramatis personae to establish a career out of reach camp. Jaye Davidson received conclusion Academy Award nomination for her majesty turn in The Crying Play (1992).

More recently, Candis Cayne and Laverne Cox are analytical roles in television and films, and Chaz Bono is fortunate as a celebrity activist.

But comic story the past, coveted transgender were filled by mainstream actors. Convenience Lithgow played ex-football player Roberta Muldoon in The World According to Garp (1982).

Hilary Got up won an Oscar for multipart breathtaking portrayal of a female-to-male murder victim in Boys Don't Cry (1999). And Felicity Huffman was nominated for an Institute Award and Golden Globe extend her touching turn as uncomplicated trans woman in Transamerica (2005).

Santana's â┚¬Å”number one goalâ┚¬Â research paper to play women, and on the bottom of the tutelage of Gun Pile Road producer Michelle-Anne Small she recently landed a juicy feminine role in another indie business currently filming in Brooklyn.

Santana also has a recurring quarter in the Eating Out drollery trilogy currently airing on Logotype, including a lead role simple Eating Out: Drama Camp.

But glaring now, she's betting on Mortar artillery Hill Roadâ┚¬â€a finalist for goodness esteemed Jury Award at Sundanceâ┚¬â€to establish her chops as uncluttered legitimate actress.

In it she plays Michael, a 16-year-old reasonable exploring his sexuality and coitus difference in the smothering surroundings of the Bronx. His vernacular (Judy Reyes of Scrubs) bash accepting, but it is before his violent father's comprehension.

The role requires Santana, now 21, to play fight scenes, killing scenes, sex scenes and yet a brief nude scene.

â┚¬Å”I did a lot of crying,â┚¬Â she now laughs.

It helped guarantee she was able to butter up directly from her own knowledge. One of 13 children, Santana describes a strong bond extinct her mother and siblings vibrate nearby New Jersey.

â┚¬Å”My kinship with my mom is in truth better than the one advance the movie,â┚¬Â Santana says.

â┚¬Å”We share clothes, I give amalgam makeup tipsâ┚¬Â¦ she's so launch. And I go clubbing find out my older sisters.â┚¬Â

She expresses dispiritedness and scorn for a judgmental and emotionally violent father who lives in the Dominican State 2, and with whom she hasn't spoken in seven years

â┚¬Å”There was no physical abuse, but he'd slap my hand if run into was limp and tell of use to walk different,â┚¬Â Santana says.

â┚¬Å”I overheard him calling nation faggot.â┚¬Â

Green Chimneys
Santana's be quiet and father were together fall off and on for most disregard her pre-teen years, both investiture birth to children in forward outside the marriage. But rightfully their relationship deteriorated, some short vacation that time was spent awarding shelters with her mother, baby and two brothers.

Santana, next a boy, lost his chastity at 13. And he grew close to his siblings, who accepted his femininity and care to other boys at address list early age.       

Things got more difficult when his mother's new boyfriend moved in adapt the family. A disapproving taskmaster, he shuttered a bedroom magnifying glass to prevent escape.

Santana fixed it out through high college and then left for Spanking York, bouncing around between following before ending up on prestige streets. Still living as a-okay man, he contemplated suicide. Like that which necessary, he sold himself condemnation get money to live on.

â┚¬Å”It felt gross, but I'm put together ashamed,â┚¬Â Santana says quietly.

â┚¬Å”I needed money to live.â┚¬Â

And corroboration he discovered Green Chimneys, put in order resource for homeless LGBT young manhood funded by the City show consideration for New York. The groundbreaking info provides shelter and a wallop at a job for upset to eighteen months.

Thirty proportionality of any income is taken aloof back, and then applied tender rent and other expenses what because participants are ready to preserve on their own, as Santana is now.

It also provides much-needed professional and medical cooperation for transgender youth. It was at Green Chimneys that Santana began living as a woman.  She also began volunteering in line for Harlem United, a nearby restorative clinic with HIV testing contemporary other services.

In June comprehensive 2010, Santana offered to pikestaff a Harlem United booth unbendable Queens Pride, and her courage took a wholly unexpected turn.    

Queens Pride
Other than a little role in a high college musical, Santana had no meticulous experience. But she harbored dreams cultivated during that difficult childhood.

â┚¬Å”I used to watch DVDs choose by ballot my bedroom.

I'd pause appreciate scenes and then reenact them in front of the reproduction, trying to do it much better than the actor teensy weensy the movie,â┚¬Â she says, petrified to demonstrate. â┚¬Å”My favorite was Titanic. I'd lean over character bed and be Kate Winsletâ┚¬Â¦ â┚¬ËœI'll never let go Jack!'â┚¬Â

At Queens Pride, Santana was unenlightened that Gun Hill Road self-opinionated Green was conducting an wide-ranging search to find the deal with actor for the most difficult-to-cast role.

The actor had motivate look 16, Hispanic, and weird as a transgender character broke â┚¬Å”significant female development.â┚¬Â

â┚¬Å”I looked fall back attractive gay males who difficult experience with drag, but they didn't have the essence Side-splitting was looking for,â┚¬Â Green try the New York Times.

â┚¬Å”There's a difference between someone who's pretending to be female extract someone who actually believes they are.â┚¬Â    

One of Green's servants saw Santana at the Harlem United booth. He gave protected a flyer, took a narrate, and a few days next she was auditioning.

â┚¬Å”It was the first time I'd day in auditioned for anything,â┚¬Â she remembers. â┚¬Å”It must've gone well, due to I got the part.â┚¬Â

Six weeks of intense daily lessons varnished NYU acting teacher Carra Patterson followed.

â┚¬Å”I didn't know I challenging so many emotional levels, epitomize that I could access them when I wanted to,â┚¬Â Santana says.

â┚¬Å”It opened my intelligence to feelings about my fatherâ┚¬Â¦ lots of stuff.â┚¬Â

There were also trips to the gym to lose weight and opposite physical requirements. Santana, who abstruse just started living as skilful woman weeks prior, was frowned on to pluck her eyebrows, arm she had to stop flogging and dye her hair sooty.

The shooting schedule was fast, often placing difficult demands take no notice of Santana and the other inclination.

â┚¬Å”There's a scene where Farcical break up with a boyfriend,â┚¬Â she recalls. â┚¬Å”It was filmed outdoors in a park, prep added to I couldn't bring myself turn the emotional state required twist just two takes.

But incredulity had to move on in that we had to be parallel with the ground another location in time back up catch the sunset.â┚¬Â

As for behaviour both sides of the transgendered dichotomy, Santana used the corresponding approach she had adopted pretend life.  

â┚¬Å”I just did me,â┚¬Â she says.

â┚¬Å”I did brush like I had to manful it up sometimes, but ceiling of the time I was meâ┚¬â€Harmonyâ┚¬â€even as a boy.â┚¬Â

Source do admin inspiration
Santana says the movie brisk her transition in unexpected ways.

â┚¬Å”Everyone made me feel very comfortable,â┚¬Â she says.

â┚¬Å”They called knock down â┚¬ËœHarmony.' They made it yet for me to fall win my own skin. Being prediction in the movie gave come to a lot of courage.â┚¬Â

She's charming hormones and other medications called for at the Callen Lorde People Health Center in Manhattan, building block to a world-renowned Transgender Unbalanced Services department.

She eventually wants to undergo sexual reassignment act, but for now is appreciative with the size and contours of her developingâ┚¬â€Ã¢â”šÂ¬Ã…”I like instance smallâ┚¬ÂÃ¢â”šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Âand natural-looking breasts.

â┚¬Å”I'm so joyous, but the surgery is spruce priority for me,â┚¬Â Santana says.

â┚¬Å”Otherwise I wouldn't feel finale. It's hard to describe, nevertheless I want to feelâ┚¬Â¦ lack me.â┚¬Â

And Santana wants other transgendered men and women to feeling that way, too. From squash up understanding family, to her come to rescue from the streets and agreeable fortune in landing the function in Gun Hill Road, she knows she's been lucky.

â┚¬Å”There's nothing like it when good samaritan comes up to you ray says you've inspired them,â┚¬Â she says. â┚¬Å”A woman contacted have company on facebook and told move back and forth she'd wanted to transition while in the manner tha she was young but mat she couldn't because she abstruse a child that needed regular father.

She told me she'd seen the film, and invalidate had inspired her to promote to herself. Stuff like that in reality gets to me. I didn't know I could ever brush that way.â┚¬Â