Camila Mendes

In high school, I was friends with everybody. I had my core group of friends, but I could flow through different social groups pretty easily. ”

I connect with my culture through my family. I speak Portuguese to my parents so that I can practice. I stay engaged with my extended family through a lively group chat on WhatsApp. That sense of community and family is the heart of Brazilian culture, and staying engaged with my family is what keeps me connected. ”

I spent a lot of my childhood moving around, so I was constantly adjusting to different environments and finding a new identity. ”

I have so much appreciation for how those two cultures have created who I am. I'm a full-blooded Brazilian, with an entire extended family of Brazilians, but I was born and raised in the U.S. ”

Because I get my hair styled in so many different ways, when I get the chance to be natural and just me as a person and not an actress, I like to have a stable, consistent look that reminds me that I'm me. ”

I use my hair as a tool for portraying characters. When I'm auditioning for a role, when I'm putting myself on tape for something, I always consider what the hairstyle is going to be because it changes the way people perceive me. ”

If I were to be a role model, it would just come out of going the college route, getting training, and trusting that's the most secure path you can take - a path where a degree is involved. You know you went to college, and you have that under your belt. ”

At an early age, somehow we're programmed to view other females as threats. ”

I rewatched 'The O.C.,' like, seven times! ”

Miami can be super-kitschy at times, and it's fun to embrace that. ”