Born in Santa Monica, California, actress Bianca Santos is best known for her role as Lexi Rivera in ABC Family’s ground-breaking and critically acclaimed series The Fosters. Despite some controversy surrounding the show due to conservative views on portraying gay and lesbian romance on television, it is well into its second season. It’s also received multiple award nominations and won the title of Choice TV Breakout Show at the 2013 Teen Choice Awards. Santos repeated her talents on MTV’s comedy-drama, Happyland, where she stars as Lucy Velez, the cynical teen constantly on the hunt for “something real” in her world full of fantasy. The park’s name is ironically deceiving; Lucy deals with growing pains and scandals that are anything but “happy.” That’s certainly not the case behind the scenes though, as Santos can attest to. Arguably one of her favorite roles to date, Santos was thrilled to shoot in a theme park and be surrounded by all of that vibrant energy.
Speaking of vibrancy, our cover girl has a lot of it! While she certainly works just as hard (if not harder) than most Hollywood actresses, she does so with gusto. In fact, she shows just as much enthusiasm for her work as she does for redecorating her new home with her roommate. She’s even taken on some pretty ambitious D.I.Y. projects! You have to love a girl who’s killing it on the big screen and still has time to be down-to-earth and “home-y” with her loved ones.
All up for trying new things, Santos’s upcoming role as Isabelle in the movie Ouija will be her first ever horror film. Though she assures us that behind the scenes it’s not as terrifying as it looks on screen, she’s not giving away any secrets. Still, the previews alone assure us that we’ll be having nightmares for weeks. This is not to be outdone by her role in the upcoming comedy, The DUFF, which is scheduled to premiere on February 19, 2015. We know what you’re thinking—how does this girl do it all? Well, her plate is certainly full and she has no shortage of exhausting work days, but it’s all worth it. She loves what she does and looks forward to opportunities that challenge her in her career. Getting to reinvent herself for every role is one of the many perks of the job, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. This beauty is loving life right now, and we love watching her live it!
Cliché: Happyland, The Fosters, Ouija, and The DUFF! Working on so many projects around the same time must feel really busy! What’s an average work day like for you?
Bianca Santos: Hair and makeup is first up. I’m usually half asleep, so I’ll have hot tea and wake up a bit. Then I search for food! It’s one of my favorite things about being on set. By the time I get dressed, hopefully they’re ready for me on set. It’s a lot of [rushing and then waiting], especially with 12+ hour days.
What is your favorite project to date?
Happyland was pretty fun to shoot. I think shooting in a “theme park world” makes everything seem more fun and exciting. There were a couple of times we even got to go on rides!
That’s amazing! Is being on sets always fun, or does it still feel like work?
It’s a mix, really. I think it’s always in my mind to make my job the most enjoyable that I can. That doesn’t take away from the fact that a lot of work and preparation needs to go into it beforehand. But when you come to set prepared, that’s where you can let it all go and have fun!
