María Gabriela de Faría

Hi! I’m answering from my home in Pasadena. I’m feeling great, this is the first (half) day off I’ve had in a veeeery long time. I’ve got my cat Sgt. Pepper on my lap, my new puppy Jude asleep in her pen, and a hot cup of coffee in my hand. Can’t complain!

I did! I started doing commercials at four. I was filming two or three a week, so I was a busy little worker bee. My first TV role came when I was seven. I’ll never forget my very first day on set: my first scene was with my entire fictional family, made up of respected Venezuelan actors. I was so excited!
There was this moment where we had to pick up the scene from a specific line, and in Venezuela, the director plays back the last phrase over the studio speakers to cue the actors. No one told me that, so when I suddenly heard my own voice booming from every corner, I freaked out! But I pulled it off — I didn’t stop, I didn’t panic. I just rolled with it. I didn’t know what was happening, but I figured it out. I felt pretty badass.

Oh, but it isn’t! Don’t get me wrong, there’ve been moments in my career, especially when things were really tough, where I wanted to quit. But that had more to do with my emotional state than my love for storytelling. If anything, being in this industry for so long makes me appreciate cinema even more. I know just how miraculous it is to bring a story to life — all the moving parts, all the heart and grit it takes. That only makes it more magical.

With TV, you get to live with a character for much longer — sometimes for years. You grow with them. And the crew becomes your family. That kind of continuity creates a beautiful sense of community.
With films, it’s different. You go into it knowing it has an end. You won’t be coming back to that set, to that same group of people. There’s a certain preciousness in that — every moment feels more fleeting and special. I grew up doing television, so it’ll always have a place in my heart, but these days I’m completely in love with the magic of movies. I want more of that.

I got a self-tape request from the brilliant John Papsidera. I sent in two tapes for him, and then I had a director’s session with James Gunn — and that was it! I had to wait a month to hear back (which felt like a year), but eventually, I got the call.

I wasn’t a comic nerd growing up, even though the two projects I’ve loved the most in the U.S. are both comic-based — Deadly Class and now Superman. But thanks to these roles, I’ve developed such respect for the genre. I’m low-key obsessed now with bringing these larger-than-life characters to life in a grounded, emotional way.

Teleportation, no question! I’d love to snap my fingers and be in Caracas having dinner with my parents. I miss them all the time.

I was at the gym, warming up on the treadmill. I knew that was the day I’d hear something. My agent called and played this whole “Ohhh, I’m sorry, we’ve been here before…” bit, and my heart dropped. Then he goes, “Welcome to the DCU!” After that, I went straight to Party City, bought Superman capes, took one to my agent’s office with a bottle of champagne, and then walked around Pasadena with my cape like a total nerd. It was the best day ever.

James had a vision for her — very serious, very machine-like. I wanted to honour that but also bring in the human still inside, fighting to come through. I think we found a sweet spot. You see the machine taking control, but now and then, there’s a flicker of consciousness, of heart. We used music to inspire her mood and physical sensations to explore what she feels. Like, does it hurt when she connects to machines? Does it tickle when her hands transform into weapons? That kind of thing.

We shot the Fortress of Solitude scenes in Svalbard, this insanely remote place. One day, we took an eight-hour snowmobile ride across glaciers. I was driving, and my makeup artist LuAn was my co-pilot. On our way back down a mountain, the snow had shifted, and I lost control — we both went flying! Nicholas and David were screaming “NOOOO!” like it was an action movie. I thought I had seriously injured us… but somehow, we walked away totally fine. Wild day.

Honestly? Not always. I’m an actor because I want to explore the full range of human experience — even the darker sides. Some of the stories I’m most drawn to are messy, complex, uncomfortable.
That said, I love that Superman has a message. And I love how James tells it without preaching. It’s fun, smart, heartfelt — and honestly, it’s kind of punk rock in how sincere it dares to be. That’s pretty badass.

Not really. When I read James’ script, I just had this gut feeling that it was something special. Sure, some die-hard fans of the previous version might need time, but word of mouth is powerful. And look, not everyone’s going to love what we make. That’s okay. Art is subjective. I try not to live in fear of criticism. I stay in the moment and enjoy the ride. Was I a little anxious opening weekend? Of course. But afraid? No.

I just wrapped a beautiful musical called Otra, directed by Armani Ortiz. It’s filled with songs from my culture — it’s a love letter to Latinos, and I can’t wait for everyone to see it next year.