By Nick Smith
Marianne del Gallego is an actress and comedienne based in Pensacola, Florida. Her screen credits include The Vanished (with Thomas Jane), Chasing Fame and Melany Rose. She is exceptionally witty, talented and humble and this area is lucky to have her.
I first saw Marianne in a 24 Hour Play project at the Imogene Theatre in Milton. She was given a 30-page script in the morning and her character was in every single scene. She performed the play that evening and she nailed it. ‘I said OK, cool,’ says Marianne, looking back on the show. ‘It was a blast and a challenge.’
In that half hour, Marianne morphed from comedy to drama and entertained the audience without a hitch. ‘Comedy and improv is second nature to me,’ she says. ‘My very first role at 10 was a dramatic one – it was set in a convent in Communist China.’
This was a school play that Marianne’s sister auditioned for. ‘I was supposed to chaperone her,’ Marianne recalls, ‘so I sat at the back of auditorium, bored.’ The director asked her to come and read for the play. ‘I said, uh, OK. I ended up getting the role and my sister didn’t. We tease each other about it.’
The acting bug took a big old bite out of Marianne. She’d performed a lot of skits when her parents had people over but now, she was on stage in every single play at school. ‘It was very challenging,’ she says, ‘they had me play a Hungarian grandma. I was aged, I had to learn to speak with a Hungarian accent. She was a very feisty character, so basically just me with an accent!’
Marianne is Filipino born and raised, with Spanish blood – hence the surname. ‘I’ve always thought diversity’s better in acting,’ she says. ‘Hire a Spanish actor for a Spanish character. There’s more truth.’ She believes that acting should be truthful, with the same ethnicity as the culture being portrayed. Her greatest challenge is finding work in this area; she will remain here, at least until her daughter goes to college in a few years.
Wherever she goes, Marianne will continue to act. ‘When you enjoy something so well, it just comes naturally,’ she says. To prepare, she gets a handle on the story, the characters, and how they relate to each other. ‘I remember everyone else’s lines. It helps.’
Marianne works in film, in web series and in interactive shows like The Dinner Detective murder mystery show in New Orleans. ‘I just want to keep doing what I’m doing,’ says the actress. ‘I love being in film and on stage and comedy is what I really love. It would be nice to be in a sitcom – maybe as the quirky neighbor.’
Marianne has advice for up-and-coming actors. ‘Get experience, move out of your comfort zone, travel, get your heart broken. ‘That’s where you’re going to get your craft from, when you’re on stage or film you’ve got something to draw from. I can pull heartbreak from my sleeve, I’ve been there.’
They say the best comics have a soupcon of sorrow to add weight to what they say. Though she’s quick-witted, Marianne’s performances have a depth that only comes with experience and her willingness to face challenges head on.
