Posted in: Exclusive, Horror, Interview, Movies | Tagged: danny trejo, exclusive, interview, John Gulager, Maria Canals-Barrera, quiver distribution, Seven Cemeteries

Seven Cemeteries Star Maria Canals-Barrera on "Gritty, Unusual Story"

Maria Canals-Barrera (Wizards Beyond Waverly Place) spoke to Bleeding Cool about Quiver's action horror comedy Seven Cemeteries.

Maria Canals-Barrera has had an enduring 30+ years as a successful TV actress, with the occasional film, since her debut in Fox's 21 Jump Street in 1990. While the actress has appeared in nearly 90 projects, her most notable is Disney Channel's Wizards of Waverly Place from 2007-2012 as the family matriarch, Teresa Russo, which she's set to reprise in the upcoming sequel series Wizards Beyond Waverly Place. Canals-Barrera spoke to Bleeding Cool about her latest action horror comedy in Quiver Distribution's Seven Cemeteries, working with director John Gulager and star Danny Trejo, her witch makeup, and making the most of her opportunities in Hollywood. The film f follows a recent parolee (Trejo) who gets a Mexican witch (Canals-Barrera) to resurrect his old posse so that they can help him save a woman's ranch from a ruthless drug lord.

Maria Canals-Barrera on Her Rare Opportunity in Seven Cemeteries

Bleeding Cool: What intrigued you about 'Seven Cemeteries?'
I liked that it was an unusual script and character for me to play "La Bruja," which means "witch" in Spanish. She's like a witch doctor, funny and scary. There are so many colors to her, and I've never gotten a chance to play a role like this on film, so I liked it and wanted to do it.

What's it like working with Danny on set and how do you break down the atmosphere on set with your costars?

I'd heard of Danny and met him a couple of times at those awards shows we go to, but this was an opportunity to work closely with him. I knew of his tough-guy persona, not to mention imposing with all that muscle, but he's handsome, too. When you look into his eyes, I see this daddy figure who can protect us, which was perfect for the movie because, as the witch, I implored him to "Please! Come back and save our town because only you can do it. Only you can take over and overpower this drug lord who's trying to ruin our town." I loved working with him; also easy to work with. He was so good, kind, and great, and I get why people adore him on set. It was a great vibe and a wonderful crew. John as our director, was so fun. It was during Covid times, so we had a few hours where we wore masks sometimes. That was all fine because we were all so devoted to what we were doing, telling this gritty, unusual story, so a great vibe on set.

Speaking of John, how do you describe how he ran his set?

It was laid-back and fun. John knows what he's doing and what he wants. He's easy to talk to, and I love his personality. He's fun, and it starts with the director. The set was so great because it reflected John's personality.

Was there a difficult scene you tackled during production, or was there some aspect, like weather, that might have affected how the shoot went?

It wasn't difficult, but it was something I didn't take for granted as the complexities of my character when she's in trouble towards the end. I don't want to give it away, but what happens to me…here she is, domineering, in control, sarcastic, and funny. She's in a vulnerable position, so that was a cool thing to have happen to play as an actress, that layer of vulnerability at the end. It was my first time handling a gun and I got to shoot a firearm. We had excellent training; everything was professionally done, and we were all prepared. I got to practice and was taught where to point the gun. That was a new experience for me. There's a lot of action in the movie, so it's the first time I ever was part of the action in that way.

Was any of the witch makeup burdensome at all?

To my ego, at first, I was like, "Wow, I have to look hideous!" Ugh! Everything in me wants to fix the flaws of a glamorous person [laughs]. As women, in general, you see a dark circle; you want to fill it in with a little lighter concealer. You make your lashes better, and you make your lips prettier. You put a little rouge to make yourself look healthier. This was the opposite; if I have a groove under my eye, let's make it darker and deeper. I remember John saying, "Can we give her more liver spots?" I was like, "Okay. I had to accept it," and my husband said, "Treat this as a theater piece. Don't worry about what you look like. Like in theater, you go for it!" It's raw, and that's what I did. I loved, accepted it all, and enjoyed it. I enjoyed looking terrible this week with the knotted dreadlocks, junk in my hair, dirt, wrinkles, and liver spots, and it was all great. So gritty and fun!

Is there a type of role you want to do on your acting bucket list since you said you haven't done a project like 'Seven Cemeteries'?

Yes! I'd love to do more of these period pieces, but unfortunately, they usually don't let Latin American people play those characters. I would love to do things similar to what I did in the theater when I played the title character in the [Henrik Ibsen] play, 'Hedda Gabler.' I would love to be given those opportunities. Hollywood is still slow to incorporate the American Latino in many of their stories, and it's frustrating, but things are changing, especially for the younger crowd. I'd love to do one of those awesome period pieces on film or TV.

Seven Cemeteries, which also stars Sal Lopez, Samantha Ashley, Efren Ramirez, Vincent M. Ward, Lew Temple, and Richard Esteras, is available in theaters, digital, and on-demand.

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