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Today we're speaking with Aza Gonzalez,
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also known as Violetta in I Love Boosters.
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Aya, congratulations on the film.
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You're so sweet. Thank you.
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Of course I watched it and I enjoyed myself.
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32. Yoletta, your character is fierce.
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She's an advocate. She is for the people,
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especially her girls. If you worry about them getting in trouble
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we can just lock them in a stock.
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How did it feel to take on a character that embodies the
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mentality many Latinas carry in 2026?
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it was really meaningful and and it had a real sense of
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Agency and timely impetu to it.
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I felt like in the world we're living,
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and you know it's interesting because when we made this movie,
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it was like 2 years ago,
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but it feels incredibly timely at the moment and I just love
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that Violetta was a person of her people.
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People of a community that cares about others more than she cares
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about herself, she's willing to frontline and take the heat for
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the rest of her community and I thought,
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wow, that really felt similar to the Latin experience and so
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I don't think it was a casualty that,
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you know, Boots chose to cast a Latina for that character
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Director Boots Riley leads by activism through his work,
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and as someone who has been outspoken for our Latino community,
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what lessons did this film leave you with about art and film
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being a form of advocacy?
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For me, being part of a movie that really raises interesting
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conversations and. And it sparks discussion and deliberately creates controversy in
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a good way. It's more about like real deep reflection and
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what are we doing with our lives and how we're coexisting in
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this society. And Boots is just a brilliant person.
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He's not a narcissistic,
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egotistical man who's like,
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it's my way or the highway.
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It's not like a You know,
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our business can be really self-absorbed and treat others like we're just
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pawns or pieces in the puzzle.
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And when a man or a director like him encourages an all-female
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cast, treats us with respect,
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treats us with, you know,
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the desire, equality that we deserve,
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and not make us feel like we are there,
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we need to, you know,
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gain something in order to To get the basic treatment,
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it just felt like Boots cared about quality storytelling.
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He was thoughtful of humans behind these characters.
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He thought, how could this make these people feel,
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because that's going to impact the results of the film,
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and I do think that that is very meaningful,
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so. I'm just hopeful when I see directors like this existing
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And you had an iconic moment earlier this year at the
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Vanity Fair carpet. You kindly set the record straight on how
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to correctly pronounce your name.
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I'm curious, as someone who's been in this industry since you
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were a child, what inspires you to be an advocate for
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yourself so confidently and yet so kind?
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That's so sweet. Thank you.
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I think that just like constantly feeling like erasure of self is
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really tough, you know,
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I think that. It just goes to show that you have
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you know, I'm a massive actress,
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but I'm just like I've been in the industry enough for people
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take a beat to learn someone's name.
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Like that is just being empathetic,
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thoughtful, a kind citizen.
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I just think that's important.
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And if you're not taking a minute to recognize someone in the
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public eye who's been Conversating with you and red carpets with you
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probably for the time like it just raises a big question of
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like if you're not doing it with me,
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like how is with others like it it it creates erasure and
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it is important for me that people pronounce my name right
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It is important for me to say my last name correctly
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There's a reason why I never would change my name or
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change my last name.
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It just, I feel very honored and proud of where I
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come from and I should be treated that way.
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That's beautiful to hear and very inspiring.
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Thank you. And you've been in this industry for a long
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time, and our community has been proudly cheering you on since
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Lola Plaza Cesamoa Conmigo.
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Isla Boosters is just one of the many major projects that you
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have releasing this year.
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Did young Aiza de la Ciudad de Mexico ever imagine that she'd
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one day become one of Hollywood's leading Latinas?
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Oh, you're so sweet.
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You know, I don't ever think of myself that way,
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so. I'm just a hustler and I'm always like excited to
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keep proving myself. It's little about what is outside and it's
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more about what's inside of me if I think I can do
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something or like challenging myself.
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So I think that sometimes I get so consumed in you know
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our our personal journey.
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journey of like, how can I grow?
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How can I be better?
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So when these things sort of happen,
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I'm grateful enough to recognize it and grateful for the audience to
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support me and love it,
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but humble enough to realize that that's not who I am.
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And I'm just Another citizen sort of finding their own way and
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I just, I like to stay humbled and real with where
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I come from and just keep proving myself what I can do
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next. That is so grounded.
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Lastly, because we're all going to the theater to watch I
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Love Boosters. What's your ideal movie watching situation?
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I'm talking snacks, movie theater.
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What are the vibes tough?
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You know, I love a really old movie theater.
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I don't know. Why it's just also very uncomfortable on your
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back, but I love an old movie.
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The smell of an old movie theater has so much meaning to
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So I love to go to Echo Park sometimes there's like some
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old movie theaters. I love a little Alamo Drafthouse sometimes because
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they bring food and you can have deliciously some of the best
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milkshakes I've ever had.
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So if I'm doing an Alamo Drafthouse,
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I'm hitting some milkshake and some nachos.
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If I'm going your regular Joe like the Grove now.
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You can get duckies in movie theaters,
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which is a fire because I'm like it's like just like literally
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like licking my fingers the eating 40 all over the outfit,
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just, but I love it and I love that Twix.
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I'm a Twix girl and he made me some peanut M&Ms.
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I love some peanut M&M in the popcorn.
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Oh, OK, 10 out of 10.
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I've got to try that.
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Well, I mean me to be sure to support our girl
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and the rest of the cast of I Love Boosters in theaters
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May 22nd. Grab them wigs.
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