Eiza González: ‘Latin woman are on the path for better representation’

With roles in blockbusters like Alita: Battle Angel, Godzilla vs. Kong and the Fast & Furious spin-off Hobbes & Shaw, Mexican actor Eiza González has been on the fast track to stardom over the last five years. Eiza, who first hit the limelight as a singer in Mexico – after which she started taking up acting roles – is now basking in the success of Ambulance, the action-thriller in which she co-stars alongside Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.

The actor, who plays the role of a certified first responder in the film, has been receiving praise internationally for her take on the character. “Latin women are on the path to better representation. We struggle to get roles in projects that aren’t stereotypical; too often, we are either cast as the lover, the help or the token ‘hot chick’. Not that there’s anything wrong in playing these characters, but there’s more to us than that, right?” she smiles.

On the sets of ‘Ambulance’ with Jake Gyllenhall and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

Eiza, who was first noticed in Hollywood in Edgar Wright’s slick actioner Baby Driver in 2017, adds that her intention is to balance her roles out. “I want to bring characters to life that represent the real Latin community, such as the many dynamic women I know and have been raised by. In fact, Ambulance was a great opportunity for me to show them in a positive light as there’s a high number of Latino people who are first responders in the medical industry.”

All set to star next in the Apple TV+ climate change-themed anthology series Extrapolations, as well as the Netflix series adaptation of The Three-Body Problem, Eiza says that Ambulance has given her the inspiration to play more complex characters. “She is the heart and soul of the  movie; so real and conflicted and ends up being the hero. In the first few scenes, she even falls into the unlikable category, which shows that women also get jaded over some things, and they too struggle in industries like this.”

This was her second outing with Jake Gyllenhaal, after she voice-starred with him as his wife in the 2021 animation film Spirit Untamed. How was that experience? “We laughed about it while being stuck inside an ambulance all through shoot; I just found it hilarious that Isabela Merced, who is only like ten years younger to me, was voice-starring as my daughter! That’s the funny thing about animation flicks. But hey, I got to work with Jake, so I can’t really complain.“