CORAL PEÑA

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Photography: Marie + Lee
Hair: Mark Esparza
Makeup: Andréa Tiller
Styling: Jenn Rosado

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You may know Coral Peña from Steven Spielberg's The Post, Chemical Hearts, The Enemy Within and 24: Legacy. Now Coral stars in the Apple TV+ series For All Mankind. We had a chat with Coral about the show, dreams and life in general.

For All Mankind

During a talkback with the audience for an off-Broadway show I did a couple of years back, I was asked what types of projects I was interested in doing in the future. I don't know why I answered the way that I did--I'd never really thought about this before--but I remember saying, "I want to do something with science fiction. I never see people like me in sci-fi." And now I'm working on For All Mankind. How special is that.

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Aleida Rosales

Aleida seems to be a controversial character. Some people love her and the difficult journey she's been on; some people hate her and sneer at her choices. The audience members that don't sympathize (let alone empathize) with her are reflected in the story itself; Aleida is an illegal immigrant abandoned at 13 without any guidance or help, so her trauma is actually a direct result of people not caring. So it makes sense.

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Growing up in the 90s

I actually didn't spend too many of my conscious years in the '90s, but when my family first immigrated to the US, '90s culture was our first interaction to what the United States was. So I was shaped heavily by that era.

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Food you could eat all day every day

I don't know about every day, but I'm definitely missing Mofongo right now.

Being a Dominican Republic actress in the industry

My favorite thing about being a Dominican actor working in the industry is seeing other Dominican actors thrive. 'Cause I understand the fight.

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Beauty

Less is more. I like when my face looks really bare. That's my most unique self.

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Social media

I really, really, really don't like social media. I don't like having an Instagram and I don't like posting pictures of myself. But I have one. And I post pictures. It's what you do. But it's never felt like me. I'm excited for the day when having social media is no longer a necessary tool for me as an actor. I'll delete it all.

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Today's political environment

I'm a black Latine. Where do I begin?

Dream you had as a kid

There's an abandoned lot on my grandmother's block in Harlem, and one day I hope to buy it and build an after school center for kids there. Homework help, maybe even after school arts classes, access to different sports, family activities on weekends. I'm dreaming of block parties and farmers market for the whole neighborhood, ya dig?

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Current obsession

Saucony sneakers! I only have one pair at the moment because I don't like clutter and I don't like excess but man, I look at their sneakers and collabs everyday. This is the closest I've ever been to being a hardcore sneaker head.

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One thing that needs to change in the world

How we talk about racism, and how we don't talk about its direct connection to capitalism.

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Person you admire or have always admired

I admire all my sisters. We got through it all together.