Marcela Toro
With Chile in her heart

Marcela Toro was born in Chile and was still a baby when her family moved to Australia in 1975. They later went to live in Tokyo, Japan for two years, then two years in the United Kingdom before moving to Papa New Guinea, where they lived on a an island called Bougainville for six years.

The family later returned to Australia and have lived in Melbourne ever since. Marcela has three younger siblings also living in Melbourne where each of them have already established their own families. Two sisters are married with three children each and one is due with her fourth child this December. 'It will be a wonderful Christmas present' Marcela commented. Marcela, as with so many other young girls, started ballet at the age of 6 and continued to dance all sorts of styles whilst growing up. 'I always knew I wanted to be a performer', she told me. 'I secretly wanted to be a singer and dancer'.

After her family left Bougainville Island to settle in Melbourne, Marcela at the age of 12 went to a local talent school in her area and attended regular singing and dancing lessons. 'Someone mentioned that I should get an agent, I wasn't sure what one was at the time' She tells me with a smile in her face ' So I came home and searched through the yellow pages; called an agent, three months later auditioned for Pugwall and won a regular part' Then at the tender age of 13 Marcela won the role of Daniella Valentina in the Australian Children Television series, Pugwall and Pugwall's Summer where she acted for the next 2 years.

Asking what are the memories she has, from what for sure was an overwhelming experience for a 13 years old kid, she says 'I remember turning up to the location and recall seeing huge trucks and lights. It was very overwhelming however I got over the anxiety quickly. I remember thinking every one was very nice. My first scene was to step outside my fathers fish and chip shop and stop Pugwall who was walking past; I desperately wanted to be in his band as the lead vocalist'.

It has been a long time since the little 13 year old Marcela made her mark in Pugwall, Since then she has had wonderful opportunities and played a number of different characters in different shows and commercials here in Australia as well as overseas. In Australia, she appeared on Ponderosa, Blue Heelers, My Brother Jack, Neighbours as well as the Herald Sun and Hungry Jacks commercials.She has also worked in Tokyo on NTTBJ, Joni, S&B Spice, and Lisa-music video.

'My first job in Tokyo was a J fone commercial. It was an unbelievable experience to hear the crew speak in Japanese, not one of them could speak any English. I had an interpreter to translate as the director spoke to me; it was definitely a different experience!” So any funny stories from any of the performances you have done? 'On set whilst shooting my scene on Ponderosa the horse bucked, my heart nearly stopped, it all happened so quickly that the director never called cut and we continued with the scene. But the end resulted in a fabulous action shot'.

Marcela has enjoyed every performance that she has been involved with and she admits that every new character brings to her new challenges and learning experiences “I have to say every performance I have ever done has been my favourite”. But when asked if some have been a little more demanding than others, she adds, “The toughest role I have ever played was a theatre show for Swinburne University - 'Concrete Nightmare'. I played a street kid. The role was challenging, I had to put on a completely different persona. From speaking in a very courteous lady style like to, swearing and spitting. My character, Cat, was a street kid that had a personality twitch when she got angry.” Furthermore, “I love the rush that you get just before a performance and the ability to be transformed into someone else is a thrill” she adds.

Marcela loves acting and you can see the passion when she talks about it. She likes people and she is fascinated with the fact that in a production there are so many people involved behind the scenes; for her it's a wonderful feeling to know that she is contributing a little for something that many other people are passionate about as well. Marcela is currently teaching acting, working as a make-up artist and also she is one of the presenters on the Latino TV program 'Fusion Latina', screened on TVS and CH31.

I asked her, what is the first thing that she associates with Latin Culture, “I immediately think of passion, romance, music and dancing” she responds.
And who are those Latinos you most admire - “I admire Gloria Estefan for her music and her affect on people; she has won five Grammy Awards, putting her amongst the most successful crossover performers in Latin music to date. Jennifer Lopez is another woman who has inspired me, I like the fact that she is a businesswoman and knows what she wants”. Marcela pauses then adds “But my real idols are my parents; they left Chile for a better life and worked very hard and struggled to give my sisters and I a wonderful life in Australia. I love them both very much”. Without a doubt Marcela has had a wonderful and interesting life. For her, working in Tokyo and attending The Actors Centre in London has been the highlight of her career so far. She dreams of someday being able to have her own acting school and a clothing label. In the meantime, she will continue to teach acting and indulge in her past time of eating and shopping. 'It is a little weird but eating and shopping tends to shut my brain off. She says laughing openly. 'But I also go to the gym, watch some movies on Foxtel and go for my walks on the beach”, she is quick to add.In the next twelve months Marcela will travel to Hollywood and New York to visit some girlfriends and she hopes that maybe she will be lucky enough to get some acting jobs over there. We wish her a lot of success!