[00:00:00] Adam Walker: From Susan G Komen, this is Real Pink, a podcast exploring real stories, struggles, and triumphs related to breast cancer. We’re taking the conversation from the doctor’s office to your living room.
[00:00:17] Welcome to the Real Pink Podcast by Susan G Komen. I’m Adam Walker, and each week we take a look at stories of real people affected by breast cancer. Today, I’m thrilled to introduce our special guest host, three time Emmy Award winner, author, and breast cancer survivor, Gaby Natale. Gaby is a proud Komen ambassador using her voice to educate, empower, and uplift communities, especially the Latino community, about the importance of breast health.
[00:00:45] She’ll be leading today’s conversation with two of the talented actors and producers behind the film, sisters, Valeria Maldonado and Marta Mendez Cross. This powerful film exposes family resilience and the conversations we need to have about our breast health. So let’s dive in, Gaby, take it away.
[00:01:05] Gaby Natale: Thank you so much, Adam.
[00:01:07] Bienvenidas. I’m honored to be here as guest host today, especially because this conversation is Personal to me as a breast cancer survivor, I know firsthand the power of early detection, knowledge and community support. And that’s exactly what Susan G. Komen is all about. Helping people navigate their breast health journey while ensuring equitable access to care
[00:01:35] for all of us. Today I have the pleasure of speaking with two incredible women. Amazing Mujeres, Valeria Maldonado and Marta Mendez Cross, two of the creative forces behind Las Tres Sisters. Their film is a beautiful exploration of sisterhood, family dynamics and the difficult yet necessary conversations about health that are often avoided in our beautiful cultura latina.
[00:02:08] So let’s start here. Bienvenidas Valeria and Marta.
[00:02:13] Marta Cross: Thank you, Gaby. What an intro from an amazing woman herself. Thank you so much..
[00:02:19] Gaby Natale: Congratulations on Las Tres Sisters, and I know this is a topic that is very personal for me, but can you tell me what inspired you to make this film and why the story felt so important to bring to life?
[00:02:36] Marta Cross: Well, our story started as, um, between Valeria Maldonado and Virginia Novello, who is our other partner who wrote this story with us. Um, started as a short film about forgiveness. And, um, healing relationships and the importance of, you know, the now, what we have is today and, um, unifying a family. And so that’s really where it started.
[00:02:59] And it grew into all the things that you see now, just like Maria, my character, I play Maria in the film. Um, when I came into, to the, into the story, we decided we needed to have something that would really help bring a family together and, you know, women’s health. Um, your sister’s health and, and the lives of the, those you love are so important.
[00:03:23] So it felt like it was a good, um, storyline to, to drive our film. Um, and it’s been such a beautiful journey because we’ve learned so much about, um, you know, just in cancer research and about breast health just through making this film. It was something that we didn’t start with. It is something that we were guided to.
[00:03:46] Gaby Natale: These conversations are so needed. And Valeria, for you, what is a personal tie? How, how has this movie played a role for you on a personal level?
[00:03:58] Valeria Maldonado: on so many levels. So, so first of all, yeah, when we, when we started, you know, this film and we started to do some research at that time, my, my aunt who was like my second mom, um, in Mexico, um, she had breast cancer.
[00:04:15] And so, um, she was, she, she lived with it for many, many years and she had it for about eight years in silence, where she didn’t tell anyone. She didn’t tell, you know, the family. She didn’t want to put energy onto it. She wanted to, like, be healthy. Um, and unfortunately, we, we did lose her to breast cancer, or she did transition, um, because of the breast cancer.
[00:04:38] And so, this was something that was occurring as we were writing the script, and it was not planned this way. But then, as, as we were, you know, going through so many different, we were all, having different experiences in our lives that we were putting into the script. It was not just about my aunt at all.
[00:04:55] But as I was, you know, living the process with her and watching her and her sisters, um, you know, be in bed together. We have a scene in the movie where like, there’s like, there’s three sisters are like, it’s in the movie, it’s a comedy and they’re like, holding each other asleep. But that was like an actual image of my aunt and her two sisters in the bed, holding each other.
[00:05:16] So as we, you know, as I was Going through that, we, you know, it was, it was very important to kind of express what was happening and we were also talking to doctors. you know, oncologists that were telling us, you know, how things worked and everything. And then after that, very surprisingly, my mom, um, got pancreatic cancer, uh, the year that we were shooting.
[00:05:42] And, um, my grandmother, her mother had had breast cancer, uh, survived it. Um, and so I, I think my mom was always checking for breast cancer always, you know, like she knew it was there and it was around and she was always, you know, ahead of the curve in that sense, but We were not expecting the pancreatic side to come out.
[00:06:02] And so, um, she was with us during the shoot and she was, um, in on her final weeks of living and was able to go to the shoot and was able to be a part of it. And then she passed away a couple of days after we finished shooting. So this movie is deeply personal. For me, it’s for all of us for many reasons, but in terms of the cancer aspect, it is deeply personal and we wanted to portray it as authentically as we could and, and give resources so that people, you know, can have different outcomes and, and honor also the people that, that, you know, fight.
[00:06:39] And lift themselves throughout disease, and don’t let disease define them. And yet, you know, look for all the resources that they can find. And then leave, if they do end up having to leave us on this plane, leave us better people because of it.
[00:06:55] Gaby Natale: And Valeria, it’s deeply personal because of Lupita, because of your mother, because of the impact that you are making in other women.
[00:07:04] And now that the film is out there and you’re doing the press tour, what do you think Lupita and your mother would tell you of this moment, this proud moment of, uh, birthing a film, uh, about all of this that would probably help raise awareness and why not lives of so many women in our community?
[00:07:25] Valeria Maldonado: Well, I’m obviously already going to cry with that question, um, uh, very, very soon in the interview.
[00:07:32] Um, I think, I think they’re both looking down and being so proud. Lupita, while we were writing, I would tell her, I was like, she didn’t speak much English. So I would, you know, translate some things from the script for her and, and, you know, share what we had. And, and my mom, she read the scripts and she, you know, she was even there for the shoot.
[00:07:53] And you said birth in a movie. Um, before my mom passed, I was sad because I was like, she, she’s not going to get to be a grandmother. And, um, and my mom said, No, I am. I am. I’m a grandmother because you’re, you’re birthing your daughter, your movie is this daughter. So we named her Isabela so that she even had a name, the movie, her nieta, her, her, her granddaughter.
[00:08:19] And so I am so sure that, that she is. First of all, that she’s been hustling up there because I truly believe that my mom, she didn’t know how to rest much. So I’m sure that she’s still up there doing, you know, connecting us probably with you and being like,
[00:08:34] Gaby Natale: Is your PR from the other side, your best PR?
[00:08:37] Valeria Maldonado: Absolutely. She is my best PR. And look, she’s, she’s, I have a picture of her right here.
[00:08:44] with
[00:08:44] us. And I’m sure that that she is very, very happily looking at us and being like, just so proud. I’m sure that they are so, so proud.
[00:08:55] Gaby Natale: And one of the of the main things that I think this movie does is touching upon a topic that even to this day is still a taboo.
[00:09:06] You know, it’s 2025, but breast cancer continues to be a topic at a taboo topic overall in many communities, but in particular in the Hispanic community. Uh, so how do you feel, uh, or why, why do you think this film is going to start creating this much needed conversations, Marta and Valeria?
[00:09:33] Valeria Maldonado: You know, it’s, it already has.
[00:09:35] It’s already started conversations in the Latino community that have come to see it in, in theaters. Um, people are sharing their stories of how they were touched by breast cancer or even cancer in their families. So they’re even talking out loud in front of an audience at a Q and A has been beautiful to witness within our Latino community, but particularly something that, that we didn’t realize would even be a focus because through my research from Maria and trying to understand why,
[00:10:05] you would need to, um, you couldn’t go through chemo while pregnant. Um, that part of women’s health. Has something I’ve never heard about. I never thought about that decision until writing this movie and um, I, I interviewed several other mom friends. I’m in this mom group where we all share very intimately our journeys and some of them have gone through breast cancer and one mom told me how she had been going through IVF for years, spent thousands of dollars, finally became pregnant, and then was diagnosed with breast cancer.
[00:10:38] And here in the U. S., Your choice is either chemo or abort. And so she decided to go to the UK. In the UK, you’re allowed to go through chemo and keep your baby as long as you sign a waiver. And she has a very healthy now eight year old daughter. Uh, it’s more common there to be able to keep your baby and go through chemo and they’re safe practices.
[00:11:00] So I think that’s something that definitely needs to be discussed in our community for women to, you know, understand what it is that, that, um, what options you have. And also that the research needs to be there here in the United States for women who are pregnant or having babies. We actually had one of the survivors who are also involved with Susan G.
[00:11:21] Komen that came to our Tuesday, uh, last week we had a big screening for Hollywood, the middle of Culver City. We, it was star studded and red carpet, and we were able to invite a few survivors to come. And one woman came, she was dressed in this beautiful pink gown, and she had her two daughters. Her Latina woman.
[00:11:41] Um, and uh, she said that if she would’ve known she was pregnant and it didn’t come up, somehow it was a miracle she wouldn’t have been able to go through chemo or have her baby, and her adult daughter was standing there with her. At the screening that she was able to, um, her miracle. She called it her miracle and she cried.
[00:12:00] She said, I so relate to the movie and thank you for sharing that part of my story. So I really do hope that this this movie brings more awareness around women’s health. not just with breast cancer, but also just that portion of it, a choice to have a baby, a choice to go through chemo, um, and that, that our community needs to focus on that.
[00:12:23] Gaby Natale: And the, and the, and the hard conversation and choices. That we go through in the middle of treatment where we have to come up with, um, an answer while we’re still processing so many things at the same time. And I think that’s, that’s one of the beauties of storytelling. And that’s, uh, one of the, of the key priorities that we have here in Susan G Komen when we’re thinking about breaking down cultural barriers in, in breast health education, because storytelling makes us feel less isolated.
[00:12:57] Storytelling makes these kind of conversations easier to have. So, uh, how can storytelling, Valeria, you were thinking about this story, dreaming about this story, and living many parts of this story through your own family history. So how can storytelling play a role in making health options more approachable?
[00:13:20] Valeria Maldonado: Oh, I think storytelling is so powerful, right? On so many levels. And the first thing, right, is we see ourselves represented on screen. We realize that we’re not alone. And that can relate to so many subjects. It can relate to being a woman. It can relate to having sisters or to having any conflict between relationships.
[00:13:43] Gaby Natale: And we don’t see every day, we don’t see every day a film with Latinas on the leads.
[00:13:51] Valeria Maldonado: Listen, Latina on the leads that wrote the film, that produced the film, Latina producing, Latina directing, Latina head of director, um, head of departments, Latina head of PR. Like, we have this incredible army of women that are surrounding us that has just expanded and expanded and expanded, even having the meetings with Susan G Komen.
[00:14:13] And I would see this, you know, I would see our zoom image and it was just like women, women, women, like all of these like incredible women, which is, that’s just incredible. And so to see ourselves reflect that reflected on screen, it’s just. It’s so powerful. And, and I think in terms of, you know, we’ve been talking about like in the Latino community or, or in any, a lot of marginalized communities, not having kind of feeling this, that you have to hide it.
[00:14:41] And I know, I know that both my, my aunt hid it for years. And my mom, like one of the first things that she said when we found out she had cancer, it was like, don’t tell anybody. Don’t tell anybody. And so, and then we were like, we have to tell someone because we need, we need a support system. We need our people to support us while we’re going through this, you know?
[00:15:02] And so I, I’m hoping that when people see this represented on screen, they realize like, they’re not alone. They’re not the only people that are going through this and that if they can relate to other people, if they can open up with their experiences with other people, then they can create this support.
[00:15:19] And that then, and then maybe even, you know, you can share resources and you can be like, this works for me, this works for us, you know, like, and so I think. That is so important because it’s kind of, it’s kind of like taking, taking breast cancer out of the closet, right? Out of the like shame, out of the, and everything, you know, I mean, with my aunt, like seeing her, you know, go to the surgeries and need to have a prosthesis.
[00:15:46] Um, like having to find, I remember shopping with her for bras. And, you know, like the bra when she had the tumor, like, you know, she had to find a bra that would fit the tumor so that it wouldn’t hurt. And all of these sort of things we were kind of just doing on our own, figuring it out. So if people can talk about it, then there can, I don’t know, there can be brands of, of bras that are made for like people that are, you know, going through the situation.
[00:16:13] There’s so many things that, well, you know, if we. speak about it, then it can bring resources to so many people.
[00:16:21] Gaby Natale: It’s the bras, It’s the medically induce menopause, how it changes intimacy for breast cancer survivors. There’s a lot, a variety of topics and conversations that may be intimate or maybe shameful that they need to be brought into into light and talking about conversations. We have to ask each other our own family health history.
[00:16:51] I am a breast cancer survivor, but before that I was my mother’s caregiver. And so we were able to have this conversation and she’s alive and she’s Fine because of early detection, and that’s why, and I’m alive and I’m fine because of early detection. So come and encourages people to talk about their family health history because truly early detection save, uh, save lives.
[00:17:16] Uh, but we also know, and let’s be honest, that these conversations don’t always happen and particularly don’t always happen in the Latino community. So I’m just curious. What advice do you have for someone who wants to ask their family, their mother, their abuelita, somebody in their family about their health history, but doesn’t know how to break the ice, doesn’t know how to start this conversation.
[00:17:42] Valeria Maldonado: They can watch the movie.
[00:17:47] They’re like, wait a second, mom. Do we have this in our family? Um, I mean, truly it’s, it’s, especially if you have a barrier of even, um, you have a parent or a mother who doesn’t want to talk about it. You know, you, how do you approach it? Um, I, I would say making it more, um, attempting the conversation, just saying, mom, I want to know about your health.
[00:18:12] Um, I want to know about Abuela’s health when for me, I’m having those conversations only now because I have children. So I keep having to check in. Um, and I have boys, I don’t have girls. So that I’m asking about the health of my on the maternal side for their eyes, and they have so much information to give, but it’s it’s really important for us to to sit down and say, Hey, mom, I want to know, you know, have you gone to the doctor for, you know, detection for breast cancer?
[00:18:42] Do you go for ultrasounds? Maybe ask, like, is it uncomfortable? Like, what is the machine like, you know, even approaching it in a way that is, is, is Easier for them to talk about some of the details. Um, maybe going on a walk, say, mom, I wanna go on this march. I see that there is a breast cancer walk here. We did it at the Santa Monica Pier.
[00:19:01] Mm-hmm. It was so beautiful saying, you know, mom, dad, you wanna go on this? Walk with us. I mean,
[00:19:07] Gaby Natale: I incorporated and think incorporated in our community that annuals need to be taken seriously. Prevention. We don’t have to wait till something is wrong to go to the doctor. What do you think about Valeria about this conversation?
[00:19:23] Valeria Maldonado: Yeah, I mean, for sure, annuals, like I, my mom had a couple of breast cancer scares and but she was so on it. You know, she was, she would always check like she was very, very aware, just very aware because of her mom. Um, and it was something that, that I’m very aware of too. And I actually just recently went to the doctor and I was told that I should go to, what do they call it?
[00:19:49] Like when it’s, when you have to get the genetic testing. Um, you know, and, and do like all those tests and it’s scary. I’m not going to lie. It’s scary. I’m like, Oh God, okay, but I am, I’m going to go do it. I’m going to go do it. I’m going to, you know, face the fear because I think a lot of those things are like, I’d rather just not know and, and be like, no, as you just said, early detection, you know, it saved your life.
[00:20:15] It saves your mom’s life. And so. I think getting tested is super important and, and crossing that barrier of like, you know, what if it is something my cousin, oh my God, I have so many people with cancer, unfortunately, but my cousin who was my aunt’s daughter, the one that passed away from cancer, she ended up having cancer in her matriz.
[00:20:37] How do I say that? And like the womb, I don’t know exactly where it
[00:20:40] is.
[00:20:41] Yes, she, because of her mom and what she went through, she was very on it about, you know, getting tested and she got tested and she caught it immediately. She caught it so fast and so she was able to get it removed. And she is a survivor and she is doing fantastic.
[00:21:03] She is going through what you said, you know, there’s a hormonal changes because, you know, suddenly she was, she had to be in menopause, which she was not expecting. There’s been changes in intimacy. There’s all these sorts of changes that she’s going through. But because of seeing what our other family members have gone through, she decided to be proactive and it did, it changed her life.
[00:21:23] It absolutely changed your life. So I think it can be scary, but it’s necessary for sure to get checked.
[00:21:29] Gaby Natale: So I want to bring it to the fun part of, uh, shooting a movie. So you’re on the road, you’re shooting from what I heard. It’s a world of women, the actresses, uh, scriptwriters and everything. Tell me a little bit about the fun parts of recording a movie and any special story that comes to mind.
[00:21:54] Valeria Maldonado: I mean, there’s so many. Okay, let’s make it brief, but we’ve been able to share a lot of stories recently, so it’s been helpful. Um, I would say for, for us, we worked so, so hard. We worked for six years to get a movie funded. Um, it was writing, it was knocking on doors, getting no’s and fighting our yes, and then eventually we were funded through Guadalajara.
[00:22:19] Through an investor there. So Mexico showed up for us in a beautiful way. I know. And so then when we got to set, we had our beautiful producer, Denise Prieto, who came on board, who is a dear friend of ours. And she took over. She said, ladies, you act. Go ahead and focus on these characters. Bring the story to life.
[00:22:39] I will produce and produce. She did. We didn’t have to think about any of the logistics. There was over 100 person crew and we’re going from Pueblo Magico, the Pueblo Magico. So we were on the road. Everything that’s in the movie is authentic to Mexico. There was no built stages. We wanted to show the beauty of Mexico and Virginia, Virginia, Valeria and I.
[00:23:00] I mean, we We just had the most amazing times of our lives. I’m speaking for myself, but Valeria we did. We had, oh my god. Yes, we did. We laughed so hard. We had, there’s a, there’s a scene with, um, uh, Tarantula. No, no. With a scorpion. Scorpion. Aracan. Aracan. Alacran. Alacran. Did I say it right? Aracan. Alacran.
[00:23:25] Alacran. You’ll see when you see the movie that Maria really attempts to speak Spanish. She is unapologetically Latina with, struggling with the language. But it was really hard to get through that scene. I just recently looked at the bloopers because we were trying to get those for social media and we were laughing
[00:23:41] the entire time. And they were like, cut, let’s start over. I mean, we had a scene where our, one of our leads, Virginia Novello and writers.
[00:23:50] Gaby Natale: And the scorpion was maybe more, more frightened than you, than you guys were, right?
[00:23:55]
[00:23:55] Valeria Maldonado: Well, the scorpion was, I will say was movie magic. So we were pretending the scorpion wasn’t there.
[00:24:01] We put that in later. But
[00:24:04] with Valeria’s performance, you would think there was the largest scorpion in the world. But like we had, and then Virginia had to get on the back of a horse and ride without a saddle. And at one point we, I was looking through the bloopers again, at one point she falls off the horse in the middle of the scene.
[00:24:22] She’s like, Oh my God, Oh my God, I’m going. And she falls off and then she gets up. Okay. I’m okay. It was with Gonzalo.
[00:24:30] Gaby Natale: Garcia
[00:24:31] Valeria Maldonado: Vivanco
[00:24:32] Gaby Natale: Garcia Vivanco. She gave it her all to that scene. Directors cannot complain.
[00:24:38] Valeria Maldonado: No, they cannot complain. So it was, you know, there’s so many stories. I don’t know, Valeria, there’s probably so many.
[00:24:44] Oh my god, there’s just, there’s so many and I’m thinking, you know, cause there’s so many of like filming, but there’s so many stories of during filming, like not when we were on set because, so Marta brought her two kids. with her to Mexico and right, because we were there for like a little bit, a little bit over like two months.
[00:25:03] No, a little, yeah, no, almost three months. Um, and so we had, we were staying in Virginia’s parents house when we were shooting in Guadalajara. And so it was just like family everywhere. So it was like, Her Virginia’s parents, her siblings coming in, the kids of the siblings, you know, like Marta and her two kids.
[00:25:21] And we were just like all running around and, you know, doing glam and getting our hair and makeup done while we were like holding babies and, and in Tapalpa, cause when we went to Tapalpa, we were there for three weeks and it was like the whole a hundred person crew. was there we had about three different houses where all of us were staying and you know like the weekend would come and it’d be Saturday and Sunday where people could go to back to Guadalajara if they wanted, spend time with their family or their friends but most of them wouldn’t and we would spend the weekend together and we would go to Las Piedrotas together and I really really remember this one day that was so much fun because it was one of Marta’s kids birthdays
[00:26:04] and
[00:26:05] Yeah, it was so fun.
[00:26:07] And, you know, our art department was incredible. They were so good. But, you know, they were tired. It was their weekend. They decided to take their Sunday, go around the Pueblo, Cotapalpa, look for, like, all of these decorations and make a party for Maxwell. And, like, they did this whole thing with, like, a zoo, you know, like, um, theme.
[00:26:29] And they brought, I don’t know what you call them, but, like, these foam things, you know. Yeah, Silly String.
[00:26:34] Andso we were like the whole production and this kid’s, you know, Maxwell’s birthday party and, you know, um, running around each like with each other, like, um, doing, I’m thinking in Spanish, sorry, like, um, echándonos, uh, Silly String and laughing and on the floor.
[00:26:51] And it was just, it was this feeling of family on set. We really, like, we enjoyed each other. And you know, the three of us had been enjoying each other for so many years, but then it was like this family suddenly like multiplied. And it was this fun, like with a hundred people, it was, it was incredible. It was absolutely
[00:27:09] Gaby Natale: Talk about a superstar birthday for a kid.
[00:27:12] Valeria Maldonado: I mean, no, he still talks about his sixth birthday was his favorite birthday. I’m like, what about when I went to Disney or I spent this amount of money on a big Go kart party. Nope. It’s the one in Mexico, the safari.
[00:27:25] Gaby Natale: Fantastic. Now going, going back to the conversations around, uh, breast cancer prevention and health.
[00:27:33] We know not everyone has access. Um, so we talked about the annuals. We talked about, um, The prevention. But the reality is that access to care isn’t equal to everyone. So what do you think are the biggest challenges that Latinas women in our community and Latinas breast cancer patients face. And now that you’ve been listening to all these stories from the audience, uh, how do you think we can work together, uh, through film, through advocacy, community partnerships to change that?
[00:28:09] Valeria Maldonado: You know, I think, I think what Susan G Komen is doing is so important. It is like, it is so important. I actually found out about you guys through my friend, Mariana Garza, because she works for you. Or she works with Susan G Komen. And so she was telling me, like, she’s in charge of, you know, cases of women and, and giving them the resources and getting them a car in case they don’t have a driver in order to go get chemo.
[00:28:35] And, you know, like figuring out all these little details that I think, I think a lot of times the community don’t know that they exist. And so, you know, if you’re a woman and if you don’t, if you don’t have access to health care in a way that is for me, I’ve been here for 14 years. I find health care in the United States so confusing, so expensive.
And then, you know, if you have Medicare and Medi Cal that like changes things. Um, I’m also, if you’re undocumented, you know, that changes things that makes people so, especially now be super scared of looking for resources, right? And so, like, spreading the word is really so important, and if we can do it through film, through TV, through podcasts, because there are organizations like Susan G Komen that are going above and beyond.
[00:29:21] To not, it’s not just about awareness, it’s about, I will help you, I will help you get to chemo. I will, you know, like, I will make sure there’s someone there to walk with you when you’re weak. And, um, I think coming together, you know, this, the movie has been so much about unity, but coming together with organizations, spreading the word about the, about the details.
[00:29:42] I feel like people are like, Oh yeah, like, Oh, breast cancer awareness, because people have breast cancer. No, but it’s the awareness of what you can do. It’s the awareness, what help you can get, it’s the awareness of the specific things that can help you throughout your journey. So yes, yes, I think I’m just so passionate about how important this is.
[00:30:03] Gaby Natale: Now, um, this movie will take audiences to laugh, to travel, to cry, to connect with each other, to be, um, to be proud of our heritage also as well, uh, to think about sorority and how women will connect with each other. Uh, in the same generation and in different generations. So if there’s one message you hope audiences can take away from last three sisters, what would it be?
[00:30:38] And let’s start with Marta. What would that message be
[00:30:44] Valeria Maldonado: to be proud of who you are, whether it’s a woman? Whether it’s your superpower as a, as a Latino woman, um, to be proud of it. And if you’re not Latino, just be proud of your roots and be proud of who you are. I mean, one of the reasons we wanted to make this movie was also to fill the gap of representation, but to show Mexico lingo to show a country that is only shown in one way in, in Hollywood, they only tell one story.
[00:31:18] Really, truly to show this side of Mexico to show the food, the culture, the people we want Latinos to feel proud of who they are. And we want people who are not Latino and don’t know the culture at all to see how gorgeous and beautiful the Latino community is. And that is extremely important to us. And we’re seeing it with audiences.
[00:31:40] They have, we’ve had people in tears and they’ve watched the movie more than one time. Last night we had a, uh, an older man who was probably in
his seventies, and it was his third time to see the movie and he found it on his own. And he just in tears said, thank you for making me feel loved. for showing me on screen in such a loving way.
[00:31:58] And so I hope that that is the message that people get from our film.
[00:32:01] Gaby Natale: Fantastic. And you, Valeria?
[00:32:05] Valeria Maldonado: Oh, I love that. Doesn’t she speak so beautifully? I love listening to her.
[00:32:09] Marta Cross: Um, I’m thinking about you. I’m sitting here like a proud older sister. I was like, I love you. Like, so proud to be by your side. I’m so proud to be by your side.
[00:32:18] Valeria Maldonado: Oh, me too.
[00:32:19] Marta Cross: Me too. It’s been, oh my god, we are coming off of a weekend of, you know, so much highs and lows, and it’s always incredible to just have, have each other. And I think that’s also what I want people to take away from this movie. You know, that you don’t have to, you don’t have to walk alone. You don’t have to walk alone.
[00:32:37] You can open your heart, and even if, if you’ve been hurt, if you’re scared, um, to open up your heart and to open up Um, just the ability to be with your community, to create the community that you want, but that in walking with people through, whether it’s through life, through disease, through fun, through anything, you know, creating sisterhood, creating community.
[00:33:05] enjoying your actual family members. Like, I wish that, that this movie reminds you of just how magical relationships are. And they can be difficult and we need to like heal and, you know, talk through uncomfortable things, but they are so magical and they are so so worth it. So I hope this movie like reminds people to, to, you know, to grab onto their loved ones and love them harder and then to open up their heart to other people to love them in a new way.
[00:33:34] And that even when we have differences, because we will, we will have differences, being able to cross that bridge into understanding each other can create so much magic. So I hope this, this movie reminds people to, to open up their hearts to the magic of relationships.
[00:33:51] Gaby Natale: And to use your own words, uh, the magic of relationships, I’m going to do a follow up question.
[00:33:57] Since this is such a personal project for you, and you have so many people on the other side, do you feel that you have received any signals from those people while you were doing this, uh, this movie or this promotion? Because I do believe also in the magic of relationships.
[00:34:19] Valeria Maldonado: I do too. Absolutely. My mom, my mom shows up in so many ways.
[00:34:25] Um, she’s, she’s so beautiful that way. There’s this one way that might sound weird, but it’s very much in tune with
[00:34:32] Gaby Natale: nonjudgmental here.
[00:34:35] Valeria Maldonado: Yes. I am such a cat lady. I love cats. I am obsessed with cats. I can’t have one where I live. And, um, around the time we decided that we were gonna, uh, finally release my mom’s ashes.
[00:34:52] Uh, this past year, you know, it was, it was very hard and I, I’ve always had cats visit me and I hadn’t over the last couple of years, literally the day we decided we were going to, we’re going to, you know, finally release her ashes. I was sitting here where I am and I felt someone staring at me and I looked outside and there was a cat outside my door just looking at me and, and he came in and ever since then every day
[00:35:16] he comes in and he, he comes and um, one of like the second or third time he went straight into my bedroom and I have a little, I have a little locket with her ashes and, and a picture of her and I together and the cat went and sat next to
[00:35:36] the
[00:35:36] picture. And the ashes, and it’s almost like every time something important happens with the movie, the cat shows up, you know, um, there’s, there’s so many I’m now blanking on all of the ways that she shows up, but she’s, she shows up in so many beautiful magical ways and, and throughout the film and she is absolutely, she’s absolutely sending her magic, um, and making sure that I realize it.
[00:36:03] Absolutely.
[00:36:04] Gaby Natale: I agree and I saw Marta’s face when I asked the question so I knew there was going to be some story.
[00:36:12] Marta Cross: You’re always like, hi Donna, she’s
[00:36:14] here or I’ll get like, I remember sending her a message it was all of a sudden I’m following, I didn’t follow her, but messages from Donna. Which is her mother’s name and remember when I sent you the screenshot, she needed like a message that day and I said, I think Donna wants to tell you something, so I just sent it to her, came up on my feed and I don’t hesitate to send her signs because we believe in it so much.
[00:36:36] Valeria Maldonado: I just want to let you guys know that as we said that, the cat is now outside.
[00:36:39] Gaby Natale: Oh my god! I just, uh, yeah. So there you go. Oh my god. Very powerful, energetic ladies here. Something’s happening. Yes, yes, yes. This is to Donna and Lupita then.
[00:36:59] Valeria Maldonado: Si, si, si, si.
[00:37:02] Gaby Natale: Ladies, this has been such a beautiful interview.
[00:37:04] Is there anything that you want to share that I have not asked you in this interview? Please feel free to share it right now.
[00:37:14] Valeria Maldonado: You know, um, it, it, it, I don’t want to keep going back to the movie, but we are here and this movie is bringing awareness
[00:37:24] and um, I think it’s extremely important for Latinos to show up for each other and
[00:37:31] if you can please go out to theaters, um, it’ll be in theaters through Thursday in most cities and then others for another week after that to, to just support the film and buy a ticket.
[00:37:43] I think it will allow us to spread more awareness. for cancer research, more, uh, awareness that to Hollywood that these kind of movies need to be made. And then when it comes out streaming in the future, you know, to please take an hour and a half of your life to, to support this film.
[00:38:01] Gaby Natale: Absolutely. And how, tell me where online and in social media, can they find, uh, everything they need about the movie?
[00:38:09] Valeria Maldonado: On
[00:38:11] Instagram, it’s, um, last press. That’s L. A. S. T. R. E. S. Sisters movie. And that’s also on tick tock and facebook. Um, and they can go to last sisters movie dot com or fandango to find a theater near them.
[00:38:28] Gaby Natale: Fantastic. Valeria, what else would you like to say before closing that we haven’t asked?
[00:38:34] Valeria Maldonado: Yeah, just that again about supporting, you know, I don’t think a lot of people don’t know how independent movies works, work.
[00:38:40] It’s incredible that there’s an independent film in theaters. We’re next to Captain America. We’re next, it’s crazy, but we do need people to come out. Um, because we now we have the opportunity to, to be in theaters a second week, but it’s probably going to be less theaters. And, and we need people if people show up with the word of mouth and people go, we can keep expanding to three weeks to four weeks and maybe get, get other theaters, get theaters that are closer to you.
[00:39:12] And this is just so important because if we want If we want to spread messages about, about women, about Latinidad, about breast cancer, about family, we need to show up and we need to go to the movie theater. And we need to even buy tickets, as Marta was saying, if there isn’t a movie theater close to you, buy a ticket because it’s telling people like, Oh, people want to go.
[00:39:35] And so, and sharing, of course, on your socials when you love the movie. Um, yeah, that is right now, what we are, what we are hoping for, because we see the impact the movie has when people watch it. We’re not worried about people, how they’re going to react to the film. We know they’re going to love it.
[00:39:54] If we’re worried about getting the people to see it in time so that they’re in theaters so that somebody else can see it in theaters. So right now it is, it’s a call to action of do it. Now go to theaters. Now buy a ticket now. Because that means that then we can keep spreading our message and the word and, and, and, and, you know, like maybe impacting some one person in that movie theater that decides to speak up or get checked or anything.
[00:40:23] And if we can impact one person, then it, then it’s worth it.
[00:40:26] Gaby Natale: Absolutely. Absolutely. And we need to support women’s movies with female leads, latina leads. So Valeria, Marta, and I don’t know if the cat is still there, but the cat also.
[00:40:39] Valeria Maldonado: It went by, it’s good.
[00:40:43] Gaby Natale: so much for sharing your insights, for using your platform to elevate this important conversation, not just in an informative way, but also in a soulful way, in a such an authentic way.
[00:40:58] The film is a gift to our community, and I know it will inspire. So many, many people to take charge of their own breast health. For everyone listening, if you or someone you love is facing breast cancer, know that you’re not alone. Visit komen. org slash espanol for resources, information, and support in Spanish and espanol en nuestro idioma.
[00:41:26] Let’s continue to stand together. in the fight against breast cancer. It has been a true honor to be a guest host with all of you today. My name is Gaby Natale. Gracias. Until the next time.
[00:41:44] Adam Walker: Thanks for listening to Real Pink, a weekly podcast by Susan G Komen. For more episodes, visit realpink. komen. org. And for more on breast cancer, visit komen. org. Make sure to check out at Susan G Komen on social media. I’m your host, Adam. You can find me on Twitter at AJ Walker or on my blog, adamjwalker.
[00:42:02] com.