With an upcoming appearance in tomorrow’s episode of NBC’s new mini-series “Kingpin,” there are many reasons why third-year theater student Alley Mercedes is loving each day of her life.
Mercedes has something she believes gives her the leg up on the competition: a contagiously positive attitude, natural curiosity, and a love of knowledge.
“I’m in love with my life. Each day I wake up and think, could this get any better?” Mercedes said.
It would be a mistake to think her excitement and happiness hasn’t been hard earned. After waitressing at local restaurants in Westwood to support herself through her first two years at UCLA, Mercedes moved to Hollywood to enter the industry.
“As a woman you have to get out there when you’re still young. I knew there were roles for me as a young Hispanic woman,” Mercedes said. “I’ve played roles (aged) from 14 to 20, which has been really fun.”
Her role in “Kingpin,” in which she plays a drug dealer’s daughter, was a particularly exciting one for Mercedes, who still feels a bit star struck working among the cast, which includes “Twin Peaks” star Sheryl Lee.
“Here I am just getting my feet wet in Hollywood and I’m telling off Laura Palmer from ‘Twin Peaks,’” Mercedes said. “I feel honored since it’s such a well-written show, so meaty, and it’s getting rave reviews.”
She also enjoys what other actresses might regard as a painful chore each day – the three-hour hair and wardrobe treatment before she gets on set.
“Look at me now,” she says showing off a long black Hawaiian print dress, free flowing brown hair, and perfectly manicured red nails, “I love getting dressed up. It’s fun – I’m very scientifically minded but I’m such a girl.”
Mercedes returned to UCLA this year to begin the second half of her undergraduate studies as a theater and pre-med major. She hopes to later go on to medical school to become a doctor specializing in neuroscience. Surprisingly, she is just as enthusiastic and involved with science and her education at UCLA as she is about the success she’s finding in film and television.
“I just fell in love with science,” Mercedes said. “I love working with professors who have such passion about the natural world. I take advantage of their office hours and always ask questions. Their enthusiasm makes me really want to work with them.”
Mercedes’ drive to learn and experience is a product of her philosophy that there are no boundaries. According to her, she can be an actress and a doctor. Why not? She heads off to see movies with her chemistry book in hand in case things get slow. Science and acting may not seem to go hand in hand, but Mercedes sees connections everywhere.
“Acting isn’t that much different than being a doctor,” Mercedes asserts. “It takes years of experience and training, as well as an understanding of the socioeconomic individual you’re working with. A rape victim from a tough neighborhood has different needs than an eight-year-old with appendicitis.”
This blooming actress and student also aspires to direct someday, with a goal of bringing more science-oriented films into Hollywood.
Mercedes is inspired by a motto a professor once told her, “Life’s a big plate but most people starve.”
“I don’t understand people who settle on being miserable. If there’s anything in the world you want to do – you want to be a doctor, Michael Jordan, or a model – Los Angeles, UCLA, is where you can do it,” Mercedes said.
“Kingpin” airs on Sundays and Tuesdays on NBC.