An Interview With Edward Sylvan
There was a woman who was an extra on “Life After You,” who came up to me during the filming and showed me a vial she wore on a necklace around her neck. It contained the ashes of her son who had died not three weeks previous, from a heroin overdose laced with fentanyl — just like Danny Lajterman. This woman was very moved by our mission to tell the story of people like her son and like Danny, who are unaware of the dangers of the drugs that can kill you after one use.
As a part of our series about stars who are making an important social impact, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Florencia Lozano.
Florencia Lozano is in the upcoming Netflix one-hour drama series, “Keep Breathing.” She has worked extensively as an actor in theatre, tv, and film. “Life After You” is her first-time co-writing and co-producing a screenplay, having written various plays and performance art pieces.
Thank you so much for joining us on this interview series. Can you share with us the backstory that led you to this career path?
In the words of Lady Gaga, I was “born this way.” Wanting to entertain, to make people laugh, to make people feel seen and heard, and to make people feel loved. The youngest of 3 daughters (from immigrant parents), I discovered the best place for me to compete with others was in the spotlight. I preferred it to fighting for airtime at the dinner table. Onstage, all eyes and ears were on me, and I found, perhaps paradoxically, a safe, thrilling space to express myself.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your career? What was the lesson or takeaway you took out of that story?
In college, I had to write a play that would be produced in class. I was terrified of letting anyone see my writing. I was horrified when I handed in a draft. I literally thought I might get arrested for being a terrible person…when, to my surprise, a classmate really wanted to direct it and the actors were having fun rehearsing it. I hid under a table when the play was performed, and I will never forget being utterly amazed at the sound of the audience laughing at my most shameful secrets and thinking “what a way to turn pain into pleasure.”
What would you advise a young person who wants to emulate your success?
Meditation has helped me a lot in the last few years. I wish I had started when I was in my 20s, but I must not have been ready for it yet. Everything in its own time. I recommend periodically checking in with your breath. I often find I am holding my breath or clenching my jaw muscles and when I am aware of doing that: I exhale and/or let go of my tension, my thinking shifts, and life feels a little easier. I have learned that I don’t have to hold on as tightly as I habitually do.
Is there a person that made a profound impact on your life? Can you share a story?
My mother and my father. They came here together as immigrants from Argentina when they were 19 and 26, respectively, and they taught my sisters and me, by example: the importance, the privilege, the gift of working hard at something you love to do. My mother didn’t give a damn about being like everybody else, and when we would ask her for the clothes the other girls had, or any of the material things, she would say, “Y a mi? Que m’importa lo que hacen los vecinos!” (Why the heck should I care what the neighbors are doing?) My father always asked us “What do you love to do?” He really wanted us to apply ourselves to our passions. They worked so hard, for so little, for so long so that we could have more opportunities here.
How are you using your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting causes you’re working on right now?
I have been participating in talkbacks after screenings of “Life After You,” in an effort to open up and extend the conversation into the community wherever the screening took place and with specialists from that community that know how the fentanyl epidemic is manifesting in that particular community.
Aside from “Life After You,” I am working on creating an interactive immersive theatrical experience with Jocelyn Kuritsky, Jennifer Hall and Meghan Finn at the Tank, that theatricalizes a podcast that we created during the pandemic. Our podcast HERSTORY asks the question “Why do women fail?” — specifically with regard to attaining the office of President of the United States. The first season of our podcast examines the life of Victoria Woodhull (I play her), the first woman to run for president of the United States of America before women even had a vote. That project is an examination of gender and power, with the goal of rooting out misogyny in our society, culture and in our hearts, minds, and bodies.
Can you share with us a story behind why you chose to take up this particular cause?
Because Charlene Giannetti (one of the producers), who brought the project to me, was so relentlessly committed to making this film, that I had no choice. I was utterly convinced by her mission: To amplify Linda Lajterman’s story which sounds the alarm bell about the prevalence of danger of fentanyl on the street. “Life After You: What Your Death from Drugs Leaves Behind,” the book on which our film is based, is a mother’s cry in the dark, a cry from her heart and that is undeniable. One of the questions the film asks: “How can we protect our children?” is an urgent question I feel grateful to have been a part of posing.
Can you share with us a story about a person who was impacted by your cause?
There was a woman who was an extra on “Life After You,” who came up to me during the filming and showed me a vial she wore on a necklace around her neck. It contained the ashes of her son who had died not three weeks previous, from a heroin overdose laced with fentanyl — just like Danny Lajterman. This woman was very moved by our mission to tell the story of people like her son and like Danny, who are unaware of the dangers of the drugs that can kill you after one use.
What are your “five things I wish someone told me when I first started”.
You cannot do this alone.
Don’t be afraid to be happy.
Laugh at yourself.
Making things is MESSY.
Embrace imperfection.
You’re a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
The movement would have to do with…well, movement…I am very interested in what is variously called ecstatic dance or freeform dance: where people get into a room together and they’re taken on a musical journey where they are allowed to explore the joy of movement with others. My movement would also involve rituals. We, humans, need rituals: we need to recognize the passage of time, the passage of souls, our births, our deaths, our achievements, our defeats. We need to perform those rituals with one another so that we can have a deeper experience of being together. My “movement” would be like a dance party — to create the ritual you need opportunity, and it would invite us to be together. I’ve always daydreamed about everyone on the planet dancing, then sitting in silence for just a minute or two.
I think it might just save us.
Can you please give us your favorite life lesson quote? And can you explain how that was relevant in your life?
“The bad news is, you’re falling — the good news is, there is no ground.”
I find this quote reassuring. It urges me to let go — and instead of fearing the fall — it reminds me to enjoy the cosmic dance, and to spread my wings and fly.
We are blessed that some very prominent names in business VC funding sports and entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them
I am so inspired by Bette Midler. Her Twitter feed always makes me laugh — and I subscribe wholeheartedly to her view on most topics. She is a big proponent and nurturer of city parks. I love nature and plants and gardens. I would love to hear more about how she got involved in that. I’m also very grateful to her for having done so. So, I’d like to get a chance to thank her.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
Stars Making a Social Impact: Why & How Actress Florencia Lozano Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.