Arts Urban Male Magazine

Chicago’s finest: Nadine Velazquez

Nadine Velazquez, Winter 2012/13 UMM
Nadine Velazquez, Winter 2012/13 UMM

A few words from an impossibly beautiful woman

Nadine Velazquez is charting a flight path for success. Just coming off playing Denzel Washington’s love interest in Flight, the 34-year-old Chicagoan has two more trips set for the silverscreen in 2013. She’ll be co-staring with the Rock, Dwayne Johnson, and Susan Sarandon in Snitch, opening in February, and later in the year Aztec Warrior.

She’s gone from ingénue to principal lead, and UMM had the chance to shoot the breeze with Velazquez while she was on layover between films.

What was it like growing up in Chicago during the ’90s?
The ’90s were awkward for me because I was awkward, (umm, I’m still awkward), but I remember feeling like I wasn’t pretty enough for the ’90s. I was in grammar school and high school then, that was my life, and I was never the pretty girl or popular girl. For me, it was church on Sundays and the jaws of school the rest of the week. I had no identity.

So when did your interest in acting take hold?
I discovered it when I was a young girl and I would talk to my reflection in the mirror as if it were someone else. Whatever issues I was having, I would work them out with my reflection. I would be me, and my reflection would be whoever it was I needed to talk to.

Who inspired you to take up the profession?
Ha! When I was a kid it was Punky Brewster, but as time passed it became Julia Roberts and Alyssa Milano. Now my inspirations are women like Glenn Close, Dame Judi Dench, Penelope Cruz, Elena Anaya, Faye Dunaway and Meryl Streep.

BB-UMM-Winter-2012
Winter 2012 UMM.

What would you say has changed the most in the past decade of being in the business?
There are more outlets for creative expression. I love that being an artist is celebrated more than ever because it’s available more than ever. I think art is how we express the way God communicates through us for other people. I love being an artist. It’s an honour.

So what does an actress like you find most appealing about a guy?
I find that when a man is a man, that’s attractive. That means he’s confident, he knows himself, he’s happy with himself and he’s sure about being in a relationship with a woman of the same calibre. He’s responsible not only with all areas of his life but for his actions, words and he can also connect with people on a human level so he knows when to shut off the self absorption. To sum it up, he’s got a healthy sense about himself, wants a healthy relationship, and cares about people. That’s not just attractive, that’s SEXY!

And is there an actor right now that you would like to share an on-screen kiss with?
So many. So many … but please God, send me the lips of Matt Damon.

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