Embrace Your Inner Maria Sofia
Maria Sofia is hands down the best character on Larry David’s hit HBO show Curb Your Enthusiasm. Here are the key three rules for success, as walked and talked by this talented chef / actress / unintentional master of comedy.
Embrace Your Inner Sofia Maria
RULE #1: Be Authentic: You Gotta Work it!
Maria Sofia is real. She’s a regular Average Joe running a humble taqueria with her father and trying to make ends meet.
She has almost zero acting experience but knows she WILL BE AN ACTRESS ONE DAY. SUCCESS WILL FOLLOW HER. She NEVER lets the barriers of entry into Hollywood impact her future of fulfilling her dreams. Instead, she has fun showing the world the REAL, AUTHENTIC Maria Sofia.
Larry and Cheryl condemn her as the WORST actress they had EVER seen. That doesn’t stop her. She captures the hearts of her audience and the Hulu execs through her humor and, more importantly, her AUTHENTICITY.
As I tell my hubby every day, YOU GOTTA WORK IT! Maria Sofia knows how to “WORK IT” through her salsa routines, (often unintentional) humor, brutal honesty, and captivating heart.
RULE #2: Don’t Play A Role; Play YOUR Role in Life.
Maria Sofia doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her. Her headshot is not the glammed up, overly airbrushed facade favored by most aspiring actresses. Rather, it’s an au naturel candid of the budding thespian at the stove of her restaurant in a a hairnet, skintight jeans, and a baggy potato sack-like sweatshirt. She thumbs her nose at those who might consider her overweight, defiantly insisting, “this…is a good…weight for me” with every ounce of confidence and conviction within her.
She shows up at her audition in a sweatshirt, hair in a bun, with no resume and a huge smile on her face. She wins the hearts of the network execs not by “playing the role” and conforming to the norm of society’s typical Hollywood actress. Maria plays HER role and follows HER script in life instead of the rules of others. That is the fundamental reason why success follows her.
RULE #2: Offer a Slice of Humor
Maria Sofia doesn’t try to do comedy. She is comedy. a natural with her absurd, inappropriate comments and behaviors, including the classic scene of tackling Larry’s ex-wife Cheryl, whom she accused of stealing her jacket. This scene, by sheer luck, happens to get captured on camera. The Hulu executives LOVE the accidental audition tape. It’s like nothing they’ve ever seen, filled with passion and determination. Larry tries (and fails) to convince the execs to dump her. Maria doesn’t care about who’s watching her. She isn’t trying to impress anyone. She is simply Maria — an unforgettable, lovable, hilarious actor filled with authentic charm.
Don’t dismiss the Maria Sofia in you.
For more information, visit shellysood.com and giostarchicago.com
