Medellín gave me my roots, my passion and my character. I grew up in a city as complex and contradictory as it is beautiful. I am an only child which meant I had a lot of attention and a lot of love. I started acting at six and was performing professionally at eight at a theatre called Barraca Teatro, from that moment on there was never any doubt about what I was going to do with my life.
From my dad I inherited his love for animals, which says everything about the kind of heart he has. From my mother I inherited the hunger to make my dreams happen, she showed me by example that wanting something is not enough, you have to go and get it.
My mother showed me how to live. She demonstrated every single day that if you want something badly enough and you believe in it completely, it is possible. She has been the inspiration of my life and career. She told me to be faithful to your calling and not let anyone deter me. There have been many moments where I have had to choose between what is easy and what I know I am meant to do, and her voice has always been the one that kept me on course.
Growing up in Medellín in the 90s changed the way I see everything. When you grow up in that level of fear and uncertainty you learn very quickly that you have to find a purpose that is bigger than the circumstances around you. You have to create meaning in the middle of pain and hopelessness. That is something I carry with me always, the understanding that life is not given to you, you have to build it deliberately.
My teachers told my parents that I had too much energy in class and that I needed to find something to do after school. So my parents sat me down and asked me what I wanted to be. I said I wanted to be an actress. Instead of talking me out of it or suggesting something more practical, my parents listened. Being asked, being heard and being believed, changed everything.
My grandfather never missed an episode of Upstairs Downstairs and I used to watch it with him. That is where my curiosity began. As I grew up and started to understand the theatrical, musical and artistic tradition that this country has given the world, something clicked. So when the moment came to choose where I wanted to study, London was the only answer.
London surpassed every expectation I had. The culture, the art, the food, the fashion, the history, the parks, the extraordinary mix of people from everywhere in the world, none of that can be understood from the outside. You have to live it. This city connected with something deep in me. It made me more curious, more empathetic, more myself. It sensitised me in ways I did not anticipate and made me want to keep going, keep dreaming, keep building. London did not just become my home, it became part of who I am.
My first year in London was the happiest and the hardest year of my life at the same time. I worked different jobs, lived the full student experience, shared a home with a family who made me feel at home. I met people who are still in my life today. And somewhere in the middle of all of that, the exhaustion, the excitement, the cold, the discovery, I made a decision that I have never questioned since: London was going to be home. For good.
This career is full of obstacles and nos, and that never really changes no matter where you are in your journey. It tests you every single day. It demands clarity, strength, determination, character and resilience in a way. But I have always believed that the challenges do not define whether you are an artist or not, what defines you is what you do with them.
There hasn't been just one breakthrough. Every project is a breakthrough for me. Each one demands everything, my experience, my energy, my knowledge, my vulnerability, my history. Nothing is small and nothing is irrelevant. Every role teaches me something I did not know before, every production pushes me further than I thought I could go. I do not think one moment is more important than another. I think of my career as a continuous conversation with my craft, and every chapter of that conversation matters.
Being Latin in this culture influences the way I see life, the way I face challenges, the way I connect with people and with the world. There is a warmth and spontaneity that runs in our blood that I think gives us a particular way of being present with other human beings. We feel loudly. We connect instinctively. We bring our whole selves into the room without apology.
Being Colombian specifically has given me a deep understanding that life is not guaranteed and that beauty and pain can exist in exactly the same moment. Growing up where I grew up taught me to find joy deliberately, to not take a single day for granted and to tell stories that matter because stories are sometimes the only thing that makes sense of the world. That is what I bring to everything I do.
My most memorable encounter with a stranger was meeting my husband here, a Colombian, like me. We found each other here and built a family here. We now have two children who were born and are growing up as Londoners. I do not think you can have a more memorable encounter with a stranger than the one that becomes your whole life.
I got to know the kindest of strangers when I was working as a sales assistant, I met two incredible people, Craig and Alejandro, who became colleagues and friends in the truest sense. They would let me leave for auditions, cover for me and make time for me.They made my life easier and happier at a moment when I really needed that. I will be eternally grateful to both of them.
London is my dream city. I don’t need to live anywhere else. I love Football lessons at Primrose Hill with my kids and husband. Simple, usually cold, perfect. The BFI, the National Theatre and the Victoria and Albert Museum, three places where I always remember why I do what I do. Hyde Park. The Victoria and Albert Museum, specifically the pottery rooms. Harrods. Absolute sensory overload in the best possible way.
Monica stars in Goodbye by Alejandra Chamorro Cuevas at Brixton House 15-29 September
Tickets https://brixtonhouse.co.uk/shows/housemates-2026-goodbye/
