Composure Magazine sat with Chrissie Fit, a multi-talented actress whose recent project, Perfect Pitch 2 can be seen in theaters Nationwide on May 15th. Chrissie spoke with us on her Miami upbringing, family, her Perfect Pitch 2 character Flo, and her passion for writing.
CM: Chrissie you grew up in Miami, what was that life like for you there?
CF: Growing up in Miami was incredible. The culture is so alive, and like the energy, the food is amazing. I come from a big Cuban family so growing up in that kind of environment really enriched my life and I’m so, so grateful for that and I love that about Miami. The humidity not so much but everything else, yes!
CM: With such a big background in music and dancing, it makes sense that you have these roles in movies like “Teen Beach Movie” and also “Pitch Perfect” where it’s very music and dance heavy. Can you tell us more about Teen Beach Movie 2 and your role as Chee Chee?
CF: Teen Beach Movie 2 is so fun and to be able to reprise my role as Chee Chee was such a blast to do because I basically had free range on her and I was able to create a voice. Every time we were testing hair, I was always like, “Bigger, bigger, bigger”, because I thought this character was just so tough and wanted to be loyal and feisty. I needed to have a high pitched voice and really exaggerated hair, so it was fun to do that. Music and dancing has been playing a big part in my life and glad to be using both aspects in the roles I’m doing with Pitch Perfect, Teen Beach and other TV shoots. Even the Sundance Films that I did a couple of years back, Filly Brown, had a lot of music. I was involved in that and I sang a lot of the hooks for songs that were in the movie. I feel like there is a sign where people is saying, “girl get back to music or do some stuff with music” but I’m really happy to be able to do both.
CM: What about your role in Pitch Perfect 2 as Flo, can you give us some more insight on that character?
CF: Sure! In Pitch Perfect 2 I play Florencia Fuentes but all the girls call me Flo and I am a foreign exchange student who comes to Barden University to continue her studies. I’m also one of the newest singers in the a capella group so it’s really fun. I sing the baseline most of the time which was really interesting because the smallest girl is performing the lowest notes. It was such a fun project to be able to work with these talented women who are not just hilarious, but also very smart. My character has a different perspective than the other girls from the group and I think that it works really well as a complement to the other characters.
CM: Can you go more in depth with what Flo’s perspective is like?
CF: Well, Flo is definitely very sarcastic and very witty. Problems that some of the girls may consider a life or death situations, she kind of reminds them that there are bigger problems in her funny sarcastic way. But I don’t want to give too much away! I want you to see the film and be surprised by her total honesty and deadpan humor, which was so fun to play.
CM: Do you identify with your characters?
CF: Yeah definitely. I identify so much with my characters. With Teen Beach and Teen Beach 2, Chee Chee is a little more aggressive than I am. I’m not aggressive but she’s very loyal and very feisty and I could be a little feisty. With Flo, what I love mostly about her is the fact that she’s probably what my mom would have been like in college, had she been in the a capella group. I feel like if we can go back in time, that would be my mom, and so essentially I’m just playing my mom. I [even] asked her and she was okay with it so that’s good!
CM: Being a woman and being a minority in Hollywood, how has your experience been?
CF: Definitely it is a challenge. Being in Hollywood and being a minority woman, you don’t have as many opportunities, although it’s been changing and I applaud the women who are taking an initiative and creating new content, like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Eva Longoria, Reese Witherspoon, and Lena Dunham. They’re all creating things for themselves and they’re not waiting for people to say, “Hey, let’s do this.”
I’m a writer and one day I want to produce and direct my writing. That’s really important to me and I look up to these women because they’re doing what I hope to accomplish. We still have a long way to go but I’m excited. In Miami, I was cast in a role because I was able to perform the character well.
Here in Hollywood, there are so many reasons why you wouldn’t be cast in something, and I didn’t ever have to experience that before so that was kind of a shock to my system. But instead of thinking negatively about it, I just decided, “hey let me start writing and let me start creating my own content”.
CM: You have developed your own web series – what is that like?
CF: I think we are so, so fortunate to be growing up or being in an age where we have these outlets. We’re able to create and show it online immediately. I’m really, really grateful. My parents tell me all the time, that back then, they had to use film. It was much harder to have your voice and share your own creative visions so I’m really, really grateful for that.
CM: You mentioned that you enjoy writing. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?
CF: I love writing. It came from a place where my writing partner, Cyrina Fiallo and I were tired of having other people dictate what we can and cannot do. Having a background doing improv, I can play a 70-year-old man in theater! I also really appreciate being able to write and create for ourselves. We created this web series called The Subpranos. We filmed it ourselves and also hair and makeup, costume, production, and the cheering! If we could have filmed ourselves in it, we would have done that! Now we’ve written a couple of feature films and we’re finishing one which will hopefully be able to sell. But also, I feel like I’m getting it together with my acting career and I’m at a place where more opportunities may present themselves.
CM: With your writing and the direction that you want to take it, what’s your career trajectory?
CF: I wish I can see into the future. I don’t really know. I think I’m a person who takes it day by day. Of course I do have goals that I want to achieve; in 5 years I want to direct something, in 10 years I want to be producing. If it comes earlier, great! But with Pitch Perfect 2 and Teen Beach 2, I feel like I’m getting where I want to be as an actress and then we’ll tackle the next feat when it comes.
CM: What’s the one message that you would want people to know when they think about Chrissie Fit?
CF: Well, that’s a deep question. What is the one message I want people to know about Chrissie Fit? I don’t know. I’m real. I’m wearing this glittery dress with sneakers! I’ve [also] worked really hard to be in this position now and I am so lucky to have had such a great support system. My message is to work hard and keep who you are intact because there’s a lot of things that can get you down. If you look at the positive, always try to stay focused and know that it’s all going to work out. I think that’s kind of important because if I didn’t have my support system and my positive way of thinking about things, it would be hard in this industry. Just keep it real, keep it positive, and stay focused. Those are three things.
CM: You talked about staying positive and those are the things that have helped you overcome difficulties – what is the source of your positive thinking?
CF: What keeps me focused and positive is definitely my family, and don’t get mad mom, but specifically my dad. He is the coolest guy ever and any time I’m feeling a little down or he instinctively knows and sends me a text message, which reads, “keep your chin up.” He has this sort of dad-super-power and he’s always very positive and has always told me to give everything I do a 100%. Because then when you’re actually fulfilling the things that you want to do, you’re always going to work hard. I was a waitress for so many years before I was on Disney Channel and there were times when it was really challenging but I still gave it a 100% and it translates to everything in your life. I didn’t have a plan B so it had to work out and that’s why I just stuck with it. Now I see that what I do affects young girls and Latinas who are watching Teen Beach Movies. They’re seeing themselves on screen and the girls who will go see Pitch Perfect 2 will see themselves on screen. That motivates me to continue.
Find out more about Chrissy Fit on IMDB, Instagram, and Twitter
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CORINA MARIE
STYLING BY ROBIAT BALOGUN
MAKE UP BY CHELSEA YUSUF
HAIR STYLING BY MATILDE CAMPOS
INTERVIEW BY JANE HONG
