When Cristina Pimiento auditioned for the fourth time at the legendary Actors Studio in New York, she left the stage convinced she hadn’t made it. “I came out from the stage crying, crying, crying, crying, I was crying once again with the same feeling that this time it wasn't either,” she recalled.

But the very next day, she received the official invitation: she had been accepted as a lifetime member, becoming the first Colombian actress to achieve that status.

This recognition is not only a personal milestone but also a turning point in her career. Founded in 1947 by a group of artists aiming to bring the Stanislavski method to the United States, The Actors Studio operates as a kind of acting gym, where members rehearse scenes, perform, and receive feedback from figures like Ellen Burstyn, Alec Baldwin, and Al Pacino.

“It means that I will have for life the privilege of working as many times as I want in the theater, in the most important actors' studio here in the United States,” she said in an interview with Al Día News.

Achieving this is not easy. He has to audition in front of real movie stars who give their verdict. She tried for the last four years and finally, after sketching the Octavio Solis play "Se llama Cristina", she convinced a jury that was always incognito in the audience and that only expressed itself through a letter that was delivered to her the next day of the audition, where she was informed of the good news.

To reach this point, Cristina followed a long and unconventional path. She began her acting career in Colombia at just 13 years old as an extra on Padres e Hijos, a popular TV series that launched many young actors and set a nearly unmatched record: 17 seasons and almost 3,600 episodes.

Pimiento stayed for several seasons and later starred in telenovelas like Amor a la plancha, which earned her the India Catalina Award.

In the meantime, Pimiento studied Business Administration at the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá. That was one of the reasons that kept her in Colombia.

Moving to New York

After that extensive career in Colombia—despite her youth—Pimiento moved to New York, earned a master’s degree in acting at The Actors Studio, and built a new path that combines independent film, Spanish-language theater, and a personal life shaped by motherhood and immigration.

"Since Clemente, my son, was born, I've been working with Repertorio Español, which is a very important off-Broadway theater here." Working in theater has allowed her to balance acting with her role as a mother and wife.

For Cristina, theater has been both a refuge and a launchpad. “It has been very cool for me this stage and to dedicate myself to being Clemente's mother because I am with him most of the time, but without losing my work as an actress because the theater allows me to do so.”

But that doesn’t mean she’s let go of her ultimate goal. "I came was to that and I'm not afraid, I've never been afraid to say it: I want to work in Hollywood, I want to work in the studios." She acknowledges that to do so, she may need to move to Los Angeles. “We're going to have to take the leap, because while I get two or three auditions a month here, in Los Angeles it's three a week.”

While she continues pursuing that dream, Pimiento remains active and optimistic. Her film "Gary, Barry, Larry, and Countess of Neraval" —shot during the pandemic in a near-empty New York— was recently acquired by Amazon Prime.

"These two pieces of news caught me almost at the same time: the Actors Studio membership plus my first fully English-language film."

Cristina’s present is full of action but also introspection. When speaking about the future of her profession, she expresses concern about artificial intelligence and the post-pandemic crisis in the film and television industry. "The industry is stagnant...right now I'm getting fewer auditions...but theater is always going to exist and that's a break."

Though she admits she doesn’t yet fully grasp the impact AI will have on actors, she raises a clear warning: "We all have to come together as an industry for what is already being eaten up by artificial intelligence: screenwriters, written stories, content, editing..."

Cristina speaks from a city she loves and that constantly challenges her. "New York, for me, has been like dealing with a teenager...who is all the time changing, searching for identity."

In New York, she has learned to set boundaries, to grow as an actress—and as a person. "I feel happy to represent the Latino community, I feel proud, I feel every time they ask me where I'm from, I feel proud to say I'm from Colombia."

From her corner of New York City, Cristina Pimiento continues to chase her dreams. "This country has given me many opportunities as an immigrant and today I am fulfilling my dreams and I want to fulfill them here."

She has a long future ahead to keep showcasing her talent. And if things go as planned, the next big stop will be Hollywood—where she hopes to arrive soon with her talent, her dreams, and her family cheering her on.