Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Fidel Martínez and Suzy Exposito sit down with Dominican-American singer, actress, and Latin Grammy-nominated artist Leslie Grace for a wide-ranging conversation about music, movies, and what it means to be Latino in Hollywood today.
Leslie traces her journey from recording a Christian album in her family's closet at 14, to breaking out as a bachata star alongside Romeo Santos and Prince Royce, to landing her film debut as Nina in Lin-Manuel Miranda's In the Heights — a role she spent seven years of self-tapes working toward.
She opens up about Batgirl, the HBO Max film she starred in that was shelved by Warner Bros. before release, and how that experience pushed her toward indie filmmaking — including Sundance Prize winner In the Summers, and two SXSW premieres: Stages and Campeón Gabacho, directed by Jonas Cuarón.
Plus: what it's like to be a female artist in a male-dominated genre, the hardest thing to learn about the music industry in the streaming era, and her take on Latinidad — and what it looks like to just exist without having to prove it.
Produced by Los Angeles Times, L.A. Times Studios, and Sonoro.
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Fidel Martínez and Suzy Exposito sit down with Dominican-American singer, actress, and Latin Grammy-nominated artist Leslie Grace for a wide-ranging conversation about music, movies, and what it means to be Latino in Hollywood today.
Leslie traces her journey from recording a Christian album in her family's closet at 14, to breaking out as a bachata star alongside Romeo Santos and Prince Royce, to landing her film debut as Nina in Lin-Manuel Miranda's In the Heights — a role she spent seven years of self-tapes working toward.
She opens up about Batgirl, the HBO Max film she starred in that was shelved by Warner Bros. before release, and how that experience pushed her toward indie filmmaking — including Sundance Prize winner In the Summers, and two SXSW premieres: Stages and Campeón Gabacho, directed by Jonas Cuarón.
Plus: what it's like to be a female artist in a male-dominated genre, the hardest thing to learn about the music industry in the streaming era, and her take on Latinidad — and what it looks like to just exist without having to prove it.
Produced by Los Angeles Times, L.A. Times Studios, and Sonoro.
🎙 De Los Podcast drops new episodes every week on YouTube and all major podcast platforms. Subscribe so you never miss a conversation.
SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE VIDEOS AND NEWS
youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=losangelestimes
latimes.com/subscription
LET’S CONNECT:
Facebook ► facebook.com/latimes
Twitter ► twitter.com/LATimes
Instagram ► instagram.com/latimes
