Being named of one of the most famous actresses of all time carries a certain expectation with it. For award-winning actress Marilyn Sanabria, being named after Marilyn Monroe meant she was always destined for a career in Hollywood given her success so far. She just joined the cast of Michael Leoni’s psychological thriller ‘The Filmmonster’, playing the character Missy Butler, and already has an impressive list of indie film appearances that have garnered accolades at numerous film festivals.
Marilyn was born in Bayamón to a deeply rooted Puerto Rican family (her mother from Toa Alta and her father from San Sebastián) before migrating with her family to The Bronx, where Spanish remained her first language and cultural anchor. Marilyn’s life was shaped early by profound loss: both her parents and her brother Anthony died young, leaving her to navigate grief, survivor’s guilt, and the unspoken pressure of carrying the Sanabria name as a woman in a traditional Latin household.
Losing her brother cracked her life in half, instilling both fear of further loss and a fierce sense of responsibility as the daughter who remained. Yet grace became her answer, rooted in the wisdom of Puerto Rico, where they say “La vida es una tómbola”, life is a lottery.
Her brother’s life and death are inseparable from her own story, giving her an inherited sadness that lives alongside her laughter, neither of which she wishes to change, because together they define who she is and how she honors him, and life itself.
Intrigued by Marilyn’s life story and her passion for acting, we had the opportunity to speak with her as she was preparing to film in and around Los Angeles for ‘Filmmonster’, learning more about her background in Puerto Rico, how grief has shaped her perspective on life, and the meaning she carries with her being named after the iconic Marilyn Monroe.
Marilyn Can you first tell us about joining the cast of ‘Filmmonster’ and more about your character?
This is the type of role I had been waiting for my entire life and yet, I almost missed the audition! I was running around doing a million things, as many actors do, and it was then I realized I had missed the call for the audition. By the time I caught on, other actresses were being considered. I had to plead for my chance and I was fortunate enough to land the role… Eventually.
I am most grateful to be working with director Michael Leoni, actor Christopher Valleroy and an 11:11 Experience producing. We have been shooting across Los Angeles, NY and Huntington Beach and it’s been an incredible opportunity.
Where did your acting career begin, and what inspired you to follow this career path?
That’s tricky question for me to answer. Did it begin with my first professional job, or at the moment I first felt the stage call to me? I’ll go with the latter.
To make a long crazy story short—I was five years old at a cabaret celebrating New Year Eve with my parents (Don’t ask what a five year old was doing at a cabaret). Tito Puente ” The Timbal King” was playing the drums onstage and before my parents realized, I ran on stage, planted myself next to him and started dancing to his music. The crowd went wild, he just smiled and kept playing. That didn’t start my career per se, but it definitely unconvered my love for the stage very early on.
You know what, strike that…. yes, that was the beginning of my career. 😉
Growing up in Puerto Rico and then moving to the Bronx, how did your background and culture shape your ambitions?
My mother had the deepest love for New York city. To her it was beautiful, exciting, and completely alive—and she passed that spark onto me.
Coming from Puerto Rico, NY represented the promise of a better life. It made us feel like it was exactly where we needed to be.
You arrive, with your heart on fire, ready to work—and pursue your dreams because you believe that there, they are possible.
You experienced a tremendous amount of grief after losing both your parents and your brother. What kind of support and community did you lean on during this time?
Grief is messy. Everytime. It hits you like a ton of bricks, and while everyone around is trying their best to help you, there is nothing to be done to accelerate the grieving process. Or lighten it, even in the slightest.
So, the theater became a safe space for me, a place where I could create and transform what I was feeling. I also had an incredible teacher along the way, Wynn Handman, who believed in me and encouraged me every step of the way.
And honestly… dogs. That’s a big one. I love dogs. There’s something about the way they look at you—that can be incredibly healing.
How did that experience of loss further shape your perspective on life and the values you hold dear?
Loss stripped life down for me. It made me understand, and also fear how fragile everything is. The unpredictability of it all made me feel unsafe. I had to buckle up, find myself again, my voice, and give myself a real opportunity for a new beginning.
The characters I’ve played on stage, and in film have been my refuge.
As a Latina from Puerto Rico, how did you feel seeing Bad Bunny perform at the Super Bowl, and what did it mean for your community?
Oh wow—that was fun. It felt like I was right there. I danced through the whole thing.
Bad Bunny is one of those artists whose mission resonates loud and clear. He carries Puerto Rico with him wherever he goes, and seeing that kind of representation on a stage that big means a lot to our community.
It was a beautiful thing to witness.
Being named after Marilyn Monroe carries a lot of symbolism. What kind of legacy and impact do you hope to have?
Unlike the other question, this one is not tricky for me to answer; LOVE.
That’s the impact I want to have on the world.
I know it sounds cliché, but I hope my work brings joy, healing, and maybe even a little call of the wild.
As for the name, Marilyn, well, that came from my mother. She loved love and she also noticed that Marilyn Monroe and I both had beauty marks on the left side of our faces.
Follow Marilyn on Instagram to keep up to date with news about ‘Filmmonster’ and her career in Hollywood!
