Dani Fernandez

(Photo : Instagram/msdanifernandez)

If you're looking for a new Latina to follow, then I have a name for you. Dani Fernandez is a Latina that is unapologetically making strides and breaking boundaries in the Hollywood scene.

You might have heard of her from her role in Walt Disney's highly-acclaimed movie 'Ralph Breaks The Internet.' She left such a strong impression on the viewers that HBO Max ordered a single-camera comedy called 1% Happy.

Fernandez will write and star alongside The Daily Show's correspondent Roy Wood Jr. She will also executive produce the show with Wood via his South Park and Princeton Productions banner.

 
1% Happy will revolve around a woman who was forced to live with her estranged father and attend weekly group therapy class after going through a dark period in her life. The series is aiming to challenge the stigma around Clinical Depression and of other mental illnesses, as well as the country's healthcare system.

Dani Fernandez also contributed to the US edition of The Good Immigrant. The book features essays written by respected writers and actors of color.

Her work can also be seen in nerd channels such as Nerdist, Geek and Sundry, and Screen Junkies.

Starting Out

Fernandez started as a stand-up comedian at the Ice House Comedy Club when she first moved to Los Angeles.

In an exclusive interview with BeLatina, she said she drove her resume to Pasadena where 150 other people, including big comedians, were also applying for the position.

Fernandez credited her years of stand-up for the improvement with her writing and hosting skills. She says she's always loved writing ever since she was a child. Teen Magazine published one of Dani's work from when she was in high school.

Inspirations

Fernandez was diagnosed with Obsessive-compulsive disorder. OCD is defined as a mental illness that causes "repeated unwanted thoughts or sensations, or the urge to do something over and over again."

Dani says her mental illness and the way it made her "who she is" fascinates her. Her depression allowed her to create pieces that other people with the same pain and experiences can easily relate to.

Dani is also a mental health advocate and is active in the mental health community after a bad divorce led to a suicide attempt.

"I had a failed marriage, a failed career, I tried to end my life and I failed at that too. That to me was funny. Having a comedy background and being like, 'I suck, I can't even do this right,'" she said.

Community

Dani says she needed to find fair-weathered friends and a supportive community to attain success in the cutthroat entertainment industry. She says both factors are important for even the most successful writers, directors, and actors.

Fernandez also learned the importance of saying no and not over-committing to a project as she grew older, saying, "If I can't make an event, I just have to tell the person I can't make it. I've been flaked on a lot and it's not the best."

Breaking Boundaries

Ralph Breaks The Internet, the 2018 Disney animated movie, featured Dani Fernandez as a TV show host. She said the experience was humbling and grounding. It also inspired her to break into animation and horror.

Dani said breaking through the industry required her to read a lot of scripts from the shows she loved. The practice helped her realize the things she wanted to do in her work.

She also urges women to go to open mics to meet other writers and to find self-criticism by watching other people performing.

Fernandez, who has been in the industry since 2014, said befriending fellow writers, doing researches, and constantly reading helped her shape the writer she wanted to be.

She also said demographics shouldn't be considered when stepping into the comedy scene.

"I feel anyone can hop in at any time. I think everyone has a story to tell. I also feel a lot of times people try to push moms out, but we need them. Who knows that story better than them?"

Dani Fernandez is a co-host of an iHeart radio podcast called Nerdificient.