Gigi Zumbado takes the edge off new Valentine's Day slasher 'Heart Eyes'

Love is simply a slayer successful the caller Valentine’s Day fearfulness flick “Heart Eyes” — but Gigi Zumbado brings levity and charm to this cheeky, yet gruesome movie.

The Cuban American histrion stars alongside Olivia Holt (“Ally”) and Mason Gooding (“Jay”), 2 co-workers astatine a selling bureau who find themselves together, but not together, connected Valentine’s Day. Meanwhile, the “Heart Eyes Killer,” known for sidesplitting young couples successful Boston and Philadelphia, has acceptable his sights connected Seattle, wherever the movie takes place.

Directed by Josh Ruben and brought to you by Screen Gems and Spyglass Media Group, the aforesaid institution down the “Scream” franchise, “Heart Eyes” is bound to support day night-goers connected the edges of their seats.

The fearfulness factor, however, takes a backmost spot erstwhile Ally and Jay stock comically gratuitous moments of rom-com schmaltz.

Zumbado’s charisma shines done successful lighthearted scenes arsenic Monica: Ally’s co-worker, wingwoman and occasional manner police. Their on-screen kinship apt stems from Zumbado’s real-life individuality arsenic a “girl’s girl.”

Born and raised successful Miami, the 28-year-old navigates the amusement manufacture alongside her 2 sisters, Carmela and Marisela Zumbado, who are besides actors.

“I ever accidental that we person 3 raffle tickets successful the raffle,” Gigi Zumbado said implicit a Zoom telephone with De Los. “We work for the aforesaid roles, adjacent though we’re precise different. We’re ever sharing notes and giving each different advice.”

As the youngest of the three, Zumbado has forged her ain way successful showbiz, having antecedently taken connected the relation of Tammy Ocampo successful the Epix bid “Bridge and Tunnel,” and appearing successful specified films arsenic “Pitch Perfect 2” and “Tone-Deaf.” She is besides featured successful an upcoming drama aviator for CBS, “DMV,” alongside erstwhile “Saturday Night Live” formed members Tim Meadows and Molly Kearney.

But earlier Zumbado ventures disconnected into her promising future, volition her quality Monica past this Valentine’s Day unscathed? Zumbado spoke with De Los astir the making of “Heart Eyes” and bringing a sensation of Little Havana to Hollywood.

The pursuing Q&A has been lightly edited for clarity and magnitude and contains spoilers.

 Your quality Monica took the borderline disconnected an different aggravated thriller. What did you deliberation of your character?
Oh, I emotion her. She’s precise fun. Monica is simply a blast. It’s truthful comic due to the fact that I consciousness similar I’m successful a antithetic movie than everybody else. I hide however scary and hectic and brainsick it is. Monica [offered] comedic relief. To travel successful and just, similar you said, instrumentality the borderline disconnected and get to laughter a small bit.

 You accidental your quality was successful a wholly antithetic movie than the others. What benignant of movie is Monica in?
My character’s successful a Mary-Kate and Ashley [Olsen] movie. I [cannot] remark truthful overmuch connected the slasher aspects of it. I conscionable got to laughter and person a bully amusive clip with Olivia Holt. [It] felt similar we were conscionable kiki-ing each time long.

I kept thinking, “Is Monica going to beryllium portion of the horror?” But [spoiler alert] it felt bully to spot a champion person who doesn’t die.
What a concept. [laughs]

If you did person to support yourself from the slayer known arsenic “Heart Eyes,” what would you use?
A chancleta. [Visibly takes disconnected her shoe.] This one’s a small one, it’s a small kitten heel, it doesn’t bash much. My dada ever told maine and my sisters, “If you got a heel, usage it.”

(Christopher Moss)

How does it consciousness to travel from an acting family? Are your parents actors?
Our parents are not actors astatine all. I bash aforesaid tapes with my ma sometimes, and that’s a fearfulness country successful itself, trying to get her to enactment other maine if my sisters are not available.

It’s fun, though, due to the fact that our parents ne'er pushed this connected us, ever. We were conscionable the amusement of our family, ever dancing and playing instruments, and truthful that’s however we came into entertaining, done music.

The 3 of america each unrecorded unneurotic successful Hollywood now. If Carmela goes successful earlier maine to an audition, she’ll travel retired of the country and beryllium like, “OK, they hated this, they similar this, they’re looking for this.” I get an other infinitesimal to prep. Then if Marisela goes successful next, I’ll beryllium similar “OK, Mari, they liked this from Carmela and this of me, but you bash this and da, da, da, da.”

We’re ace lucky. I don’t cognize however radical tin grip this manufacture without having 2 champion friends beside them cheering them connected arsenic well. I wouldn’t beryllium capable to bash this without my sisters.

How does it consciousness to unrecorded successful L.A., coming from a Miami household?
We conscionable turned the Hollywood Hills into Little Havana. We person our ma with us, and we got our dada retired here. Now that each of our grandparents person passed, we spell backmost less, and present my aunts and uncles and cousins [come] retired present for the holidays. We’re specified a tight-knit group. We’re conscionable not accepting thing else.

What comes adjacent for you?
 I’m truly excited astir a aviator that I changeable successful November successful Montreal. It’s called “DMV.” It’s a CBS pilot, a workplace comedy, and it has the astir incredibly talented, hilarious formed I’ve ever worked with.

I consciousness similar the smallest food successful a immense pond with these comedic legends. They’re “SNL” alum, and they’re incredible. I’m truly hoping we get to spell guardant due to the fact that that was a blast and those radical are conscionable truthful talented and it felt similar being connected a TED Talk, conscionable watching them each interact with each other.

I did spot that it was successful development. That’s truthful cool.
Dana Klein is amazing. She changed my character’s sanction to Cecilia and made her a Cuban miss from Miami. It was truthful chill to get to bring retired my roots and showcase, you know, a small chonga from Miami to CBS.

I americium starting to announcement much Latino characters successful mainstream media that don’t needfully person an overly elaborate backstory; they tin conscionable beryllium and beryllium who they are.
Totally. That was astir apt the biggest compliment to me. In “Heart Eyes,” this quality of Monica was an unfastened ethnicity [role]. I conscionable happened to beryllium Latina. I had gotten sick of lone speechmaking oregon booking things specifically for Cuban girls. There was a clip that you conscionable needed to beryllium Cuban and were asked, “Do you talk fluent Spanish? Were you raised speaking Spanish?” It had to beryllium [this] nonstop Latin communicative for you to beryllium capable to archer it. I don’t deliberation that’s realistic oregon however it works.

I deliberation we each stock a batch of things successful our antithetic cultures. And I was truthful arrogant that this relation had thing to bash with being Hispanic. I hap to beryllium Latina. The writer is letting maine showcase that, but that’s not wherefore I booked it. And that was specified a compliment to me.