El Corazon casts me, a Southern Maine Community College Student, as an extra to be in their upcoming commercial. How did this come about? I am a part of the Maine Film Community, Actors, Cast, and Crew Facebook group, and one evening, on January 15th, 2023, I saw a post within this particular group. This post caught my eye because of the promised authentic Mexican food that would be provided for free – yes, a financially broke college student’s dream. I then proceeded to reach out via the contact information on that post, and within a day and was accepted to be an extra.

At noon on Monday, January 20th, 2023, I entered El Corazon’s restaurant location in Portland Maine not knowing what to expect. All the knowledge I had was to wear an outfit that screamed “a fun night out.” As I entered, my eyes grew wide with excitement; there were cameras, lots of lighting equipment, and many other actors. I was guided to sit down at a table alongside a few other actors including local actor Sarah Airal Murphy.

Filming started within the hour, and I was amused, humored, and utterly filled with joy when I realized how quirky this commercial would be. Salsa dancers were dancing around in a blurry haze of smoke that jutted out from the smoke machine. The red glowing lights emulated a local artist Mile’s Perry’s personality as he danced upon the bar rapping one the most goofy yet so wonderfully lighthearted jingles for the restaurant. 

Within a few hours, the commercial shoot was over. I had received my promised Mexican food. Yet, this is not the only thing I left with. I also left that day incredibly impressed and delighted. It was definitely an experience I will never forget. ‘