Daphne Zuniga is probably the best known for her role in
Melrose Place – at least for me! Thanks to Lifetime Movie Network I had an opportunity to interview Daphne about her role in the Lifetime Movie Network’s movie
On Strike for Christmas.
On Strike for Christmas is a movie of a mom going on strike because she feels her family doesn’t value what all she does for the family – and they don’t help her with Christmas preparations. One of the key learnings in the movie actually are that moms themselves need to loosen it up a little bit and not expect everything to be so perfect and done a certain way; less is sometimes better.
I have been actually writing quite a bit about this at Lifetime Moms – and I plead you
NOT to be the Perfect Homemaker, because sometimes that actually is in the best interest of you and your family. On the other hand –
the movie made me think how difficult it is to keep the balance of not trying to be too perfect but still be there for your family. Read my post – I was not too happy about my husband asking the next morning after watching
On Strike for Christmas together when I was going to end my “strike”.
I was happy to discuss about the pressures that today’s women have with Daphne Zuniga and we shared the same view of today’s women having too much pressure and there is need of us just letting go and just being ourselves and saying to ourselves that being your own best is enough. It’s OK not to try to do it all and be it all. Really – we women should give ourselves some slack sometimes. Daphne told how meditation and caring about environment are big parts of her life and how focusing in her inner light lets her to feel her best. I liked how down to earth and earth-friendly she is – Daphne is very passionate about living environmentally conscious life. And in fact – in many ways she is quite the opposite of her role in the movie
On Strike for Christmas.
Katja Presnal: Do you think today’s women have too much pressure to be perfect? Look perfect, have perfect homes and careers?
Daphne Zuniga: Societally speaking – it’s been coming for years. If I think of my mother and the liberation of the seventies – women started working and started trying to balance careers and family. It’s been really difficult for women to find that balance. Now I feel like you have to notice your inner perfectionist and let it go and to be willing to be just yourself. I wish women were able to say to themselves it’s enough just be here and do my best, and wouldn’t be great that if “my best” was enough. And women should have the willingness to ask help, instead of trying too hard to do it all.
How do you live life to the fullest and enjoy life?
Daphne Zuniga: I love acting! I’ve been acting since I was very young, and on the early years I took acting classes and it took a lot to know your interior world, which you need to be able to be good at acting. But ironically when you start – it’s all about exterior how you look and where you can be seen, but as your career moves forward it is all about that inner light and being able to bring something out in every role you play and really get inside to the character. If you want to be fascinating – be fascinated!! We all have something to be fascinated about. I guess I still try to find the landscapes of the characters and I’m fascinated trying to bring that out. I love the acting classes and medication classes. I used to do it 8-10 days silent but it’s ben a few years since I did it the last time. I’ll do my next longer meditation period in February and I’m really looking forward to it.
Katja Presnal: Do you have some causes you are passionate about?
Daphne Zuniga: I want to speak about environment in a way that it doesn’t make an “issue” because issues are something we can either be part of it or not. But environment is not an issue, it is something that we need to be part of and think of every day. I feel like the same way we need to disconnect and enjoy the Holidays, we need to feel in our core what scares us the most, and act up on it. We need to take care of environment for future generations, and the way things are now scares me.
There is so much every one of us can do; try not to use chemicals, not use too much plastic, not waste energy, all kinds of things we all can do. There are a lot of people asking where do I fit in, what can I do. Just close your eyes and think what draws on you, and engage on things that interest you and light you up. Think what you can do for other people or environment. You can do so much to help. To me it’s caring about environment. And like Christmas time – it’s supposed to be time when the inside of us lights up, time to be with family, and it’s all about family time. It’s not about shopping.
On Strike for Christmas premieres on December 5 on Lifetime Movie Network at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT and it will re-air that night at midnight ET / 9 pm PT. It will also re-air on December 9 at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT and midnight ET / 9 pm PT. Additionally, it will air on December 24 at 10 pm ET / 7 pm PT.
