Meet Priscilla Quintana — New Star Of CW's 'Pandora' Who Wants To Save All The Stray Dogs
Um. She's amazing.
Getty Sure, HBO tried to sell you on Big Little Lies once Game of Thrones was over, and sure, the show is...fine, but it's got nothing on GoT where you're concerned. So what are you supposed to do, wait for George R.R. Martin to finish his books and then create another universe which HBO will transform into little screen fodder? Heck no! You'd be long in the tooth before that happened.
Luckily, there are plenty of other fantasy and science fiction offerings on TV these days, you just have to know where to look for them. The CW is a great place to start, and their newest show, Pandora, starring Priscilla Quintana is already getting people talking. Here's what you need to know about Priscilla, the starlet grounding the show, and what she stands for! Who is Priscilla Quintana?
1. Meet Priscilla
The CW is the place to turn these days for innovative female led dramas and their newest addition, Pandora, is certainly no exception to the rule. The science fiction show stars relative newcomer Priscilla Quintana in a role like nothing you've ever seen before. Most new starlets of Priscilla's caliber would be consumed with the business of managing a fledging career, but Priscilla isn't like most other starlets. From the moment that she was born, Priscilla has been motivated to achieve, but we're not talking in a workaholic type way, in fact, it's nearly the opposite. Priscilla knew that no matter what path her career took she wanted to do or be something that would make an impact and last long after her time on the planet was done. “I knew that one day when I die, I wanted to leave something behind,” she said.
2. Family Values
Of course, while it's awesome that Priscilla is so focused on doing good, it didn't just spring out of nowhere. For as long as she can remember Priscilla has been influenced by her family and the lessons they taught her about supporting your community and giving back to it. “I dabbled with the idea of taking over from my grandparents, who would bring in girls addicted to heroin or other drugs, and help rehab them and get them clean. And then get their children back who were in foster care. And my mom was huge on charity as well; she was taking in pregnant teenagers that were abandoned by their families. We spent a lot of Christmases at soup kitchens downtown, just feeding the homeless and giving back in any way we could. That’s always been something that was huge to me. It still is," she shared.
3. Getting Started
Being born and raised in Southern California, Priscilla was exposed to the world of show business nearly as early as she was exposed to the idea of altruism and of supporting your neighbors. She was in the right part of the world to support her burgeoning interest in the arts and eventually enrolled in film school. While she was there, she made connections that got her gigs working as a model. From there on out it wasn't long before she was booking commercials and then booking more prestigious work, like her roles in Traffik and Polaroid. If you recognize her face but haven't seen those flicks maybe you know her from the Showtime series, Masters of Sex which she has also appeared on.
4. Giving Back
So where does the culture of giving back come into play when you're also a young star on the rise? Priscilla has thoughts. “I think success in acting will be a way for me to build a platform to do even more. For the last three or four-ish years, I’ve been going to shelters to see what dogs are set to be put down and will bring them home to try and find them new homes. That was all out of my own pocket, but as a struggling model/actress, you don’t really have very deep pockets, right? So there was only so much I could do. But I figured a way to bring awareness to this was to get a name for myself and, in turn, hopefully be able to grow something incredible and something that’s unforgettable."
5. Woof!
So what exactly is this unforgettable thing that Priscilla is working out for all those abandoned and neglected pups? It's actually a pretty insanely inspired notion. “Even here, in Bulgaria where we’re shooting Pandora, there are so many stray dogs everywhere, so my goal, while I’m here, is to get those dogs to America. And we’re already working on the process — I didn’t know dogs need passports, but apparently they do. So, again, I feel like starring in a show like this can only give me more of a platform and open up more ways to go about what I had already planned, just on a bigger scale.” Dag, doing all that AND rescuing pups? Swoon.
6. Pandora
If you're curious about Pandora, you've got every reason to be. Pandora's showrunner Mark A. Altman says the show "[Is] part space adventure, part college drama and there’s also a Game of Thrones/X-Files-like conspiracy that unfolds as well. I think that’s going to feel really unique and exciting for audiences when they watch the show this summer. This will hopefully be a family you want to invite into your home every week.” Since Priscilla is ostensibly the lead of the show she's obviously hoping that it's got legs and sticks around for a long, long time to come. The show also tips its hat to shows like Star Trek who often use their show to address common issues of the day in relatable ways. Can you say, adding it to my DVR?
Rebecca Jane Stokes is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York with her cats, Batman and Margot. She's an experienced generalist with a passion for lifestyle, geek news, pop culture, and true crime.