By Judy Carmack Bross
Laura Ruperez
Actress, Foreign Affairs media coordinator, Fashion Week model, and former Chicago Sacred Heart and Second City alumnae, Laura Ruperez just added another triumph to a terrific resume: a People’s Choice Award win.
Born in Madrid to Spanish Ambassador Javier Ruperez, former Consul General to Chicago, and his wife Rakela Ruperez, an international business consultant, who charmed Chicago with their graciousness, commitment and charisma, she cherishes Chicago memories. Friends remember her parents’ parties at their Lake Shore Drive apartment filled with fascinating guests from around the world and Laura’s grace among adults.
Laura with her parents, Rakela and Javier Ruperez at the Bean
Laura Ruperez told us about the exciting phone call she received just this week:
“I was shocked that the call meant I had won, because the producer called to talk about notes on my script, then instead let me know that I had won. I was shocked but so happy. It felt like the most wonderful vote of confidence, that both friends would vote to support me and strangers would read a synopsis of my work and decide that they liked it.”
She told us more about the award:
“10:19 Productions put out a call for scripts, and chose five finalists. They then shared the logline, synopsis, and a defining quote from each script on social media. From there, social media users had to vote on the post, and the script with the most votes won. The winner of this award won a $1,000 stipend, but the winner won’t necessarily be the script they are going to make into a film. We should know which script they choose sometime in March, and they plan to go into production in June. Regardless of whether or not my script is chosen, I am editing my version of the short I filmed and will be submitting that to festivals when it’s done.”
Laura Ruperez models Bhavika Bokadia, an Indian designer, during her Fashion Week debut.
Her father’s diplomatic background took the family to Washington, D.C. from Madrid when she was four, then to New York and to Chicago when she was 10. She was a political science major with a minor in Theater at Georgetown and got into the TV market while in college. She studied at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington DC and at the Lee Strasburg Theatre and Film Institute. She is proud of her dual citizenship in both Spain and the United States and uses Spanish as well as English in her roles. She has appeared in several TV including CopyCat Killers and numerous commercials and public service announcements. She has had her SAG-AFTRA card for several years.
It was doing COVID that Ruperez found time to concentrate on her screenplays.
She is Media Relations and Communications Coordinator for Foreign Affairs, a magazine founded in 1922 which is now a multi-multiplatform media organization with a print magazine, a website, a mobile site, various apps and social media feeds, an event business, and more. It is published by the Council on Foreign Relations, Foreign a non-profit and nonpartisan membership organization dedicated to improving the understanding of U.S. foreign policy and international affairs through the free exchange of ideas. “It has quite a legacy and has remained current for over 100 years,” she said.
One of Spain’s most courageous diplomats, Javier Ruperez was a member of the Spanish Parliament and was kidnapped by the Basque Terrorist group ETA. He was held captive for a month and lived to write a thrilling book about it among his other books. Before coming to Chicago he was an Assistant Secretary of the United Nations from 2004 until 2007, and was Executive Director of the UN’s Security Council Counter Terrorism Committee. Javier and Rakela Ruperez divide their time between New York, Washington, D.C. and Madrid.
Laura with her parents Javier and Rakela Ruperez
“My parents are thrilled for me and quite proud, and they have pointed out that now I am “an award-winning screenwriter.” They have always been my biggest fans no matter the endeavor and I feel so lucky to feel their love and support from across the world!
Returning to Madrid as often as possible, Ruperez celebrates her international perspective. “I think it really makes us realize that things might seem foreign to us until they aren’t. Growing up I think traveling to different countries gave me a rich inner life.”
Nicol Sposa, an Albanian bridal couture designer, created this gown Ruperez modeled during the recent New York Fashion Week.
“I have actually filmed a version of my short film already, on a very small budget with a tiny crew. I have since been working with this production company on expanding my script, and they are currently deciding if they would like to make it on a much bigger scale. My script is being considered amongst four others, all of whom were finalists in 10:19 Productions People’ Choice Award competition.
“The quick synopsis is: After a fleeting encounter with her crush, Lucy joins a futuristic dream-sharing app that reveals who’s dreaming about her. Enchanted by the idea of romantic destiny, she uses the app to fuel her desires and take control of her story. But as she moves closer to him, his intentions become dangerously unclear. In a chilling climax, we learn the price of trying to control the narrative of love.”
Ruperez acted in Alice in Wonderland at Sacred Heart.
Ruperez attended both Woodlands Academy and Sacred Heart. “I loved being in plays while at Sacred Heart and remember particularly traveling with the choir to Austria and Italy. I really nurtured my love for the arts at Sacred Heart,” she said.
We asked Ruperez if Chicago might appear in future projects?
“I am writing more than ever, and my experience living in Chicago definitely underpins my stories. I’d love to write something that takes place in Chicago – after all, they say you should write what you know!”
