FSU graduate co-stars with Owen Wilson in new Bob Ross-inspired movie ‘Paint’

When Sonia Darmei Lopes graduated from Florida State University in 1981, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career and struggled finding inspiration on the big screen as a Latino woman.

“There was nobody when I was starting out,” Lopes said this week in an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat. “There were no women of color.”

Now, the Clearwater, Florida, native co-stars in the Bob Ross-inspired comedy film, “Paint”, with famous actor Owen Wilson, which opens nationwide on Friday.

“It’s exciting and hopefully it will be as popular as I think it is,” an energetic Lopes said. “It would kind of help launch my career.”

More: Owen Wilson gets all Vermont-y - and just a bit unhinged - in new movie 'Paint'

Wilson, whose credits include “Starsky and Hutch,” “Zoolander,” “Wonder,” and “Wedding Crashers,” plays the character Carl Nargle, who hosts a Vermont public television station’s fictional paint instruction series.

Painter Bob Ross, born in Daytona Beach, Florida, and raised in Orlando, hosted “The Joy of Painting” on PBS from 1983 to 1994 and was well known for his landscape paintings, often created in real time, and his endearing gift for instruction. He died of lymphoma in 1995 in New Smyrna Beach.

Lopes is cast as Mary, Nargle’s mentee and biggest fan, a role she is most proud of for herself and other Latino women hoping to break through in film.

Lopes says her character was not initially cast to be played by a Latino, but after her audition in summer 2021, first time screenwriter and director Brit McAdams told Lopes he couldn’t imagine anyone else in the role.

“Women of color are not given that opportunity,” Lopes said of her casting as the quirky and comedic character. “It’s hard because people don’t think you’re funny. You’re probably the last to be seen for this role if you’re a Latino woman.”

Lopes said she was thrilled to be working with Wilson and co-star, Ciara Renee, while filming in Saratoga Springs, New York.

“Owen [Wilson] was so generous because he would do improv with me,” Lopes said of the Academy Award nominated star’s signature talent. “As an actor, it’s so great to have another actor be generous with you.”

Who is Sonia Darmei Lopes?

Lopes got her start performing throughout Florida at the age of 9 with Faith Ann's Jr. Rockettes and The DeParis Ballet and Spanish Dance Company.

She attended FSU from 1978 to 1981 and recalls living with her best friend in Cash Hall on North Woodward Avenue. After graduation, she eventually moved to Los Angeles, seeking a career in acting while hosting a talk show, “The Fairer Sex,” at a local television station.

Lopes was first cast in an episode of the CBS soap opera “As the World Turns" in 1985.

Her other credits include supporting roles in films including “The Christmas Lottery,” “Stay Awake,” “Deadly Spa,” and “Extreme Justice.” She’s also appeared in numerous commercials, including one for SingleCare, where she is bantering with actor Martin Short.

In addition to “Paint," Lopes is also cast with Gainesville, Florida, native Chrissy Metz in “Stay Awake,” an indie drama film written and directed by Jamie Sisley, that addresses opioid addiction. The feature is currently playing at the annual Florida Film Festival in Orlando until Friday, April 21.

Lopes plays a drug addict at a support meeting and says despite the limited role, it speaks to her versatility.

“It’s completely opposite,” Lopes said of the role in “Stay Awake” in comparison to “Paint’s”, Mary. “But I’ve always loved doing drama and heavy, meaty roles.”

Where 'Paint' is showing in Tallahassee

Release: Friday, April 7, 2023

Running time: 1 hour, 36 minutes

Rated: PG-13

Theaters available: CMX Fallschase, AMC Tallahassee 20

Contact Democrat writer Alaijah Brown at ABrown1@gannett.com and on Twitter at @BrownAlaijah.  

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU grad co-stars with Owen Wilson in Bob Ross-inspired movie ‘Paint’