In Austin Peters’ true crime thriller Skincare, Elizabeth Banks plays Hope, a celebrity aesthetician struggling to stay relevant in the fast-paced, cutthroat world of Hollywood beauty care. Her plan to launch a high-profile imported cosmetics line is disrupted with the arrival of Angel Vergara (Luis Gerardo Méndez), a rival facialist who opens his shop right across the street and soon begins pilfering her buzz and her clients. As her situation worsens, Hope begins to suspect that someone is trying to destroy her career, and goes to extreme lengths to find out who.
I had the chance to talk with Luis Gerardo Méndez about his role as Angel in Skincare. We talked about his thoughts on the dog-eat-dog nature of the celebrity skincare business and how it parallels showbusiness in the importance placed on image, fame, and beauty. Méndez also spoke about reuniting with Elizabeth Banks who directed him in Charlie’s Angels, and the fun they had going toe-to-toe with one another.
Skincare is open in theaters now.
