Mexican-American comedian, novelist, and actress Carlie Mantilla has partnered with some of the biggest names in the entertainment business, including her husband, author John Eliot Jordan. Mantilla, who was raised in both Mexico City and the United States, started her career as a stand-up comedian, frequently appearing at the renowned Hollywood Improv and The Comedy Store. Lily Tomlin and Richard Lewis are the top comedians she has performed with. In addition to giving performances in Los Angeles and other cities across the nation, Mantilla has contributed to a number of popular movies and television shows, including Uncabaret, Angel Falls Christmas, and Groundswell. Mantilla is committed to assisting others behind the scenes in addition to her professional goals.
Mantilla and Jordan weren’t at home to watch their new movie, Angel Falls Christmas, the first time it aired last Christmas. Instead, they were in Sayulita lending a hand to a Christmas Posada that many of the neighborhood kids were attending. Mantilla stated that “John and she herself had visited Sayulita several times and gotten to know some of the local kids who spend most of their time selling items to tourists instead of attending school or doing normal kid things”
A local bartender informed the two about some plans the neighborhood had to host a Posada for the kids. Mantilla and Jordan volunteered to help; in the end, they raised almost $15,000 and used the money to purchase gifts and educational materials for the kids.
In addition, Mantilla’s art exhibits an interest in social concerns in Mexico. Most recently, she and Jordan collaborated with Jordan’s brother Tommy to develop the half-hour drama-comedy La Gringa, which depicts a Mexican-American lady who struggles to find her identity in the face of several prejudices that are projected onto her from both the United States and Mexico.
“I wanted to write a Latina character I haven’t seen on screen. Because the truth is, much of what you see is a stereotype. I wanted to write someone who seemed real to me as a mixed-race Latina.” said Mantilla.
Mantilla, who is dedicated to the altering representation in Hollywood, thinks these real-life challenges don’t require writing as a preachy drama. She asserted that humor is a much more successful tool for luring individuals to relax and reconsider deeply held views than dogmatic writing.
Jordan was raised in Boston, Massachusetts, miles away from Mantilla, although he shares her love for social work. She said she had a lot of excellent role models. Her grandparents were doctors, and they constantly challenged them to think about how they might utilize what they had to empower others. All three of her aunts and uncles had worked as volunteers for Best Buddies, a charity that aids those with intellectual impairments. When she was 16, she decided to start a chapter in her hometown after witnessing their happiness. Jordan spent his entire high school, college, and post-graduation career working with Best Buddies and its creator Anthony Kennedy Shriver. Jordan Farrelly always knew he wanted to be a screenwriter despite being born into a family of creatives (Oscar-winner Peter Farrelly and award-winning director Bobby Farrelly are both his uncles). “She was incredibly lucky to experience from a very early age a lot of the day-to-day life of the career she was so interested in,” she said. Jordan ended up studying theology and international politics at Boston College after working as an intern on many of his relatives’ motion pictures. According to Mantila, “she thought about studying cinema, but she was more concerned with having something actually to write about, and she felt like God and politics were a suitable starting point.
Jordan began writing his own content after graduating and working several productions and marketing jobs throughout the day. He finally relocated to Los Angeles where, while doing a side gig producing stand-up comedy gigs, Mantilla captured his sight.
Jordan commented that “he saw her on stage and was blown away by her talent. He asked if Mantila would appear in a stand-up show where they are putting on for a youth center, and think purely because it was for charity, and then she said yes”
Jordan and Mantilla had a long conversation after the show. They decided to write jointly because of their similar outlooks and sense of humor. They acknowledged their love for one another after two years had passed. It didn’t take long for the two to decide to write a romantic comedy together, drawing inspiration from real-life events. Jordan, who co-authored the popular sitcom “Loudermilk” with his brother Tommy, is a seasoned romance author who also created the highly regarded, Hallmark Movies and Mysteries holiday film “Meet Me At Christmas”.
“That movie was more of a romantic drama, so it was a really fun prospect to work with Carlie on a Christmas romance that also had laughs. She brought so much to it that I wouldn’t have been able to do alone.” Said Jordan
The end outcome was the above-mentioned “Angel Falls Christmas” movie. Chad Michael Murray played the lead in it, which aired on GAC Family in 2021. As an incognito angel disguised as a stand-up comedian, Mantilla also makes an appearance opposite Murray.
They had a great time working with Chad and Jessica, according to Mantilla. They are such experts. “It was extremely satisfying to hear from people who commented that the movie helped them smile during a trying period”. Jordan and she wrote the film during the epidemic. The finest part of making Christmas movies is that. It’s an opportunity to cheer them up.
After creating the Lacey Chabert-starring Groundswell for Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Mantilla and Jordan are presently working on a number of new projects, including the above-mentioned La Gringa and numerous more romantic comedies for other platforms/networks. Mantilla and Jordan discover that their professional collaboration, like their emotional one, enables them to counterbalance one another and advance together. “Anyone who has seen her performance knows her skill’ said Jordan.