Priscilla Quintana

The Three Hundred Dollars and the Suitcase

Priscilla Quintana arrived in Los Angeles with three hundred dollars in savings and an old suitcase. She was twenty-two years old. Her initial plan was to work as a model to pay the bills while she looked for a real shot in front of the camera.

And she got it quickly.

Before becoming an actress, she worked as a model in advertising campaigns that taught her about light and angles. She had no industry connections and didn't come from a family of artists. But her ability to endure ten-hour days under the California sun gave her the stamina she would need for what came next.

In 2014, she had her first professional film experience in The Gambler. It was a tiny role that barely appears in the final credits. But the experience let her see up close how veterans worked on a big-budget set.

The Weight of Leading a Story

In 2019, The CW cast her as Jax in the sci-fi series Pandora. It was her first major physical and mental test. Carrying thirteen episodes as the lead demands a discipline that many actors take decades to develop. She had to learn to handle fake weapons and act in front of green screens for months.

The industry took notice of her resilience.

The series, however, received mixed reviews for its special effects and linear scripts. Quintana stood by the project and defended it for two full seasons. Because she knew Pandora was the showcase she needed for casting directors at major platforms to start remembering her name.

In 2020, she joined the cast of Good Trouble to play Isabella Tavez. What started as a short story arc ended up stretching across several seasons. Audiences connected with the ambiguity of her character, a woman who always walks the line between kindness and selfishness.

Shoots Under the California Sun

In 2023, she appeared in the series Based on a True Story alongside Kaley Cuoco. The project blends dark comedy with satire about real crimes. Quintana plays Ruby Gale in a storyline that parodies our collective obsession with true-crime podcasts and the fleeting fame of the internet.

Her career then began to move toward roles with more psychological weight.

In 2024, she shot the thriller The Girl in the Pool under director Dakota Gorman. The entire shoot took place on location in Los Angeles during the summer months. The total production budget did not exceed five million dollars.