Erica Mena is trading unscripted TV battles for something even scarier: aliens, screams, and survival.
The Bronx-born Dominican-Puerto Rican star, best known for her time on Love & Hip Hop: New York, is making her way back to Hollywood with Run, a sci-fi horror film which opened in theaters nationwide on August 29.
The project reunites her with filmmaker Chris Stokes and producer Marcus Houston, the same team that gave her one of her earliest acting opportunities in The Stepmother series.
“To be back with the people who believed in me from the beginning is such a blessing,” Mena said in an interview with Latin Times. “I’m still in a ‘pinch me’ moment.”
Her role in Run pushes her into new territory but still carries the raw edge that made her a household name. The film kicks off like a carefree girls’ trip before spiraling into a nightmare alien invasion.
For Mena, that shift felt personal. “It starts off like you’re about to go on this fun vacation with your best friends, and then suddenly it turns into a nightmare,” she explained. “This movie is for us, for Latinas, for Black people, for minorities. It’s about our people fighting back.”
Mena is quick to admit horror fits her personality. “I’m a Scorpio, so horror and Halloween have always been my vibe,” she said. “Screaming without guilt feels good, it’s therapy for me.”
Now 37, Mena is balancing the demands of acting with raising three children: an 18-year-old son in college and two little ones at home, ages five and two.
“My kids keep me flaca, grounded, and always on the go,” she shared. “They push me to reach my highest potential. Motherhood isn’t easy, but it’s the most grounding experience of my life.”
Her career has spanned modeling, reality TV, and acting, but this latest chapter feels like an evolution. As she put it, “I want people to see that we belong everywhere, even in sci-fi horror.”