Having experienced some strange situations that began similarly, Balderas was skeptical about the message that said she has “the look” and encouraged her to reach out for an opportunity to be represented by a casting agency.

 

 

Balderas showed the message to her husband, Manuel Balderas, and asked him to vet the offer.

The agency appeared legitimate.

Sonya Balderas has been in the spotlight before. She was once an MMA ring card girl. She was approached for that back in 2017, she noted. She was picked to show cards for a few fights, including at least one that was televised on the ShowBox channel.

She did that for about three years before deciding the job should go to younger girls, despite the fact that she’s still sought after.

That’s the background that led to the opportunity for her most recent gig, she said.

 

 

Balderas was chosen as an extra for recent episodes of the popular TV show, “Yellowstone.” Several scenes in the second half of season 5 were filmed around the Texas Panhandle. Though she didn’t make it on screen, Balderas was an extra in scenes filmed at an Amarillo bar.

When the agent reached out asking her to audition, it was her husband who encouraged her to take a shot.

 

 

She’s shot commercials before and participated in a runway show for Dillard’s. She’s been a photography model and was recently filmed for a commercial for a Lubbock restaurant.

After heading to the audition, on her husband’s insistence, Balderas figured that was it. Her husband was very encouraging but Balderas never let herself get too excited about the idea of getting a call back.

 

 

The day she was supposed to hear back about the audition, Balderas and her husband were out of town hiking. They spent the day on the trails with no phone service and she couldn’t help but be silently anxious about missing an important call. By the time they rolled back into town, Balderas couldn’t take it anymore. She texted her agent as soon as she had serve and asked if a decision had been made.

Her husband was confident. He told her, “How could they not choose you?”

They went to bed that night with no answer. She believed the opportunity had passed.

The next day, the confirmation email dropped into her inbox. She’d been chosen to film a scene for “Yellowstone” and was asked to report to set the following day in Amarillo. The instructions indicated she had to figure out her own wardrobe, hair and makeup before she got to set so she reached out to friends to make it happen.

“It was a good experience,” Balderas said.

On Sunday, Aug. 18, her go-to hairdresser, Jan Garcia, and her makeup artist, Marisol Alvarez, prepped her to be on set in Amarillo by 9 a.m. Meagan Rodriquez lent her some clothes.

Her instructions were strict. She had to arrive alone, she couldn’t have her phone and she couldn’t talk to or ask for autographs from the stars on set. She also isn’t allowed to share details about the plot.

As she arrived to the filming location, a bar in Amarillo, the site was blocked off from about two blocks away.

“I was so nervous,” Balderas said.

She played a customer with a date at a bar. It was a wild experience because one of the main characters from the show was right within reach but she couldn’t acknowledge them. At one point, she said, one of the lead characters was leaning against her chair. Per her contract, she couldn’t say hello. That was disappointing but a small price to pay for an experience many wish for but never experience.

It was a nine-hour day spent filming three scenes. She enjoyed getting a close-up view of how things work on a set. There were cameras everywhere capturing every potential image from a scene.

The world of film and TV is something Balderas never really imagined for herself. A native of San Luis Potosi, Mexico, Balderas owns two Plainview businesses — El Mercadito Tacos and F.I.T. Plainview, which she owns with her husband. She’s also a mom. With such a busy schedule, she never imagined she would have time to take on anything else.

After this experience, which was made possible through the Sheryl Anderson with Anderson Model & Talent Agency, based out of Amarillo, Balderas is considering trying to do more.

The talent agency encourages its clients to attend regular acting classes which open up doors to more opportunities, and Balderas has been taking advantage. An out-of-state opportunity presented itself and she’s strongly considering but hasn’t made up her mind.

Part of it is her age, she said. She’s in her 40s and a bit self-conscious about the opportunities she keeps being approached for. Many times, she’s told her husband, she doesn’t understand why these talent seekers don’t look for someone younger. Manuel Balderas has been nothing but encouraging to his wife. Without that support, she said, she’s not sure should would have ever considered the “Yellowstone” opportunity. The experience changed her outlook and she hopes to use it to encourage the next generation.

“To all the young girls, don’t give up on anything in life,” she said.