Over the weekend, Chiefs Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. spoke to actress, singer-songwriter, and producer Roselyn Sanchez at a women’s empowerment brunch in Kansas City that was hosted by Donna Kelce in partnership with GSK’s THRIVE@50+ campaign.
Sanchez shared her thoughts about the event and the joy she feels when seeing Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco’s ongoing display of pride in his Puerto Rican heritage.
“I’m excited to be a part of supporting GSK’s THRIVE@50+ campaign; it is such a great opportunity,” Sanchez said. “I am in my 50s. I don’t look it, but I am, and it’s important for women and men as well. To talk to your doctor, talk to your physician about your risks for getting shingles, and about vaccination. It’s something that we don’t think about too often.”
Sanchez, an accomplished actor, director, and entrepreneur, was joined by Brooke Shields, Gina Torres, Susan Noles, and more at the event before Kansas City’s divisional-round playoff matchup against the Houston Texans.
“It’s a blessing to be surrounded by people who just have power, and they have my same line of thought: that we want to be healthy,” Sanchez explained. “It’s my age. It’s all about health and how I can thrive at 50 plus. The way I see it is the second chapter in my life. People know me as an actress. I’ve been acting for 30 years now. I’m transitioning to directing, and it’s a tough job.
“It’s 14 hours a day when you’re directing, and when you’re doing post, and you’re prepping your movie, and if you’re not 100% there with your health and mindful of how you have to eat healthy, be healthy, and take care of yourself, then that dream that I have to be able to transition to be a director is. It’s not; it’s not doable if I don’t have my health. So I think it’s very important to me to be surrounded by women who feel and think alike; it’s amazing.”
Sanchez, a proud native of Puerto Rico, shared her thoughts on Chiefs starting running back Isiah Pacheco’s helmet, which features the island’s flag, being displayed in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“Listen, [this is] everything you have to understand,” Sanchez began. “Puerto Rico is little. If you look at a map of the world, it’s a dot; this tiny, little place is 100 miles east to west, 35 miles north to south. It’s small, and such incredible figures are coming out of Puerto Rico, like athletes Tito Trinidad, Miguel Cotto, and Roberto Clemente. Then, you have somebody like Bad Bunny and Daddy Yankee, Marc Anthony, and Sonia Sotomayor.
“We have all these incredibly influential people coming out of this little island. So every time we have the opportunity to represent, show our pride, come from this little place, and showcase the flag, it’s everything. And you have no idea how much it means to us that he’s doing that. It’s like when Carlos Arroyo, an NBA player (Puerto Rico Basketball Team), played against the U.S. (United States Basketball Team) at the Olympics and showed his Puerto Rican jersey. That moment is everything for us. So we’re incredibly grateful for him for that, and I’m proud.”
Sanchez is married to actor Eric Winter, a well-known Los Angeles Rams fan who is supportive of his interests, stood firmly by the Chiefs during their Divisional victory over the Texans 23-14 on Saturday.
“I mean, kind of, you know, we [have lived] in L.A. for many years,” Sanchez explained. “My kids are like all, like [their] daddy, and they love sports and the Rams. I don’t know too much about football. I know what I mean because my husband played for college and is very much into that world. Being a Puerto Rican, I’m more of a boxing and baseball kind of girl because that’s what we know. I [usually] support whatever he supports. But today, I’m supporting the Chiefs.”
Visit Instagram and Facebook pages for more information on GSK’s THRIVE@50+ campaign.