Sofia Sanchez is 14 years old and a successful model, actress and author of two children’s books. Seven years ago she appeared in an inspiring video.
A young girl who went viral seven years ago for her inspiring message about having Down syndrome is now appearing on the big screen in "Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes."
“Is Down syndrome in your blood?” mom Jennifer Varanini Sanchez asked her daughter Sofia Sanchez, then 7, in the video.“Yeah,” Sofia responded. “Does it make your blood special?” “Yeah!” “Is Down syndrome scary?,” mom asked. “No, it’s not scary,” Sofia replied.
“I can do anything I want,” Sofia said in a separate video from back then. “I am smart. I am kind. I am capable. I am beautiful.”
Now, Sofia is 14 years old and a successful model, actress and author of two children’s books, "You are Enough" and "You are Loved." Sanchez, who was born in Ukraine, was adopted as a baby. Her books, with another set to debut next year, are inspired by her story.
She made her acting debut in the TV series "Switched at Birth.” Currently, she appears as Wovey in "Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes."
“She's from District 8 and her superpower is hiding, but she's brave as well, like me,” Sanchez tells Inside Edition Digital. She’s been promoting the film around the world in Berlin, London and Los Angeles.
“It's so awesome. It's my dream come true, seeing my best time, seeing myself on the big screen,” she says.
Sofia’s kindergarten teacher, who saw her potential, casted her as the lead in a gingerbread man play. “She stole the show and we were like, ‘I think this is something we got to pursue,’” mom Jennifer Varanini Sanchez tells Inside Edition Digital.
In addition to her professional work, Sofia is a freshman in high school and takes eight classes. She’s also a cheerleader and was crowned homecoming princess. Auditions for the school musical are coming up and despite working in Hollywood, Sofia is hopeful to be in the show.
Sofia was too young to understand the impact she made seven years ago with her inspiring words. Her mother looks back with fondness on that moment in time.
“I'm so proud as her mother,” Jennifer says. “She's a great representative and I always say she speaks for those who can't speak. So it's kind of a cool spot to be in now. It just kind of fell into our laps with that viral video that went so wild."
