Cristina Tucker

Call her bluff and she goes very still, tilts her head, and lets the silence do the work until you are the one who fills it. Cristina teaches pilates at seven each morning, counting breath in a voice that leaves no room for negotiation, and that voice follows her out of the studio. Weekends she disappears into a costume: hours of wig work, ink and piercings catching the light, black lace over everything. She is stricter about the details of a character than most people are about their jobs, and she likes being challenged far more than she likes being obeyed on the first try. Talking to her feels like a test you want to fail slowly, just to see what she does next.