i won't have a chance to watch the scene tonight, so i can only comment on what i can see only the trailer, but it does look to me as if Dulce is performing wonderfully up to and including DP (her previous DPs scenes have both been good, so DP is territory Dulce can say she owns and controls), but as soon as she attempts DAP a couple of times and it isn't working (for whatever reason) her confidence goes, and she never really recovers
essentially, Dulce seems unhappy and awkward from that point on (if the trailer is cut chronologically), and even when she tries to go back to DP or 1-on-1 (acts she has been consistently great at in all her previous scenes) she's struggling.
why that may be no one knows but Dulce. when i watch the scene in full, i may have more thoughts, but that's my first impressions. her confidence goes when she can't perform something she must have felt she could perform when she attempted it, and feeling that she disappointed herself in not being able to achieve what she wanted to achieve, or that she has disappointed others in the room (Natasha if she was directing, or the studs), her usual cool composure is lost and *everything* becomes difficult for her
it's my feeling that Dulce's profile' as a performer is that she is not as strong (ability-wise) or as confident a performer as Vale Cortez (who shot two great scenes in early january but nothing since), but that she is a far stronger (ability-wise) but not as confident performer as Abby Evans.
to frame that another way, it's my impression (i've seen all Dulce's scenes to date and am a fan) is that - essentially - Dulce is more able than she is confident as a performer
so that could be a key reason things became difficult post-DAP attempts in this scene. when performing those things she does well (up to DP) she can rely on her ability as a performer to get her through the scene (even if her confidence in her performance is not 100%). but as soon as she tries to go beyond her current abilities as a performer, and has to lean heavily into her confidence ('fake it until you make it') to get her through the next level, it gives way and she feels lost
what could have been done differently this time around?
it may be that after those inital attempts at DAP failed and Dulce's composure seemed to be going, the director could have made a decision to take a break, have a discussion with Dulce about leaving the DAP for another time, and scaling back the plans for the scene from a DAP to DP
getting Dulce back onto that performance terrain where she feels most confident may have enabled her to finish the scene on a win, even if she didn't get to where she was aiming for. maybe Dulce would have been able to do that or maybe not, only Dulce and perhaps Natasha will know
there's a psychological principle that if someone falls from a horse when learning to ride, it's better for them to try to get straight back into the saddle immediately in order to put that event behind them before they have time to think about it, rather than stop and have a long break until returning to the horse, during which a person has time to go over the fall again and again in their minds building up anxiety and fear about returning. but whether that principle is applicable here, no one can say
anyway, i felt like writing something immdeiately after watching the trailer because it troubles me to see Dulce struggling, and as DAPaddict has written somewhat negatively about the scene (if he feels negative about the scene he can write negatively), i wanted to say something about why things may have gone the way they have this time, and also to draw attention to the positives of this scene (viper has seen it through and is of the opinion that there is much to appreciate here)
and to that end, i'm attaching some screenies i grabbed from the trailer to present Dulce's performance this time in a more positive light (as much of this scene pre-DAP attempt looks like Dulce doing genuinely great DP as she always does) and balance out the images of Dulce not doing so well earlier in the feedback for this scene
tbh (certain people we know might hate me for saying it, but i have to!) because the first half of this scene is so hot, i rather wish they had left the DAP attempt for another time and just gone with Dulce shooting another superhot DP. and maybe i'm not the only one who watches the first half of this and comes to that conclusion
stay strong Dulce miller