Summoned by actor and director Lautaro Murúa to appear as Donna Natividad in the third movie version of "Un Guapo del 900", China Zorrilla's film debut came late in 1971 at age 49. The following summer she made replaced actress Ana María Campoy in "Butterflies are Free", which was performed in Mar del Plata. She settled in Buenos Aires. Her stay coincided with the civilian-military dictatorship in Uruguay (1973–1985), which forced her to stay abroad. Zorrilla expressed her solidarity by protecting and helping Uruguayans flee the dictatorship. During that period, she was banned by the military regime from performing in Uruguayan theatres. After the country's return to democracy in the 1980s, Zorrilla made a triumphal comeback at the Teatro Solís as Emily Dickinson.