Latest Role
“Ugly Betty” cast member Hilda Suarez (Betty’s sister)

Status
Acting (‘94), UArts College of Performing Arts

What it’s like to be on one of TV’s hottest shows?
“I’ve never been on a show that reaches so many people. It has a social impact that deals with Latinos and with single motherhood and healthcare and immigration on the one hand. And on the other hand, there’s this campy, high-end fashion world.  And then the response you get to it. Going to the Golden Globes and the SAG awards! I mean, this is definitely the highlight of anything I’ve ever done!”

How did UArts make a difference for you?
“The University of the Arts was pivotal for me…I feel that that is where I became an actor because of the teachers, because there was a conservatory atmosphere.”

What were UArts acting teachers like?
“They really just push you and push you. I’m so well-rounded as an actress. I can do Hilda. I can slip in and out of a dialect like nobody’s business because I had the training. I can talk like this if I want to… I can do an English accent, an Irish accent. I can do different dialects from different areas of NY.  I don’t think I would have that experience and that capability and that belief in myself if I hadn’t had that experience of the four years of incredibly hard work and incredibly rewarding work at UArts.”

Now that you live in L.A., what are your thoughts on Philly?
“The theater in Philadelphia is more interesting. It’s more cutting edge. They were putting me—a young Puerto Rican girl—into theater before anyone else!...It’s important that the University was in a city that really caters to interesting, thought-provoking art.”

What is your fondest memory of your time at UArts?
“In your junior year you have to do a solo performance. It’s a sort of rite of passage into senior year and graduation.  It was the scariest, most difficult thing I’ve ever experienced. I had all three of the teachers—Johnny Hobbs, Alexandra Toissant, and Irene --guiding me…To have those great people guide you through it, it was just one of the best experiences.  It transformed me to understanding how to take direction.”