PHOTOGRAPHY Matthew Mitchell

When did you decide to be an actress?
I think I've always wanted to be an actress. When I was 13 I tried to do it on my own. I just walked into an agency without my parents, but they said, "You gotta come back with your mom!"

So where did things go from there?
Well, they didn't really go anywhere. The agent was very honest with me. She said that I was very beautiful, and she was in love with my nose, but she said that I looked older than my age, because at the time I had my hair dyed blonde. So she said to come back, to dye my hair dark. My mom took that as a "no," but I took it as a positive thing. Since then I've never dyed my hair blonde again. I've kept it dark and I've kept to the way that I look and who I am, which is a dark-haired Latina.

What's your ethnic background?
Puerto Rican, Boricua! I'm first generation born in America.

Do you speak Spanish?
Yes, I'm fluent in Spanish. If you could star in a film remake of an old TV show, what would the show be and who would you play? Punky Brewster. I am such a whiner and I'm also kind of a tomboy so I can identify with her.

Let's say you were doing a movie that called for a nude love scene with you and some actor, who would you pick? Can I have two?
I would have a menage-a-trois with Matt Damon and Tom Cruise.

But do you think those two would want to get naked together?
One of them might.

You grew up in Chicago. What was that like?
It was cold, very urban, and very windy.

What kind of neighborhood did you live in?
I didn’t grow up in a typical Hispanic neighborhood. In fact it wasn’t a Hispanic neighborhood at all. I grew up in a Polish and Italian neighborhood. It was actually a multi-ethnic neighborhood, but there were no Hispanics.

What about school?
My father sent us to an all-girls school.

So that helped you be a good girl and stay out of trouble?
Yeah, it worked. It was a good choice and I’d do if for my daughter too.

Who was the first guy you made out with?
The first guy I made out with was Jeorge with a “J.” I was in seventh grade, and I think I was his first kiss too, because he didn’t know what the hell he was doing. It was funny because we had been “letter dating” and we had agreed to meet in the auditorium after school. I had been practicing with my cousin—not kissing her—but she was teaching me what to do. She told me, “You put your hands here…” But my whole fear was that I didn’t know how to stop kissing. I asked my cousin, “How do you stop your tongue from kissing?” She told me, “You just pull away!”
It was the most awkward thing. We go in there and his hands are in an awkward place. We’re like three inches apart and we’re leaning in to kiss. It was like a three second tongue twirl, then we both pulled away really fast. So I knew that he didn’t know what he was doing either, that he was in the same boat as me.

What’s your one pet peeve about guys?
I don’t like the super cool guy, like the guys that constantly need to be groomed. I like guys a little rough around the edges. I like the guy who doesn’t worry about shaving on Saturday and isn’t always worried about how he looks.

But you picked Tom Cruise and Matt Damon as your fantasy boys. They’re pretty clean cut.
But they’re actors, and they have a quality to them that’s not so suave…they don’t come off as guys who are trying too hard.

So do you have a boyfriend?
Yeah.

Is he Latino?
No, he’s Italian.

Do you think Latino men are more passionate and better lovers?
Well…you’re going to be mad.

Why? You think we’re bad lovers?
No, but I’ve never been with a Latino…

Oh man, you’re going to get a whole bunch of hate mail from our readers.
I am? I just don’t know the Latino “road” yet.

You acted in a couple of upcoming movies…
Yeah, Biker Boys, it’s kind of like a Fast and the Furious but with bikes. I play one of the supporting guy’s girlfriend. It’s not a big part, it’s very small. It’s coming out next year. I also had a role in Papi Chulo. The scene that I play is opposite Sofia Vergara, and basically she threatens to kick my ass—which she does very well.

She kicks your ass?
Well, she threatens very well, because I’m hitting on her papi chulo.

Was Sofia at least nice to you in real life?
Sofia happens to be my dad’s FAVORITE celebrity in the world. I asked her to call him and she called him.

Wow. What did your dad say?
Oh my God, I think he’s still in a coma. We took a Polaroid picture and she signed it for him. She’s really sweet. It felt so good to see him so happy. He couldn’t get over it, he still hasn’t gotten over it.

Can you blame him? A lot of people critique big stars for being snobby or not doing much for others. What would you do differently if you were a big famous star?
I would take a year off and travel throughout the country to different high schools and do public speaking. That would be my dream.

Are there any big stars that people compare you to?
Yeah, Patricia Velasquez they say I look like her, and we have the same last name. People ask me sometimes, “Are you her sister?”

Finally, what’s the one thing you would say to Latino men in America?
Be more supportive of your women. Listen, don’t argue.

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