Nicole Rodriguez

Whether gracing the pages of Playboy or jumping around on The Man Show, this girl knows how to get guys' attention.

WORDS Adrian H. Triminio
PHOTOGRAPHY Eddie Garcia (www.egpictures.com)

I was on my way to meet Nicole Rodriguez when some chick driving an SUV and talking on her cell phone hit my two-month-old car. I called Nicole to let her know I would be a little late and, as we were hanging up, she commented, “At least you’ll always remember this interview.” She’s right, I will always remember that day, but for different and more pleasant reasons. Picture this: I spent a tremendously beautiful Sunday afternoon with an incredibly attractive, intelligent and warm person. When I met her, she greeted me with outstretched arms and hugged me as if we’d known each other for years. After that type of hello, there was no way in hell that, as much as I love my car, I was going to spend my time with Nicole thinking about some hunk of metal on four wheels. As we walked over to get a drink and sit down for the interview, it was pretty amusing to see several guys ogling Nicole. It was even funnier to see these guys getting “mad-dogged” by their wives/girlfriends.

Nicole was born in New Jersey but both of her parents are from Puerto Rico. When asked how strongly she considers herself a Puerto Rican, she quickly and firmly answers back “Boricua ‘till I die, baby.” She moved to L.A. from the East Coast when she was seven years old. She now lives in Palos Verdes and, despite a hectic but thriving entertainment career, currently attends U.C.L.A. where she’s majoring in multimedia, film and television production. She exudes a lot of self-confidence (a rare trait in “Hollyweird”). This is probably why she gets more work than her colleagues with more experience. As Nicole tells it, she doesn’t stress out over getting acting roles. Her philosophy is: if the part’s yours, it was already yours before they even started writing it. She also isn’t caught up in the glitz and glamour of being a celebrity. Rather, Nicole feels maintaining one’s humility is the key to staying centered in the middle of the pressures that are a part of her chosen career path and lifestyle. Although she loves acting, Nicole doesn’t plan to be in front of the camera for the rest of her life. Her long-term plan is to gracefully move behind the camera as a producer or director. She hopes to use her power and influence in either capacity to lift up Latinos of every color and nation. Nicole adamantly asserts that she’s in Hollywood to stay and wherever her help is needed, she will do her best to lend a hand.

How old are you?
I’m 25.

You have great height. How tall are you?
I’m 5’9”. I know I’m tall for a Puerto Rican woman.

Tell us what you’ve done so far.
Well, I guess I’m best known for my role as a Juggy on The Man Show, which starred Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel. However, that show is now finished up and syndicated after 100 episodes. It’s packed up and going off to Europe, Asia, and South Africa.

Why was it cancelled? Were the ratings getting too low?
The ratings were good. We had 3 million viewers per week. But I think the production company had a shift in ideas and they figured they’d finish up with The Man Show and create another program to put in the same time slot. However, I have no idea what the new show is going to be.

What else have you done?
I’ve done a couple of movies. One was the premier movie for the first annual Hollywood Film Festival. It was a movie called The Time After Time. I also made another movie called Ripple, starring Anthony Michael Hall. You can also see me in a lot of music videos.

Which ones?
I was in Drew Hill’s “You Are Everything.” I’ve played Ja Rule’s girlfriend and danced with Montel Jordan and Shakira, I’ve been in Enrique Iglesias’ past three videos. I also worked the dancing part for Oscar De La Hoya’s video “Run to Me.” I worked on that video with Kenny Ortega, who is an Academy Award winning choreographer, and Chris Judd. The three of us just danced and showed Oscar how to…

How to dance?
[Laughing] Yeah, how to move in ways other than simply bouncing around like boxers do.

What was it like working with Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel?
They are hilarious. Jimmy is so witty and Adam has the comebacks.

Are they pigs?
No, they’re not. I think that the whole premise of the show is that they are men. So they mean to push a lot of buttons.

What is a Juggy?
The name is supposed to refer to “boobies.” There are nine girls who are in the crowd. We have a live audience. We jump on trampolines and then we dance whenever the camera comes up to us. One of the perks was that we got to travel to a lot of cool places. For example, we went to Jamaica, Puerto Vallarta.

What was your pay like?
It was pretty good. [Smiling.]

It seems like you’ve been all over the place career-wise: TV shows, videos, and film production. What’s your long-term goal?
One of my idols is Penny Marshall. My long-term goal is to become a producer, director and writer. I love action movies. I guess I get that from my mom, who is an L.A.P.D. detective. She’s at L.A.P.D. headquarters in Parker Center, in the middle of the heat. I guess because I was raised by someone like her, my eyes and ears are open to everything that goes on around me. I love fast cars, motorcycles, chases, and tunnels. I see everything differently.

Do you fire guns?
Yes.

What kind?
I have a .32.

Not with you, right?
[Laughing.] No, not with me. Actually it’s at home under my bed. So whoever’s thinking about coming to give me a visit, you’d better get clearance.

So is it just you and your mom?
No, my dad’s in my life. We’re a complete family unit. My dad and mom are 100 percent supportive of me. They’re always calling me on the cell phone to make sure that I’m okay.

Are your dad and mom still together?
Yes, they’re still together.

What does your dad do?
My dad’s a mechanic.

How was it growing up with your mom as a cop and your dad as a mechanic?
My mom’s been a cop for about 15 years, but it always worked out because even though she’s a cop, she’s very much a woman. She still gets in the kitchen and cooks. My parents have a very open relationship and they communicate a lot, which has taught me how to handle strangers very well. I’ve also learned from them how to always be myself. I’m not the type to bleach my hair blonde or put implants in or inject my lips.

Would you ever do it?
No. I know I’m going to age beautifully. Puerto Rican woman have “esta cosa que se llama tumbao.”

What’s that?
Tumbao means that you’ve got that heat in your blood. I love to dance and sing. I love just being around people.

What kind of music do you like?
I love everything. I listen to Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald and Billy Holiday. I also like rap, country, and classical music.

Do you like salsa?
Oh, of course. I love my salsa.

Looking at your career, it’s apparent that you’ve come pretty far in a short amount of time.
Yes, I’ve been very, very lucky in that I haven’t been blindsided. I believe in myself first, I rely on myself and I depend on myself. I don’t care what other people think because I know that I’m a good person and I know that my heart is right. I listen to my heart more than my head.

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