Theatre or theater?
I'm from NYC. We don't go to the theatre.
Strangest theater-related job?
The first part I was cast in at college was as a member of the "Graffiti Wall," a greek chorus-like ensemble, in a student written production about hip-hop and men who have sex with men on the DL. We did all sorts of bizarre things including simulate gay male sex, on stage. I'm neither male nor gay, and I was a virgin. It was...interesting. Needless to say, I did not invite my mom.
What experience made you want to become an actor?
Growing up I didn't watch a lot of TV and my mother, an early childhood educator, encouraged "dramatic play." For as long as I remember I was putting on shows at home, alone, with friends, with music, with dance. Its that early "dramatic play" that really encouraged me to be creative. I also think it’s why I struggle with the lack of creative control that the actor has. I'm much more interested in being involved in every aspect of the process, as opposed to serving as a vessel for the vision of others. This is a current struggle of mine as I seek to define my career.
Very first role on stage?
When I was seven, I lived in Chile and we used to do these elaborate dance shows for the whole community. I was one of the lead dancers in the "queca" a traditional folk dance where men and women dance together holding a scarf, and the lambada, the sexy Brazilian dance that taught me how to move my hips. I was also a Xuxa impersonator (Xuxa is a blond Brazilian singer/dancer who had a children's show in the late 1980s) and often cast my friends as the back up dancers for elaborate shows that I did at my "home stage."
(If you don't know who Xuxa is, check her out, and imagine me at age 7, nuff said. And yes, I made my own costumes.
Tragic flaw?
I'm fiercely competitive and I hate authority and rules. Flaw or asset? You decide. Oh, and I read celebrity gossip. Definite flaw.
If you were a 1980s television show sidekick, who would you be?
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