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I grew up in Mexico, not the U.S., and the fact is that there just aren't any parts for Latin actresses. I have to persuade people that my accent won't be a problem, but an asset.

Coming in and out of Hollywood for pilot season, I may have to thicken my accent or hear that, physically, I'm not Latino. I not only am, but there's another 50,000 people who look exactly like me.

Speaking Spanish isn't a benefit in Hollywood.

There just aren't enough positive portrayals of Latino life in film.

You go to Los Angeles or New York or Miami or Chicago, and you see Latinos everywhere; they are involved in every part of American society. That's why they have to start being represented in Hollywood, because an 'Americano' can't walk down the street and not see a Latino.

Yes, I am a Mexican, and I have a past and a culture. But what matters is the film itself, not where it was financed or cast.

It's interesting: I think, as a Latino actor, the biggest challenge is being called 'Latino' because immediately, the world has a perception of what that means.

There's a lot of Latinos right now, a lot of filmmakers and writers that are Latin too.

Latinos are the fastest growing minority, and we're obviously not going anywhere. We're extremely loyal as a people, and I think Hollywood is starting to recognize that. It's very rare for a major studio to nationally distribute a film with Latino talent, not only in front of the camera, but also behind the camera.

I like to consider myself an actor who just happens to be Hispanic.