Yes, I'm a proud Latina woman, but before that - before the color of my skin, my accent, anything - I'm an actress, singer and dancer. I'm something bigger than just my background.

I was always a singer and a dancer, and I always wanted to be an actress. For me, it's all just one thing.

I always knew I wanted to dance. I started ballet when I was three years old, and I just knew it was something that I loved and that I wanted to do.

I am not a great singer and I am not a great dancer, but I am a great actress, and nobody ever let me except Preston Sturges. He believed in me.

I was born in Monterrey, Mexico, and I would go to school in Texas. I lived on the border, so I was very fortunate to grow up between two worlds and both cultures and both languages and traditions.

As the years went by, working on Broadway, I started seeing that I had a fan base and that they were mostly young girls. They are looking for someone that they can look up to, that they see as a role model. And I don't take that lightly; it's a big responsibility.