‘LL: You’ve been in the business long enough to see how things have changed. What do you think of how Latinos are represented today?
Alex: When I started 25 years ago you could play a maid, a drug dealer or a hooker. That was it. It used to bother me. Things have changed a lot. Look at Jane the Virgin and America (Ferrera’s) two shows. I think it is opening up and getting better, because people put themselves out there, more advocates for women’s rights and getting Latinos out there. As a vet [I can say] it’s gotten better, but it still needs to get better. I think we’re moving in the right direction.
‘LL: How are you different, or similar, from your characters?
Alex: I think as human beings we’re incredibly complex. Every character I’ve played, I have a little bit of that in me. We’re all actors. You act different with different people. You have different aspects to your personality whether you show that in public or not. I don’t think any of the characters have been opposite, just an extension of who I am, of my soul that I experiment with. It takes courage to take certain parts that maybe I’m not comfortable with it in real life. That’s where my freedom comes from in acting.
‘LL: What do you want your daughter to learn from you regarding your career?
Alex: Everybody has to work. I want her to know it’s important to work, that I love to work and that it’s important to work hard at whatever you do. Don’t call me a movie star I’m a working actress. I want her to know the importance of a strong work ethic. It will help her in her whole life. My dad worked his butt off and he never complained. If he got an extra shift he called it a blessing. He never felt sorry for himself or got mad at anybody. He said it was a blessing to have the work and I think that’s huge.
‘LL: What can we expect to see you in coming up?
Alex: Definitely Jane the Virgin, which was a blast and a half. Hopefully Weddings Inc. and Unorganized Crime, which is a TV pilot I did with Chazz Palminteri.
‘LL: Who would you like to work with in the future?
Alex: Betty White. She’s such a pro and so funny. I think she’s a lot funnier than we think. Robert De Niro, Sir Anthony Hopkins. Because of De Niro I went to Lee Strasberg to study. I’d love to do comedy with him.
‘LL: Where do you see yourself in the future?
Alex: I’d like to do a couple of huge blockbuster movies, I don’t care if they’re even good (laughing). I just want to be a lead in a huge blockbuster movie. I just want that experience.
You can catch Alex on Jane the Virgin, premiering this Friday on the CW Network.