Rosie Perez

Rosie Perez was born to Lydia Perez (a merchant marine) in Bushwick, Brooklyn. She is of Puerto Rican descent. Rosie attended Grover Cleveland High School, Ridgewood, Queens, New York. Then she enrolled at Los Angeles City College, Los Angeles, California. Rosie Perez was in her second year of college, and was about to relocate back to New York from Los Angeles. She was invited to a moving-away party by her peers. Spike Lee offered her a part in his film Do The Right Thing (1989). She said yes. It was her first acting role in a major film. Then, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Carla Rodrigo (Peter Weir’s Fearless 1993). (She was defeated by Anna Paquin for The Piano (1993). The Latin community was at the center of most of my criticism in the beginning of my career. They would take me out for lunch and say, "Can I go and take some lessons to reduce my accent?" Or "Can you be funny and loud when you're on a talk show?" People gave me so much crap about my voice, and I tried. I tried to alter my voice however it was my voice that I used to speak. As I got older, the octaves dropped, thank God. It's about getting past your fears. It's about fighting your own. Floyd Mayweather could be punched. Straight punch across his middle. Floyd Mayweather wouldn't blink. I understand what he is doing. (Who spoke about Don Cornelius watching her dance" Don Cornelius did not want to see how I really performed - I was dancing hip-hop, and it seemed unfamiliar to the people of California. They were ignorant of hip-hop dancing. They only had a basic understanding of locking and popping. Don was like, "No. You're a woman. I thought, "What? This is so strange. Then I had to dance in high heels. I've had never danced in high heels before. I had the tiniest short dress and it's in my back and I'm like, Oh my God!