Biografia

Fluent in Spanish.

Didn't want to do acting but did it to pay off her university debts and found that she enjoyed it.

Graduated with honors from UCLA.

Praised by Oprah Winfrey for being an activist for women. Passionate public speaker on the topic of violence against women after surviving a rape at gunpoint at the age of nineteen.

Wanted to be a lawyer.

[on her status as a sex symbol] I have no problem with that! I'd rather be that than Quasimodo. Or a method actor.

Thank God for J-Lo [Jennifer Lopez]. All of a sudden big asses are de rigueur.

[on her strip scene in Amici x la morte (2003)] I'm a Catholic girl from Omaha, and then all of a sudden they spring this scene on me. Afterwards I had to go to confession. I said, "Forgive me Father, for I have just bared my ass in front of the world. How many Hail Marys will it take to absolve me of that?"

After Halle Berry does her films and Queen Latifah does her films, it's left to all the black, Latino and Asian actresses to fight over a couple of roles. I opted for some TV. There's just not a ton of work in film.

[on Halle Berry's success] Halle's success has come more from blockbusters. But, yes, she is a source of inspiration. When she makes money, black actors make money.