Ana Ortiz

HINOJOSA:  Ana Ortiz, of course everybody knows you as Hilda Suarez, welcome to our program.

ORTIZ:  Thank you so much.

HINOJOSA:  It is such an honor to have you here.

ORTIZ:  The honor is mine, thank you.

HINOJOSA:  But let me ask you this, does it all feel like a dream?

ORTIZ:  It really does. This whole year has been a dream, from-- let’s see-- I found out that I got the part of Hilda, and not only that, but that it was filming in New York. And then we went to New York, which has always been a dream of mine. I’m from New York, so for me, I’ve always wanted to go back. I live in L.A. now, and I always want to go home. But I want to go home with a job, you know.

HINOJOSA:  -- That pays. You got to get paid.

ORTIZ:  Exactly. New York is not an easy city to be broke in. So that was great. And then I got engaged. And then the show got picked up, and it became a hit. And the next thing I know, we’re at the Golden Globes. And it was just--it’s just been incredible.

HINOJOSA:  Tell me the story about the Golden Globes. You were kind of joking about it, because Tony Plana, for example, character actor, been around for a long time, yeah. America Ferrera, she’s young, but she’s been around for a while, you as well. Suddenly you’re at the Golden Globes.

ORTIZ:  We’re at the Golden Globes. And it was so wonderful, because to see Tony’s face, you know, he was just like-- he’s like “Ana, I’ve never been here!” And I think, you know, the three of us, we were walking down the carpet, I think we felt at any point, somebody was going to tap us on the shoulder and be like “Yeah, you guys, the service entrance is over there. What are you doing here?” Because here we are, these, like, brown faces. And it’s just like-- it was so exciting.

HINOJOSA:  But it’s much more than just, like, walking in. I mean you guys, you took the stage.

ORTIZ:  Yeah.

HINOJOSA:  And are you thinking-- Of course, at that moment, you’re all in the moment. But do you stand back and say “We are representing Latinos in Hollywood, in a way that it has never been done before”?

Yeah, absolutely. I think, you know, being raised the way I was, it’s just a part of who I am. I think everything I enter into life is, sort of, as a woman, as a Latina. And so yeah, I mean you’re up there, and it’s so exciting. But, you know, this is even more of a dream job, because not only am I on a show that’s actually stayed on the air and, you know, that people are really responding to, but I have young girls coming up to me, who are absolutely so thrilled, and absolutely so excited to be represented on TV. And they’re like “That’s my family! I know you guys! You’re like my sister!” Or “You're like my mom,” or, you know-- And I hear this so often from so many Latin girls. And it just-- it makes up for every rejection I’ve ever gotten. Every time somebody told me I wasn’t this enough, and I wasn’t good enough, this makes up for all of that.

HINOJOSA:  Cause you--you were a working actress.

ORTIZ:  Mm-hmm.

HINOJOSA:  You had gigs, you were working. But it was a struggle.

ORTIZ:  It’s a huge struggle, huge struggle.

HINOJOSA:  What is that struggle-- I mean, you know, now you’ve made it. But, on the day-to-day, before that, what was that struggle like, as a Latina actress in Hollywood?

ORTIZ:  You know, there’s always that pressure to fight against the stereotype. And yet, you also want to work. So, I mean, I can’t tell you-- I’ve played more maids than I could count.

HINOJOSA:  Still--

ORTIZ:  -- Still.

HINOJOSA:  When I hear that happening even now, it’s like--

ORTIZ:  I’ve played, you know, I can’t tell you the number of, you know, drug-addict girlfriends, or girlfriend of the dealer. You know, I didn’t want to bartend. So, of course, you know, who am I to turn down the role? And you do it, and you try to bring as much honor and integrity to the character that you can, and you do. And, because, the thing is, that half of the time the characters are really beautifully written, and they’re really fun to play. But it’s still the maid, you know. It’s like when am I going to get to play, you know, the woman of the house with a white maid? [laughter]

HINOJOSA:  Right. Oh one day, maybe you’ll be writing that. But you come from a serious theater background. You were doing repertory theater, you were out there. At that moment, what was-- I’m always fascinated by an actor, and what moves an actor, and what it is that you want. So what is it that you wanted? I mean was it to be where you are now? Or was it “I’d be happy being on Broadway”? What was the dream?

ORTIZ:  I think the dream is happening right now. I mean for me, theater is my first love. I mean, that’s always what I’ll do, it’s always where I’m going to go back. I think the only reason I’m as good as I am, and not to sort of pat myself on the back, but--

HINOJOSA:  -- I’ll pat you--

ORTIZ:  -- But, you know, you do sort of become a much stronger actor when you’re on stage. It’s just inevitable. I did a play with Hector Elizondo, who you know, and he’s another Puerto Rican from New York City. And he was such an inspiration to me because here he is, he’s on top of the world, he could do whatever he wants. And he goes to this little theater in L.A., little tiny theater, and we do this tiny little production together. And it was just inspiring. So, I mean, for me, everything-- I want to do everything. I want to continue to do theater. I want to continue to do television. And I want to start doing films. And I would love to even go abroad, and I’d love to start bringing theater, you know, to other parts of the world, and to really sort of do workshops like that.

HINOJOSA: So, I mean, it’s wonderful when you are making the money, you’re getting paid, and you’re recognized. But it wasn’t always about that? It was about the work?

ORTIZ:  Yeah.

HINOJOSA: And what was it in you that said “I want to be an actress”? What was it?

ORTIZ:  If you asked my mother, there was never, ever anything else. There was never a choice. I just asked my mom this the other day, actually, why she chose-- My sister went to one school, which was a much more, sort of, vigorously intellectual school, and I went to a much more artistic school, right at first grade. And I said “Well why did we go to separate schools?” Because up until that point, we were always together. She’s only a year younger than I. And she goes “Well you were just an artistic kid from jump.” I mean my nursery school teacher told my mom, like, “This kid’s an artist.” So, you know, I think it was just that way, you know. And there was never anything else that interested me. And believe me, my mom gave me choices galore. I took every kind of-- She was a working mom, so after school, I was in every program you can name after school, to see what interests I liked. And it was always voice, ballet, theater, voice, ballet, theater. You know, I did tons of other things, but they just didn’t stick.

HINOJOSA: Now when you were growing up, did you feel like there was a place for you to be as an actress? Did you actually say “Yes I can break through”? Or did you think, like, “There’s never going to be a spot for me”?

ORTIZ:  I think-- and this is a testament to my family-- I just thought “Yeah, I can break through. I can be the one.” And also, I grew up in New York City. So I went to a lot of theater, and we had a lot of off-Broadway theater. And my mother would take me, even very young. And so you get to see-- I saw myself represented on stage, I did. I saw young Latina women, young black women, young Asian women, women of color, basically, on stage, doing groundbreaking theater, really, sort of, avant garde stuff. So I think I, sort of, maybe had my head in the clouds a little bit, about it, because I didn’t ever think that I couldn’t. I didn’t ever think, you know, I can’t go on.

HINOJOSA: There are a lot of Latinas who, oftentimes, feel like they can’t, you know, like, close the doors on themselves.

ORTIZ:  Mm-hmm. I think-- But you get, in this world--  and I’m sure it comes in every world-- but in our world, the rejection is so blatant, and it’s so outright, and it’s so, like, “No, no, you’re not good enough.” I remember I went into an audition-- this was in L.A. when I first got to L.A.-- and I went to the audition, and it was for-- I think it was for CSI, and it was before it came out. And I did my audition, left. The woman called my agent and said “Oh God, Ana is terrific. She is such a great actress. We love her. But we’re really looking for somebody who’s just really beautiful.”

HINOJOSA:(Gasp )Oh my God!

ORTIZ: And I was like they were, like, “ Yeah, we’re looking for somebody who’s just like, drop dead gorgeous.”

HINOJOSA: But for somebody to say that.

ORTIZ:It was just one of those things where you’re like-- I’m literally, you know, I’m packing my bag. That’s it. You know, and my mother’s saying “They don’t understand you anyway.”

HINOJOSA: What kept you going, though? I mean what keeps you going, in those moments, when-- I mean what would you do then? Would you go and just, like, cry and get the bag of popcorn?

ORTIZ:  Yeah, I would, I would definitely go home and cry. And then, you know, for me, I stay in class as much as possible. I take any kind of theater class. I’m taking an improv class now. I remember the whole first season of Betty, I was taking a comedy improv class. And because I just feel like I got to keep my chops up. You know, the bar is raised really high by America and by the rest of our cast. And I think--  You know, I think you just have to constantly be --  getting better. You have to constantly, like, improve yourself and keep learning and stuff. So for me, it was like “Alright, well I’m just going to-- If I’m not going to be the prettiest one, I’m definitely going to be the best actress.” So you know what I mean? Like there’s definitely not going to be anyone who’s better than me.

HINOJOSA: I’m imagining you saw the piece that came out in the New York Times, that said that Ugly Bettyhas transformed the way television is done. I mean that, to me, the show is, for all kinds of reasons, so interesting, because of the issues that it brings up. And we’ll talk about that in a second. But when you’re reading that, and you’re saying “Oh my God, this show that I’m working on is being-- you know, by the New York Times, we’re being told that we are transforming television?” Do you feel that when you’re on the set? Do you feel like it is groundbreaking?

ORTIZ:  I do at times, I have to say. And because-- When we get the script, and there’s a script that’s dealing with immigration, when there’s a script-- And it’s the way we deal with it, too. I think, one of the reasons it’s so transformative is because it’s kind of subtle. It’s not like [makes noise]. It’s sort of, you know, the whole, like, even healthcare, you know, and, sort of, health insurance, and dealing with that, and the fact that, you know, everybody’s living paycheck to paycheck. This is everyone’s story. And it’s just sort of a subtlety of, like, the scene opens with America fighting with an HMO. And we don’t talk about it, we don’t address it, but it’s just that’s how you open a scene.

HINOJOSA:  How much are--Because, of course, I watch the show with my family, it’s one of the very, very, very few shows that we do that. But it’s precisely because I get all of those little references. I’m aware of it. I’m watching my kids. But how much is that talked about within-- Are you talking to the writers? Is Salma saying “Let’s do this”? Or is it just-- Because it is very clear that you guys are bringing up very heavy-duty issues.

ORTIZ:  I think it’s all of that. Salma is definitely, you know, a huge advocate of that. She definitely wants the integrity of the family to stay intact. And she is so hands-on, and it’s so important to her. It’s really, you know, just something that she cares deeply about. And the writers are just incredible. Silvio Horta, he’s Cuban, and he’s a genius. And he—he--this is his family.

HINOJOSA:  Well he’s the one who says that he was watching the telenovelas with his grandmother all the time. Like he was actually watching those.

ORTIZ:  Yeah, exactly. And, you know, he really gets it. And there’s such a protectiveness that we feel, you know, that we get from the writers. And so you don’t ever feel like you’re going to be exploited, and you don’t ever feel that they’re going to head you down the wrong path. They care deeply about this family. And, yeah, I really like the fact that we’re dealing with things, just like how a family would. It’s not like force-fed to you.

HINOJOSA: Well that’s why-- There are a couple of segments that I want to talk about. One of the ones that I talk about when I’m out lecturing, because I care very deeply about African-American and Latino relations. And so I always give the example that you had an African-American immigration official, who was there to deport your dad, and she ends up falling in love with a Mexican, you know! When you saw that, when you read that, when you realized that was going to come up in the script-- ?

ORTIZ:  I was so excited. To me, it was-- it was just such an exciting, sort of, road to go down. And I have to tell you, I mean I was a little bit like “Oh my God, we’re taking a step-- we’re taking a big step with this.”

HINOJOSA: -- A big step.

ORTIZ:  And the actress, Octavia, she was so remarkably incredible. There’s talk about her coming back, because she just was-- people really responded to her, and she really--
What’s wonderful, too, I think, about Betty, is that I think people, they stop seeing it, and they don’t realize that this is what’s happening. It’s almost like we’re doing it under their nose.

HINOJOSA: Well that’s why, of course, the other segment, when-- you know, the way I talk about it is that you were dealing with human trafficking. You were dealing with the drama of calling a smuggler to get your dad across the border, on primetime, at a time when our country is so divided.

ORTIZ:  Yeah, and they have to understand that this is a desperate situation, and it’s happening to your neighbors, to your friends, to the guy who works in your library, or whatever it is, to the little-- to the girl who’s sitting next to you. That’s what her family is going through, you know, in school. And that’s what I thought was so wonderful, is that we’re putting a face to it, so it’s not like-- Because people fall in love with this family, and, you know, with America. And then they can say “Oh, she’s not so scary, you know. She’s a great kid. She has an amazing family. This is like us.”

HINOJOSA: Right, and the dad who’s undocumented is not a scary guy who’s coming to take your job.

ORTIZ:  No, no, not at all. And he works his tail off, and he loves his family, and he’s a wonderful member of the community.

HINOJOSA: Do you feel, in L.A., in Hollywood, do you feel the presence of a divided America, of an anti-immigrant sentiment that some people now say is anti-Latino? Do you feel it?

ORTIZ:  You know, in L.A.,  (stumble) not really, only because, you know, I’m in such-- this crazy world of--  I feel it when I listen to the radio, I feel it when I watch the TV. But when I’m walking around, it’s not-- You know, the Mexican-American community is so strong in L.A., and they’re so empowered. And I went for “Vote for a Latino,” I went to one of the schools, one of the UC schools. And there’s all these kids who don’t have-- they’re not citizens. They’re saying, “I’m illegal. I’m illegal.”

HINOJOSA: Generation illegal.

ORTIZ:  Yeah, but they’re in school, and they are working so hard, and they’re so proud. And it was a Friday night, Friday night like eight o’clock at night. And these kids, you know, I think of college kids, they’re going to be out, like, partying-- no. These kids piled in, it was so exciting. All these Latino kids just piled into this room, wanting to talk about the vote, wanting to talk about their representation in the Senate and in the Congress, and what they can do, and what their dreams are, and how they’re handling it. So to me, it’s present, but it’s kind of exciting, because I really feel like these kids have a voice, that they’re not afraid to shout from the rooftops.

HINOJOSA: Which kind of brings me back to your family, because you grew up in New York. But your dad was one of the first Puerto Rican city councilmen in Philadelphia. Politics, a kind of social awareness as a Latino, as a Puerto Rican, very real for your family?

ORTIZ:  Hugely real. You know, I wonder-- I feel like you can’t really be Puerto Rican and not be political. And I think the same holds true for Mexicano and Cubans, because it’s like you're sort of forced into it by the nature of your homeland, you know. It’s we’re a commonwealth. And there’s so many Puerto Ricans who are, you know, really wanting independence. And then there are very many who are very happy with the status quo. But it’s constantly talked about on the island, constantly. It’s in the newspaper, it’s been present in my life since I’ve been a very, very small child. And my mother, too, is hugely political. She’s much more civic-minded. She’s the kind of person, though, who has to take action. She runs a soup kitchen at our church. You know, she’s like “Don’t talk about it, just do it.”

HINOJOSA: So your son on the show, an amazing actor, again, another issue that Ugly Betty brings up, in a way that-- I got to tell you, the one problem was, with the sex-change operation, that I have to suddenly talk about this with my kids, because they’re, you know, nine and twelve.

ORTIZ:  Right.

HINOJOSA: Everything else I’m cool with. And I’m like “Oh my God.”

ORTIZ:  Tony always says that. Tony’s like “I don’t know. Where are we going with this? A sex change?”

HINOJOSA: I mean just like this one is the difficult-- Everything else-- But that issue of identity, I mean you guys take on the issue of identity from every aspect, but sexual identity. And the show where your son decides that he’s got to become a macho--

ORTIZ:  Yeah, yeah, that was an incredible time. He’s… (LONG pause).He’s  such a genius little guy, and he’s so--

HINOJOSA: He’s an amazing--

ORTIZ:  He’s amazing.

HINOJOSA: Well how old is he?

ORTIZ:  Thirteen-- he just turned 13.

HINOJOSA: So you must be looking at him like “Wow. If I thought I was something, here’s this 13-- He can dance, he’s got the whole Broadway thing”--

ORTIZ:  -- Sings his butt off. He’s just-- He’s really-- And he’s so smart, he’s still getting straight A’s in school.

HINOJOSA: Oh my God, he’s still in school?

ORTIZ:  Oh yeah, oh, for sure. He’s still getting, like, great grades. His parents are really-- You know, they are like, just these really wonderful people, who keep him really level-headed, you know. So it’s great. As soon as he starts to, sort of, like, get--

HINOJOSA: -- which is what happens in your family, too?

ORTIZ:  All the time. Don’t become an actress. I feel like such an actress right now. But yeah, I think what was so exciting, too, again, when we’re dealing with Justin, with my son, it’s we’re not, like, putting a label on it. We’re not saying “This is what’s happening right now. It’s like “Here’s a well-adjusted, happy kid, who likes himself. It’s a miracle, in and of itself.”

HINOJOSA: And you, as the mom, which I think is so important, especially because there’s a perception, I think, that many Latina moms would not want their son to be effeminate in any way. And you, as a mom in this show, consistently, “Mi hijito, you’re doing great. Go for it.”

ORTIZ:“I’m proud of you,” absolutely, like “whatever you do, I support you,” you know. And I think that Silvio, again, is sort of-- you know, he’s really, sort of, speaking through these characters, you know. And I think he’s doing a remarkable job. And yeah, I think that’s the message you want to give right now, because you’re right-- Times are so divisive, and everybody’s so-- just everybody has to be put in this little category of what they are. You have to be this, and you have to fill out this idea of what I think you are. And I just think Break it. It’s done with that.

HINOJOSA: Interestingly enough, the show is about a Mexican family in New York. When I got to New York in 1979, there were, like, three Mexicans in New York.

ORTIZ:  I know.

HINOJOSA: Now, of course, there are, like, 300,000, anywhere--  you know, almost half a million. But interestingly enough, there are no Mexican actors, right?

ORTIZ: Not one of us!

HINOJOSA: I mean you’re Puerto Rican, Tony Plana is Cuban, America is Honduranian from Honduras.

ORTIZ:  And little Mark, little Justin-- his name is Mark-- he’s Puerto Rican and Italian.

HINOJOSA: And then, of course, Mark in the show is-- what is it--  one-quarter--

ORTIZ:  Yeah--

HINOJOSA: He’s like three-quarters Italian, and one-eighth Puerto Rican or something like that. But has there been any issue around that, you know, the fact that--

ORTIZ:  Well it’s so funny that you mentioned that. I have to tell you, like the whole first season-- the whole first half of the first season, we didn’t know what we were. Because I remember auditioning. It was never specified what type of Latino we were, it didn’t ever say. So I knew, going into the audition, well this is a New York family. So I’m from New York. I’m just going to, sort of, do my family.

HINOJOSA: Because it’s interesting, you are a Mexican-Puerto Rican, you know what I’m saying? But I know people like that. There’s a generation, now, of young--  

ORTIZ:  Sure. And if you grow up-- You know, I have to validate it by saying “Well she grew up in New York. She grew up around Puerto Ricans and Dominicanos and so that’s how she’s going to speak. But in all fairness, we didn’t know, until halfway through the first season, like, what we were. Then we knew “Oh, well, you know, our mom’s Mexican. Is our dad Mexican? Is he going to be Cuban? Are they going to mix it up?” Because it’s a novella, sort of anything goes, and you can really push the envelope. So now that we know, we’re like “Oh, wow.” And I remember Rita Moreno came on the show to play our aunt. It was like one of the most exciting moments of my life.

HINOJOSA: That was sweet, yes, that’s right.

ORTIZ:  And I remember her turning to us, and she says “You sound so Puerto Rican.” And I was like “I know!” [laughter]

HINOJOSA: So what happens now? I mean there’s--  The world of Hollywood is that there is a high point, but that means that there will always be something that comes down. What’s going on for you, as you think about what--  I mean I wonder if you, now-- there’s a box around you, you know. I mean you’re the serious actress. But now you almost have to-- How much of a challenge will it be to break out of Hilda?

ORTIZ:  It’s a huge challenge. It’s something that I kind of worry about sometimes. It’s like such a curse and a blessing. You know, it’s such a blessing to have this character, but she’s so, sort of-- she’s very specific, and she’s very-- she’s larger than life. And people just sort of assume that that’s who you are. And my mother always says-

HINOJOSA: But even in Hollywood, when you’ve got people--

ORTIZ:  -- Oh my God, even more so--

HINOJOSA: I mean they’re like they deal with actors all the time. The fact that they would assume that that’s you--

ORTIZ:  And I don’t know if even an assumption, but it’s like “This is what she does.” I don’t even know if it’s, like, assumed that’s who you are, but that’s what you do. That’s your thing. That’s your niche. Again, it’s like that’s the box we’re putting you in. You are, you know, the spicy, streety Latina, you know. And so, you know, that’s why you do theater, that’s why you stay in class, because it’s like when that opportunity comes up, that I know it will, to play a character that’s completely different, I’m going to be prepared. I’m going to be ready to really-- [simultaneous conversation]

HINOJOSA: You don’t assume that the doors are going to open for you, just because-

ORTIZ:  No, no, no. I think anything worth anything is going to be a fight and a challenge.

HINOJOSA: But there’s always an assumption that, you know, once you’ve made it in television, and you’re on this hit show, the doors are going to fly open.

ORTIZ:  And, I mean, I think there’s definitely a truth to that. I definitely have more opportunities now than I have ever had in my life.

HINOJOSA: And you’re on the red carpet.

ORTIZ:  And I’m on the red carpet. I mean, like, all those crazy perks, yeah. And I get to meet wonderful, exciting women like you. And, you know, it’s a wonderful opportunity. And it’s just a question of me focusing and making sure that the projects that I pick aren’t Hilda again, you know. Because I’ve gotten offered a lot of Hilda roles, and it’s just a question of respectfully saying “No thank you. I’m going to try to do something else.”

HINOJOSA: So what’s the role in your life? Okay, you’ve made it to here. It’s amazing. But what would be the one role that you’re saying “Okay, no one expects this from me”? What would that be?

ORTIZ:  I would love to do a period piece. I would love to do something where I get to be in the corsets and the dresses, you know.

HINOJOSA: And not necessarily a Latina?

ORTIZ:  Not necessarily, but, I mean, we certainly were around.

HINOJOSA: We were there, yeah.

ORTIZ:  You know, we were certainly there. You know, there’s the Queen of Spain, and the princesses, and all of that kind of thing. And I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t make a Shakespeare film, and do, you know, Romeo and Juliet with a Latina-- or not that I would be Juliet, but you understand my point?

HINOJOSA: I could see that.

ORTIZ:  I’m a little past the prime of that. But yeah--

HINOJOSA: Girl, you look good.

ORTIZ:  Thank you. But yeah, I mean it’s something-- I would love to do that. And I would also love to do a musical film. Like to me, that would be--

HINOJOSA: Because we don’t really get a chance to see you sing and dance.

ORTIZ:  No, and it’s, like, my first love. And so I think I would love that opportunity.

HINOJOSA: Does that mean that you’re going to have to start producing your own things? Is that where Ana Ortiz needs to go?

ORTIZ:  I guess. And that, you know, I’m not easily intimidated, but that terrifies me. To be a producer is something I don’t-- I just-- I don’t even know where to start. I’ve always just been a creative person. So to be, sort of, more of a business side would be a whole new venture for me. But, you know--

HINOJOSA: It’s possible. Well then we’ll expect to see the Ana Ortiz Production Company opening up soon. We’ll be there. Thank you so much. Congratulations on all your great, great fortune.

ORTIZ:  This is such a thrill. Thank you.

HINOJOSA: Thank you.

END