By: Ashmar Mandou
Perhaps it was fated actress Yvonne De La Rosa become a budding star in Hollywood. After all, De La Rosa grew up watching the iconic Hollywood sign glow only a few miles away from her house. Or perhaps it was De La Rosa’s first elementary school production of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” that ignited her interest in acting. “I was chosen to play the baby bear and I cried real tears,” laughed De La Rosa. “The whole class applauded, even my teacher was impressed with my ability to cry real tears. So it’s safe to say I was hooked.”
Whatever the case may be, De La Rosa entered the movie industry with gusto and a keen sense of how she wanted to elevate the Latino community. “Unfortunately, there are far too many times where Latinos are portrayed as one-dimensional characters,” said De La Rosa. “So that’s why it’s extremely important for me to create opportunities for Latinos to play characters that are unique, complex, and interesting.”
Aside from her guest star roles in shows like, “NCIS”, “Weeds”, “King of Queens”, and “How I Met Your Mother”, De La Rosa stared in 2009’s “8 Ways to Say I love My Life and Mean It”, in which she won an Imagen Award for her lead role. But her roles on television and in plays do not amount to the excitement she feels for her latest project. “This really is an exciting time for me,” said De La Rosa. The American-Colombian actress stars on the web series, “Los Americans,” a show that deals with issues and problems that exist within the Latino community in the United States, such as alcoholism, teenage pregnancy, and unemployment. “The point of this series is to break away from how we have been portrayed before. Yes, we are Latinos, but our issues are not unique to us. We all go through the same struggles, same successes.”
“Los Americans” has garnered so much attention that recently it has been nominated for best web series this year at the 27th Annual Imagen Awards, which will be held August 10th at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. De La Rosa was also chosen by the prestigious writers program sponsored by the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) as one of ten screenwriters who will have an opportunity of writing spec scripts for upcoming produced shows for NBC and CBS networks. “This is an incredible time for Latinos to share their stories,” said De La Rosa. “I feel very grateful and fortunate that I have a chance to take control and tell the stories I want to tell;” which is a piece of advice De La Rosa likes to share with the younger generation.
“For anyone wanting to break into this industry, whether it’s acting, writing, producing, I always say get as much education as you can,” said De La Rosa, who received her B.A. in Directing and a Masters in Screenwriting from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). “You can’t go wrong with education.” If you would like to learn more about De La Rosa or “Los Americans,” visit www.yvonnedelarosa.com.
