Rosie Perez

Rosie Perez was born in Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York City, to Lydia Perez and Ismael Serrano Merchant marine. Rosie is Puerto Rican. Rosie has graduated from Grover Cleveland High School in Ridgewood in Queens, New York. She then enrolled at Los Angeles City College. Rosie Perez, who was in her second year at college was about to move to New York. Her friends had invited her to a party to celebrate. The moment Spike Lee proposed that she work in his movie Do the Right Thing (1989), she accepted. It would be her debut major role in acting. She would later play the role of Carla Rodrigo in Peter Weir's Fearless (1993) which was for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. (She lost to Anna Paquin for The Piano (1993).) In the early years of my career the Latin community was the one responsible for most of the criticism I received. They would take me out to lunch and ask me, "Can I go and learn some lessons so that I can lessen my accent?" Or "Can you be loud and funny when you're on a talk-show?" People gave me so much criticism about my voice, and I even tried. It was my voice I didn't want to change. My octaves slowed as I grew up, I am grateful for that. Boxing is all about taking on your biggest fears. It's about fighting your own. Floyd Mayweather could be punched. A straight shot in the middle of his face. He would not blink. And I understand the way he's performing. (Who spoke about Don Cornelius watching her dance" Don Cornelius did not want to know how I danced . I was performing hip-hop, which was new to people in California. They were ignorant of hip-hop dancing and only was aware of popping and locking. Don was just like "No you don't. You're an attractive girl." I thought"What? It's very bizarre. This is really strange.