Rosie Maria Perez was born on September 6, 1964 in Bushwick, Brooklyn where she was raised in a Catholic orphanage after being abandoned by her mom and taken from her aunt. She made a most memorable screen debut as Spike Lee\u2019s girlfriend, Tina, in Do the Right Thing, and later landed an Oscar-nomination for a nonpareil performance in Fearless. Her many other credits include White Men Can\u2019t Jump, Won\u2019t Back Down and The Counselor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rosie serves as the Artistic Chair of Urban Arts Partnership and sits on the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV\/AIDS. Here, she talks about her career and her autobiography, \u201cHandbook for an Unpredictable Life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kam Williams:<\/strong> Hi Rosie. I\u2019m honored to have this chance to speak with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rosie Perez:<\/strong> Absolutely, Kam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> I really enjoyed the book!<\/p>\n\n\n\n RP:<\/strong> Oh, you\u2019re one of the few journalists who actually read it before speaking to me. That\u2019s wonderful!<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> What inspired you to write your autobiography?<\/p>\n\n\n\n RP:<\/strong> I didn\u2019t really know at first. I kept asking myself, \u201cWhy am I doing this?\u201d because I\u2019m such a private person. Then, one day, the head of programming at my charity, the Urban Arts Partnership, said she was excited that I was writing it, and she hoped I\u2019d be giving copies to the students. My first reaction was \u201cNo,\u201d since the subject-matter was really heavy, and because of some of the language I was using. But she then reminded me that I\u2019d already shared my stories with them, and I almost burst into tears. I realized, \u201cOh my God! That\u2019s why I\u2019m writing it.\u201d Those students had been the first people, outside of my inner circle, to hear my story. It happened when I participated in one of our programs called Life Stories, where we encourage the kids to open up and share so they can understand their lives. One day, I was challenged to share my story with them. That\u2019s where finding the inspiration and strength to write this book began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> I found it very moving, especially since I had no idea about any of it. I just thought of you as that bubbly, talented, attractive actress I\u2019d seen in movies and on talk shows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n RP:<\/strong> And I am that person, but I\u2019m also this one. And the reason I decided to share with the students was because I saw them come into the Academy so burdened by life every day. When you are a low-income, poverty-stricken, Title 1 kid, you have so much to endure just waking up. So, you may have a bad attitude or a chip on your shoulder before you even get to school. You may arrive so anxious, angry, hungry or apathetic that you may say to yourself, \u201cWhy should I pay attention in class?\u201d You might be beaten-up on the way to school, because you live in a bad neighborhood. Still, I had to inform them, especially the seniors, that they didn\u2019t have the luxury of bringing all that baggage into the world which they would be stepping into as adults. I\u2019d say, \u201cYou need to come to terms with it, or let it go. One or the other. And if you can do both, then you\u2019re golden.\u201d If you are unable to get past that baggage, the opportunities that should be yours will not be yours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Well, I applaud you for overcoming so many obstacles. After all, the odds of making it in Hollywood are long enough for someone coming from a privileged background.<\/p>\n\n\n\n RP:<\/strong> I hear you, since the odds were supposedly great. But you know what? I knew I was going to be successful from day one. From day one. That\u2019s why it throws me whenever someone says it was such a fluke that I was successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> The Judyth Piazza question: What key quality do you believe all successful people share?<\/p>\n\n\n\n RP:<\/strong> I would say tenacity and perseverance. You have to be like a dog with a bone. You can\u2019t just let it go. And number one is belief. You have to believe in yourself. You need to have the audacity to be great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> The Harriet Pakula-Teweles question: With so many classic films being redone, is there a remake you\u2019d like to star in?<\/p>\n\n\n\n RP:<\/strong> Wow! No one\u2019s ever asked me that question. I wouldn\u2019t try it, but the only one that popped into my head is A Woman Under the Influence, the John Cassavetes film starring his wife Gena Rowlands. Her depiction of mental illness frightened me. Her performance shocked me, because it was so simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?<\/p>\n\n\n\n RP:<\/strong> No, I can\u2019t think of anything, although that question is probably out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> When you look in the mirror, what do you see?<\/p>\n\n\n\n RP:<\/strong> Me! I see me, and the reality of me gets clearer as I get older, and I\u2019m loving it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?<\/p>\n\n\n\n RP:<\/strong> The crib, the peach bedspread, and the French doors at my aunt\u2019s house when I was 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> What is your favorite dish to cook?<\/p>\n\n\n\n RP:<\/strong> Pollo guisado, it\u2019s a Puerto Rican-style chicken stew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> The Uduak Oduok question: Who is your favorite clothes designer?<\/p>\n\n\n\n RP:<\/strong> Oh, I don\u2019t have a favorite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> The Mike Pittman question: What was your best career decision?<\/p>\n\n\n\n RP:<\/strong> To go to college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?<\/p>\n\n\n\n RP: \u201c<\/strong>White Girls\u201d by Hilton Als. Blown away! http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/1936365812\/ref=nosim\/thslfofire-20<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n