Rosie Perez

Rosie Perez was born in Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York City and was the daughter of Lydia Perez and Ismael Serrano who was a merchant marine. She is of Puerto Rican descent. Rosie was a student at Grover Cleveland High School in Ridgewood, Queens, New York She then went on to enroll in Los Angeles City College in Los Angeles, California. Rosie Perez was in her second year at college and was about to relocate back to New York from Los Angeles. Her departure was a party by her friends. She accepted Spike Lee's offer to join his 1989 film Do the Right Thing (1989). It was her first major acting part. Then she was nominated to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Carla Rodrigo (Peter Weir’s Fearless, 1993). The Academy Award went to Anna Paquin, for The Piano (1993). At the beginning of my career, my Latin community was the one responsible for much of the criticism I received. They would take me out to lunch and say, "Can you go and learn to lower the sound of your voice?". or "Can you be funny and loud when you're on a talk show?" My voice was always a source of criticism. I tried to improve the way I spoke. I tried my best to make a change, but it was my voice that I used to speak. My octaves dropped as I grew up, thanks to God. It's about conquering your fears. It's more about fighting for your rights. Floyd Mayweather could be punched or swung clean across his middle and he'd never hesitate. I know the way he's performing. [Who mentioned Don Cornelius's fascination with her dancing] Don Cornelius was not interested in watching me perform. I was doing hip-hop, which was an entirely different style from Californians. They were ignorant of hip-hop dance, and only had a basic understanding of locking and popping. Don was just like "No, no. You're one of us. I was like, What? It's really bizarre. It was truly bizarre.