The majority of Latin actresses in Hollywood were always playing either spitfires or maids. Now here is a woman who comes in and does leads opposite white people and black people and other Spanish people, and she's comfortable in her skin? Gasp! How dare she?

Rosie Perez

Face dance means you don't know what the hell the rest of your body was doing but your face is fierce. That's face dancing.

Rosie Perez

dancing body mean

Sometimes when you win, you really lose. And sometimes when you lose, you really win. And sometimes when you win or lose, you actually tie. And sometimes when you tie, you actually win or lose. Winning or losing is all one organic mechanism, from which one extracts what one needs.

Rosie Perez

ties winning needs

Own it. Just take it and say, 'Yes I will be great, I am going to be great.' Great doesn't mean being a movie star, great doesn't mean having millions of dollars. Great means being able to be confident, strong, and a solid human being that has dignity and integrity. That is great.

Rosie Perez

stars strong integrity

If we can't look at the good, bad and ugly of who we are, we are never going to progress as people - ever.

Rosie Perez

progress people looks

You can learn steps, but you cannot learn how to boogie.

Rosie Perez

boogie steps

If I see a door comin' my way, I'm knockin' it down. And if I can't knock down the door, I'm sliding through the window.

Rosie Perez

down-and opportunity doors

You know, you may not be born in Puerto Rico, but Puerto Rican is definitely born in you.

Rosie Perez

puerto-rico born may

You never understand how dear your privacy is until you lose it.

Rosie Perez

dear loses privacy

I think I just have this need to be a storyteller. That's why I wasn't a great dancer - I couldn't articulate a story. I was a better choreographer. I have the need to to just express myself in that way. I can't explain it.

Rosie Perez

dancer needs thinking

In movies, you have a production assistant carrying your chair around and getting you coffee. In theater, no one carries your chair, no one gets you your coffee, there's no craft service, there's no per diem. The only thing that is provided for you is coffee, tea, sugar and milk. It doesn't matter how big a star you are or whatever.

Rosie Perez

coffee stars tea

I am a positive person. I never think of the glass as half empty. I just keep pushing forward.

Rosie Perez

pushing-forward glasses thinking

I see explicit covers on magazines, and they're getting even more explicit, and it's like, Are women being empowered, or is this just what sells magazines? Are they feeling pressured, or have they really come into themselves and are saying, 'I am woman, hear me roar?

Rosie Perez

i-am-woman magazines feelings

I did not try to conform to anybody's ideal of what a Latin celebrity or movie star should be. I took a lot of hits for it.

Rosie Perez

stars latin trying

I was very willing to take on controversial roles that people didn't really want to look at.

Rosie Perez

roles people looks

I get bored in Hollywood.

Rosie Perez

hollywood bored

I want to be in shape.

Rosie Perez

shapes want

We all like indie directors - heck, I even married one... but we're divorced now.

Rosie Perez

divorced married directors

I don't call myself Latin, I call myself Puerto Rican.

Rosie Perez

latin

Women of color: if you're over 40 and you get fat, you will work. But if you're hot and over 40 and a woman of color, they don't know what to do with you.

Rosie Perez

fats color hot

A lot of women feel ashamed to be weak.

Rosie Perez

ashamed weak feels