Latin Times EXCLUSIVE Interview with
Actress Ivonne Coll, one of the first
Puerto Rican actresses to cross over
from the Latin world to Hollywood.
Latin Times: Ivonne, please tell us about
your family and where you come from?
Ivonne: First I want to say “Saludos
para todo, es mi gente. I am Puerto Rican and my mother was Rosita
Mendoza was a very famous award
winning hair stylist and Platform
Artist back in the 60’s and 70’s. She
was a teacher to new hairstylists and
came out of the mountains of Calle
and at age 9 she got on a bus to the
next town over Caguas and gets off
the bus to get Café in a little Caféteen y un senor le dice, “Que hace una
nina linda esta hora de la mananna
por aqui?” My mother said “Buscando trabajo, Senor” Y el senor le pregunta, “Usted sabes cuidad ninos?”
Mi mama no quieria nada eso” pero
dijo “Si” The man and his wife were
venezulano and owned a beauty salon where my mother began working
and learning about being a Hairstylist at the age of 12. My father didn’t
raise us, my parents got divorced
when I was two years old. So I didn’t
see him after that. We stayed in Puerto Rico and he went to New York. He
was of Catagana y Espanol descent.
In 1988, I had come back home from
filming up in New York, and I ran
into my father at Las Plaza Americas
in Puerto Rico. We established our
relationship and I was able to meet
my brothers who are all wonderful.
Latin
Times:
Tell
us
about
Jane
the
Virgin?
Ivonne: I am currently working on
Jane the Virgin in its third season
where I play Jane’s grandmother
which I am proud to be a part of it.
I am also training with the Director on Jane, shadowing her to learn
because I want to learn producing.
Latin Times: What is your fa-
vorite Latin Food and how do
you like your Cuban Sandwich?
Ivonne: I like Cuban Sandwiches, but what I love is Asopado with
some mofongito a dentro. MMMM.
Latin
Times:
Any
upcoming projects your working on?
Ivonne: I am producing a short film
where I am also acting in. This film is
about an un documented immigrant who
contributed to society woman which is
showing the other face of the coin where
I am not playing an abuela. I am going to put it in the film festivals. It’s a 10
minute short, so let’s see what happens
Latin Times: You love Puerto Rico,
tell us about your Puerto Rico?
Ivonne: I go to Puerto Rico to see my sister and take care of my mother’s house
and fix a lot of things, so I am able to contribute work so that someone can work. I
was going to retire before Jane the Virgin
but, here I am. Puerto Ricans are reinventing themselves and there is a new wave
of Some young farmers that are growing
food and selling it at the farmer’s market.
Another young group that invented growing food without water through compose.
One group invented a way to get electricity to everyone and it would only cost the
government eight cents a day to do it. The
Puerto Ricans that are staying, struggling,
despite the conditions they are patriots of
the Island. Puerto Ricans must reinvest
in Puerto Rico it should be an obligation.
Latin Times: Who in your life has
been your hero and inspiration?
Ivonne: My mother, I go no further, my
hero, my inspiration, and it’s very hard
now that she is gone, because I have to
remind myself she is not here, but she is
my devotion and my Puerto Rico an incredible race of people. Hasta el Aguacate.
This Issue of Latin Times Magazine is sponsored by
Latin Times: What inspired you to
become an Actress
“I was cast in the God
father 2 at age twenty-two,
a singer named Yolanda
from Cuba. When Francis
Coppola came to Puerto Rico to find places for
filming. One day I went
on location and Al Pacino was there. I had never
seen Pacino in my life and
they were doing the scene
where Michael gives Fredo a Sicilian Kiss. When
I saw that scene I said to
myself, “I want to be an
actor.” It inspired me because it was an extraordinary scene. I saw Al Pacino later on at the Actor’s
studio and he remembered me from the Cuban
Scenes in God Father 2
and he said, “Well you’re
in the right place if you’re
here to be an actress.”
Read more at: www.LatinTimesMedia.com
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