Dania Ramirez has been making television screens a lot sexier for quite some time now with roles in fan favorites like The Sopranos and Entourage. She currently has a leading role on the TV drama Devious Maids. Her big break came when she appeared in a Jay Z music video 15 years ago and she has never looked back. Dania has made an impact on the big screen with roles in several high profile films; she most recently appeared with Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the movie thriller Premium Rush.
Her current gig: Devious Maids… I think it’s groundbreaking…you have five Latina women in lead roles…it’s different than anything I have ever seen. It’s really exciting to be a part of it. When I read the script…the story of struggle… the story of building a better future for your family; it was something I related to. I was born in the Dominican Republic…I feel like I am sort of telling my mother’s story. What she has learned from working on successful television programs… You need good characters…characters people can relate to. All the shows I have been a part of have been grounded in something real. No matter how fantastical they can get, as long as you have a human side you will always have a successful show. The conflicts have to feel real and the stories have to feel real. As long as you have main characters that people can relate to, you will have a successful program.
Landing a Jay Z video… That was the first time I was on camera. That Jay Z video for me—I thought it was acting at the time. I look back now and think ‘it’s just a video.’ For someone who never did anything like that before, who suddenly is given direction and in front of a camera, it felt like an acting job. I have learned from everything I have done. I have always tried to enjoy everything. What she enjoys doing in her free time… I love to cook; it’s my favorite thing. I feel like it’s therapeutic. I love it. The art of making something and having someone eat it; I love it. I want to have a bed and breakfast one day. I used to hate it at the beginning. My parents both worked…I had to go straight home from school and cook… eventually I became really good at it. I’m very competitive, the minute I became good at it—I started to love it.
Resized 9.00004 by 11.0 to 9.0 by 10.875 and Adjusted to 98.8% Vertical and 100% Horizontal
117_TSM_Issue4_Full.indd 20
8/8/13 2:24 PM