Growing up with Jennifer Lopez and Salma Hayek – people who were always trying to do something else – I wanted to follow in their footsteps. They gave people a different perspective of how women were supposed to look like and be. – Paula Garces
I did a lot of commercials early on, and I remember the first commercial I ever got was for a product called Funyuns. I had to eat these chips for, like, 12 hours straight. – Paula Garces
The first time I got pregnant, I was a young girl – I was 17 years old. Although I knew right away that I wanted to keep my child, being a pregnant teen was an extremely scary experience for me. Luckily, my family and friends were very supportive and were there for me every step of the way. – Paula Garces
I told everybody that I was going to be an actress in Hollywood one day. People looked at me like I was crazy. – Paula Garces
It’s definitely thrilling to know that you studied for something, and then you went in, and tried to do your best, and then somebody dug what you did. – Paula Garces
Obviously there aren’t enough Latino roles out there – I wish there were more of them – but there’s got to be more in the future. I’m sure there will be more in the future. The public is asking for it. – Paula Garces
I want to make sure that teenage girls know that if you decide to keep your child, you have to get an education. You have to have a plan A, B, and C. Make sure you have a good support system. If all those things are not in place, it’s going to be very, very hard – very, very lonely. – Paula Garces
I think the reason why a lot of the Spanish films do so well, and are so well done, is because the public really respects it and wants it. – Paula Garces
Let’s be honest. The powers that be all of a sudden realize that there’s a lot of money to be made from the Latino market. It all comes down to economics. That’s what’s happening. So what! We’re in style. I mean, that’s silly, but I’m taking full advantage of that. – Paula Garces
When I’m hired just to be an actress, I don’t have to worry about anything else but showing up on set, making sure I know my lines and making sure I know what I’m bringing to the character. When I’m a creator and executive producer, I have to worry about the whole thing. – Paula Garces
Baby names are a big debate in my family. Like true Colombian and Puerto Rican families, everybody and their mother is putting their two cents in – everything from Jose to Francisco to Victorio to Rain has been suggested. – Paula Garces
There were the people that believed in me when I was walking around Spanish Harlem, saying that I was going to be a Hollywood actress. They were like, ‘Yeah, you could do it!’ – Paula Garces
I think the reason why I’m an actress is because I got hooked on the feeling of studying for an audition, going to the audition, and then getting that phone call. – Paula Garces
I’m South American, and growing up in New York, I had the total stereotypical way of thinking of what Texas was about. I’m like, Texas. Big. Cows. Cowboys. Cowboy hats and cowboy boots. And barbeque. – Paula Garces
