Quotes

I wanted to go into art history. Acting fell into my lap when a neighbor took pictures of me and showed them to an agent.

I wanted to be a nun when I was very little. Well, that was until my sister told me that they don't get paid. Then I went off with that idea quickly.

The celebrity world can be so ugly. Everyone seems to have slept with everyone else and it's some sort of strange weird cycle. I don't want to get into that.

I don't go to premieres. I attend film openings I'm in, and that's about it. Fame and celebrity doesn't matter to me. The longevity of my career does.

I have the hugest... overbite. It's so big, my older brothers and sisters used to call me "Bugs". I looked like a bottle opener. But I've never fixed my bite because it's one of the things that makes me me. I used to get teased about the mole on my left cheek. In junior high, the other kids would say, "You've got some chocolate on your face", and I fell for it every time. I said, "The minute I turn 18 I'm going to get that mole removed!". But I'm happy I didn't. My best feature is my big hips. I've got some nice childbearing hips, and I feel very proud of them. When I was younger, I thought they were too big. I wanted to be slimmer. But now I totally embrace them.

I'm obsessed with Keira Knightley. I think that she's just got it down. She takes chances, she's edgy, but she's always a lady. She is so unconventionally beautiful.

I know I walk a fine line between being a respected actor and being what they call a sex symbol. It's a hard one to walk if you want to be known as a real, credible actor. But I've never felt objectified. Nothing you see me do is an accident. I might act like it's an accident, but the opposite is true. I'm incredibly calculated when it comes to my career.

I don't believe in the institution of marriage, for me. If you love somebody and have a commitment that is strong and spiritual, then I just don't think a piece of paper makes any difference. I'm part of that whole school of thought that says when homosexuals can get married, maybe I'll start opening my mind to it.

I feel I'll take on the responsibility of showing the world a whole different kind of Latin woman.

It's fun to be a woman. It's fun to flirt and wear makeup and have boobs.

I grew up right by Glendale Galleria in Los Angeles and I loved the women who spritzed perfume at the makeup counters. When I was in 7th grade, I went to an Estée Lauder counter and the woman asked if I would like a sample - she gave me Knowing. I've loved it and have been wearing it ever since because, in my mind, it smells exactly like a woman should smell. My mother still gives it to me every year for Christmas.

It's Eh-va. But honestly, I just go by Ay-va, because if you don't speak Spanish, my proper name is hard to pronounce.

[on performing nude] I've never had a problem with nudity, but I don't put it out there without a reason. I'm not an exhibitionist. But, honestly, for my art I'll do anything almost. I'll go there.

Every time there's another successful Latin actress, that's just better for everyone involved. Now, I want to see more Asian girls. People ask me if it's difficult being Cuban-American in this industry. I say, "You know what? Not as difficult as it is being an Asian girl." We have so many Asian girls in this country, and they're so not represented up on the screen.

I never quit acting. I wanted to be home with my babies and fortunately my other business ventures allowed me to do that more than acting would. Also, I was not excited about the stereotypical roles being offered to me at the time. Especially after working on the film LOST RIVER -that was a dream project. That's a tough act to follow. What's the point of this post? To shift that narrative. I never quit.

[being nude] I love being naked. I do everything in the nude, even the gardening! We're Cuban, and it's a hot island. Why not go nude?

I was never in love with acting. I don't mean this in a self-deprecating way, but I wasn't a great actress.