Actress

Maybe it's my age, but I know I look good, so I'm not going to look like another person suddenly because I don't have makeup on - same hair, same person.

I knew what my scripts would say before I opened them: 'Enter Conchita.' I played handmaidens, Indian squaws, and Mexican dancers.

Women over 30 are usually somebody's mother in a 'Porky's' movie, being silly and being ridiculed. There's just not a whole lot for them to do. It's just coffee-pouring on a bigger scale.

You can never fight for a part or can't beg them to do another audition. You can try, but that rarely works.

When I was girl, you could still get certain jobs if you didn't have a diploma.

I had a very poor image of myself because I believed too much of the people around me when I was very young.

I was dancing for my grandpa from the time I was 4 or 5 years old in Puerto Rico.

I am a very positive and optimistic person.

If I get a hangnail, I don't dare complain! Life is good. I wake up humming.

I'm a person who perseveres. You know, you fall down, you get up.

My mother's feeling about men in general were always a bit of a mystery to me. She had difficulties in Puerto Rico with the men in her life. Her brothers abused her. It's very easy to be judgmental, but more often than not, there are mitigating circumstances, and children are not usually aware of those.

'America' took at least five days of actual filming.

I'm not afraid of color. I like color.

I loved being in the film called 'Carnal Knowledge' - the one with Jack Nicholson, which was very dark but a really brilliant movie. I loved being in 'The Ritz.' 'The Ritz' I think is just hilarious. I just saw it again recently and by God, it's still funny!

I wore so much rubber when I was at MGM, I bumped into the wall once, and I ricocheted.

If you're going to make black movies only about black people, that's as bad as white movies only about white people.

The part of my personality that most irritated my husband, some of our big, big disagreements were when I got what he called 'showbiz.' He meant flamboyant or raucous.

My husband and I were very different: I'm spontaneous and emotional; I'm loud - he was exactly the opposite. But you need to be flexible.

The thing I get the most that I really love is that people don't so much mention films I've been in or shows I've been in as they say, instead, 'I love you. I just love your perseverance.' That really pleases me.

You talk about meant to be - oh my goodness, I have never done anything else in my life except be a performer.