NYWIFT Blog

By Ana Juanola

Welcome to NYWIFT, Rosa Arredondo!

Rosa Arredondo is a multi-hyphenate native New Yorker. 

Most recently, she originated the role of John Leguizamo’s sister in The Public Theater’s premiere of his original play The Other Americans. 

Other credits include: two seasons as Francey Jones, on CBS’s So Help Me Todd, opposite Marcia Gay Harden, as well as four seasons as Sheriff Valenti, on The WB’s Roswell New Mexico. Other television credits include Mare of Easttown, opposite Kate Winslet; Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us; Blue Bloods; The Equalizer; Blindspot; The Blacklist; and The Good Wife, to name a few. She has also enjoyed recurring roles on Ordinary Joe, Gone, opposite Chris Noth; and Quantico, opposite Blair Underwood.  

Her film credits include Academy Award Winner Still Alice, opposite Julianne Moore; The Secret Art of Human Flight, which received a Best Feature nomination at The Tribeca Festival; and Tribeca Festival pick Baby Girl by award-winning director Macdara Vallely.

Rosa Arredondo founded Seven Sister Productions to provide a platform for stories from the female perspective. She wrote, produced, and starred in her solo show I Walked Across the Ocean Floor, which premiered Off-Broadway with Royal Family Productions, and, which received a Best Short nomination at the Female Eye Film Festival in Toronto.   

 

 

Could you give our readers a brief introduction to yourself?

Hello friends! My name is Rosa Arredondo, a multi-hyphenate, native New Yorker, who started her career as a dancer. After being awarded the Alvin Ailey Scholarship, I went on to dance with affiliated companies in the U.S. and throughout Europe. Soon, I transitioned into the acting world and continue to enjoy a career as an actor.  

 

What brought you to NYWIFT?

I had many filmmaker friends who were members and always wanted to become one myself, but procrastination is one of my special skills. Until I attended one of the Latinas Acting Up cafécitos, where I met NYWIFT CEO, Cynthia Lopez, who invited me to an event. I was so moved and impressed with the collaborative spirit that I thought, ‘Jump in!’ 

 

 

What is a lesson you learned the hard way in your career that you wish you’d known earlier?

Wow… I would have to say never forget it is a business. Just showing up and doing a great job, unfortunately, is not enough. You must advocate for yourself. You have to know your worth and you have to nurture relationships. I hate that part. I wish we could just focus on our craft and creativity, but it’s called show business for a reason. 

 

 

As someone working across acting, writing, and producing, how do these roles influence one another? 

I feel that one role definitely influences the other. As an actor, when reading a script, I respect what is on the page. I try not to be one of those actors who always want the writer to change things. I believe that part of my job as an actor is to make what is on the page work. That, I guess, is because as a writer I know I choose my words for very specific reasons. The way something may be phrased, or italicized is intentional.

However, being an actor influences how I approach writing dialogue. I ask myself, ‘Would anyone actually speak this way?’ I hear my character’s voice, see how they walk, and carry themselves as I am creating them. I strongly believe that my acting influences my writing and vice versa.

However, as a Producer, I learned you have to be willing to let things go. Your precious words, your character choices. You must be willing to collaborate and think of the good of the project.  

 

 

You’ve written and produced a solo show and recently completed your first television pilot. What inspired you to start creating your own work? 

I think most of us actors-turned-writers have the same answer: lack of representation and work for us. I wasn’t thrilled with what I, as a woman, as a woman of color, was getting a chance to audition for and play. I knew I had more to offer.

But honestly, I had always written, even as a teen. I was always told that I was a great storyteller by my friends. I would recount an event with such detail and visuals. I had so many stories I wanted to tell throughout my life. Stories about people I knew, about our communities, about humanity, that I figured why not start writing them? 

 

 

What did developing your first pilot teach you about your voice as a storyteller?  

I realized that I am really drawn to dark characters! No, seriously, I realized that I was good at digging deep into the psyche of a character, to find their inner thoughts, fears, faults. I enjoyed playing the role in my living room to figure out the character better and dive deeper. I realized what I loved most about storytelling is showing each character’s humanity. 

 

 

Looking ahead, what kinds of stories are you most excited to tell?  

Oh! I want to continue writing stories about those we seldom hear about. I want to give a voice to those never heard. Obviously, as a woman, it will always be from a female perspective. Most importantly, I want to create universal stories that represent people of color as whole, three-dimensional characters, stories that open our eyes and minds, stories that stay with us. 

 

Connect with Rosa on Instagram at @rosaevangyarredondo!

(All photos courtesy of Rosa Arredondo)