Before she started appearing at the top of annual magazine hot lists, Roselyn Sanchez was in Puerto Rico, the youngest of four children. Born in 1973, she left for New York when she was 18 to learn English and to take acting and dancing lessons. She quickly realized how intimidating New York was and recognized how difficult it would be for a Latina to find work. She returned to Puerto Rico to take up marketing classes at the University of Puerto Rico.
As it happened, Kurt Russell and Martin Short were filming “Captain Ron,” and Roselyn managed to land a bit role as an islander. It was during this time when Roselyn won a couple of beauty pageants, gaining international recognition for her exotic beauty. She dropped out of school and returned to New York to appear on the soap “As the World Turns” from 1996 to 1997. A short-lived marriage to Gary Stretch lasted two years, and in 2001, Roselyn was a scene-stealer in “Rush Hour 2.” Roles in “Boat Trip,” “Chasing Papi,” and “Basic” followed. In 2005, Roselyn released her first album, Borinquena. Building her music resume, she often appears in music videos for artists such as Craig David and Fabolous. Steadily and assuredly, Roselyn has been building towards exploding into superstardom – which she hopes is along the lines of Salma Hayek and Jennifer Lopez. Her pet project is a musical about a Puerto Rico girl who comes to New York, dreaming of making it big. Roselyn is making that dream a reality.
Roselyn on the Screen
It all started for Roselyn as Clarise, the Island Girl in “Captain Ron” in 1992. When she moved to New York, she was Pilar Domingo on “As the World Turns” for 23 episodes from 1996 – 1997. Her big screen breakthrough came as Isabella Molina in “Rush Hour 2,” followed by Gabriella in “Boat Trip,” opposite Travolta in “Basic,” and alongside Sofia Vergara and Jaci Velasquez in “Chasing Papi.” She did some TV work for a while as a recurring character on the short-lived “Kojak,” back to movies with “Underclassman,” her first Spanish film “Cayo,” and part of the huge cast of “Edison” in 2005. That same year, Roselyn was added to the cast of CBS’ “Without a Trace” as Elena Delgado. On the big screen recently, she’s Monique Vasquez in The Rock’s “The Game Plan.”
Roselyn Says
On the Big Apple:
“New York doesn’t care who you are or where you came from.”
On Latinos:
“Latinos have come a long way and the roles and opportunities just seem to be improving.”