HOLA! Naz Perez was just revealed as one of our 100 Latina Powerhouses for 2022. The Live From E! host, Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango correspondent, co-host of the I Don’t Get It podcast, and founder of Heart Broken anonymous is a force to be reckoned with who aspires to be one of the world’s top interviewers. We had the chance to speak with Perez to learn more about her life and her goals, and it is obvious that Naz is only getting started. See the exclusive interview down below.
What does it mean to you to be a Latina Powerhouse?
I’m Dominican, and I believe that our upbringing has something special to do with the fierceness and grace that we see in Latinas. Latinas have such a tremendous desire to succeed. The majority of us are from modest backgrounds and have long yearned for things that are superior to those we were raised with. Being a Latina powerhouse means being strong, self-assured, ambitious, considerate, graceful, nurturing—and seductive! I believe that Hispanics symbolise and have a special set of skills, and I adore being Latina.
Do you have a certain Latina in mind?
Eva Longoria is a television enthusiast who has made a career out of it. I had never seen a 3D Latina figure on film before (that wasn’t accompanied by other Latinx characters) until she played Gabrielle Solis on Desperate Housewives. There are shows that are expressly targeted at our group, and we have novellas. But Gabrielle Solis, who I thought was the show’s best character, was one of several varied women who appeared on Desperate Housewives. I adored how Gabrielle’s Latinness was depicted by the authors and Eva without being overtly so.
Describe your upbringing and how you got here a little bit.
Although both of my parents are Dominicans and were born in the DR, I was born in Houston, Texas. I was up in South Florida and was quite Catholic because my father was in the Coast Guard when we moved there (as many of us have). My parents are extremely religious to the extent that they named me after Jesus of Nazareth, and I used to serve at the altar. My middle name is Nazareth, and my first name is Jacqueline, which is actually the name of my mother. I frequently make light of the fact that I represent the return of Jesus and that He is a Latina (laughs).
The adage “the poorest family in the richest neighborhood” is well known. Growing up in Boca Raton, I experienced that, and I believe that it had a greater impact on me than I could have imagined. Because of it, I began to adopt particular stories and beliefs about myself. My parents put in a lot of effort to provide my brother and I with the finest life they could. Canca La Piedra is a little village in the Dominican Republic’s countryside where my mother grew up. The Dominican Republic is a highly impoverished nation; I believe 40% of the people there are considered to be poor.
Given that your first generation parents are ardent Catholics, were there any fears or worries you had to go over in order to pursue this career?
The decision to go to Los Angeles was a significant obstacle I had to get beyond in order to pursue my career. My parents lacked the resources to pay for my passage here. Furthermore, they didn’t really want me to do it, and they still dislike the fact that I live so far away. I had to go above my desire to get their approval in order to truly pursue my goals. Throughout my work, I have undoubtedly experienced periods of uncertainty about my ability to make a living.
