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One of the last career choices you would expect from an introvert would be to become an actor, but for Tracy Perez, acting proved to be more than just an after school activity, it became a journey.

Born and raised in New York, Perez says she wasn’t exposed to arts in her school and wasn’t aware of all it had to offer. Her venture into acting came as a surprise as she was only interested in the behind-the-scenes aspect. She “didn’t think I would ever be acting.”

However, she was rejected once the director heard her read a Shakespearean monologue. Due to the reading, though, she wanted to cast her in future productions. On the stage, not behind it.

“It wasn’t until I was accepted into a theater program that I considered that maybe it was something I should take seriously,” Perez says.

After pursuing an English major in college, she began working in off-Broadway theater as well as commercials and short films before making the move to Los Angeles.

For Perez, one of the most important factors when it comes to acting is seeking roles that are diverse and help bring social issues to the foreground. This far along in her career, she has done just that.

She says she slowly began to realize that acting provided an outlet to express not only different characters, but also, her voice. As a Latina, she said her voice wasn’t really represented and she wanted to change that.

Perez cites Meryl Streep as her biggest acting inspiration/idol.

““In our community there wasn’t someone like that, and I aspire to take on different roles to be able to see if I can, in a sense, match that,” she shares.

Perhaps best known for her recurring role as the Queen Bee in the hit Hulu series, “East Los High,” Perez plays Vanessa De La Cruz, the vengeful dance captain living with an HIV+ status in the latest season.

The show, which was nominated for a Daytime Emmy in the Outstanding New Approaches Drama Series category, centers around a group of Latino students growing up in East Los Angeles and their triumphs and struggles. East Los High is Hulu’s first series made up of an all-Latino cast.

In the 2013 film An Ornament of Faith, Perez played a gay sociopath. Her acting credits also include the Lionsgate thriller, Devil May Call, in which she portrayed an angst-ridden rebel working at a suicide hotline center. Changing lanes, she joined the indie comedy, The Stockroom.

Perez also took part in the short film, Los. Written by three juvenile inmates facing, or already sentenced to, life in prison.

She has also wrapped the Fe Bandana short teaser of the feature film, The Junkie, which is based on a true story of a young couple who must fight to save a marriage overpowered by addiction.

Of her work, Perez says that the stories not only empower her, but also help her grow into a better person.

To keep up with Perez, visit http://tracyperez.com/ and facebook.com/pages/Tracy-Perez.

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