In a 2022 interview with People Chica, Dominican American actress Sandy Tejada said Hollywood still needs more Latin stories—and that change can begin in writers’ rooms. Reflecting on her role as the restaurant hostess who opens the And Just Like That pilot, she described the importance of representing women, Latinas and Afro-Latinas, and urged aspiring actors to persist, research their roles and invest in their craft.
What did Sandy Tejada say about making it in Hollywood as an Afro-Latina?
Tejada’s advice was practical rather than a promise of a shortcut: keep working, stay dedicated, do the research and continue investing effort even when opportunities are scarce. “It takes a lot of hard work, persistence and dedication to do anything despite whatever obstacles come your way,” she told People Chica.
She also described how auditions changed during the pandemic. Actors, she said, had to become “our own production.” Her point was that performers needed to take responsibility for presenting their work, rather than waiting for an opportunity to arrive fully formed: “It’s not going to come to you, you have to go out there and invest.”
Use auditions to develop a character, not guess at casting
Tejada encouraged actors to examine the role and decide how they could bring the character to life instead of focusing only on what they imagine casting wants to see. She said she auditioned many times before landing work and estimated that she might audition 50 to 100 times before getting a role. That range is her personal estimate from the interview, not an industry-wide statistic or a guaranteed path to employment.
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Why did her role in And Just Like That matter to her?
According to the February 2, 2022, People Chica interview, Tejada appeared in the pilot of the Sex and the City reboot as the hostess of a prominent New York restaurant. The article reports that her character opens the pilot. Tejada said that being in that position as an Afro-Latina felt significant because she could represent women and girls, Latinas and Afro-Latinas.
She also recalled encouragement on set from Sarah Jessica Parker and the director. The interview describes what that experience meant to Tejada personally; it does not establish that one role changed Hollywood’s broader casting practices.
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What changes does Tejada want in Latino and Afro-Latino representation?
Tejada said Hollywood was still far from where it should be in representing Latinos. She connected progress to who gets to shape stories, especially in the writers’ room: “We’re nowhere near where we should be, but I feel like it comes from the writer’s room. There are not enough writers writing Latin stories.”
She also cautioned against treating Latino people as a single, uniform group. In her view, stories should reflect differences in appearance and culture. That means both creating more Latin stories and making room for the variety within Latino and Afro-Latino communities, rather than relying on a narrow image of who belongs in those stories.
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How did Tejada describe the experiences that kept her going?
The interview says Tejada grew up in New York City with a single mother who encouraged her and died when Tejada was 14. Tejada credited her mother’s support and values as important to her persistence. These are personal details and reflections reported in the 2022 interview, not a claim that every aspiring actor’s circumstances or route will be the same.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What did the 2022 interview report about her career?
People Chica, in an interview conducted by Karla Montalván and published February 2, 2022, identified Tejada as a Dominican American actress. Alongside her And Just Like That appearance, the article listed The Deuce, FBI and the film Angelfish among her projects. These are credits reported in that article and should be understood as a snapshot from 2022, not a current résumé.
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Read Karla Montalván’s interview with Sandy Tejada in People Chica.
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