iPOP Alumni Karrie Martin’s (Pretty Little Liars) new show, Gentefied has become a quick hit for Netflix. The streaming platforms latest bicultural, bilingual focused series has received rave reviews since premiering in February. Executive produced by America Ferrera, Karrie stars as Ana Morales.
The Netflix show is about three Mexican-American cousins living in the predominantly Latino neighborhood of Boyle Heights in L.A. It follows as the three are trying to figure out their own lives, which are intricately intertwined with their grandfather’s taco restaurant. The show hits home as the family struggles to keep the business viable for the slow gentrification of the neighborhood.
In a recent interview for Oprah Magazine, Karrie shared how she went from being a casting assistant for two years to landing the leading role of the show. With the “bits and pieces from every actor I taped and the ones I got to read with,” Karrie found the inner confidence needed to transform into Ana Morales. For Karrie, acting remained a goal. It was after attending iPOP LA, that Karrie got her start in the industry. She then sought to understand the inner workings of TV and Film by spending time in the world of casting.
“Working in casting illuminated the behind the scenes for me, the necessary etiquette to succeed, and the reality that there is so much more to the process than we can even imagine,” Karrie wrote for Backstage. Karrie went on to say that being able to own the room and know that most actors are not “first-takers” helped her to succeed. “It’s saying, ‘I didn’t like that take.’ And then just being like, ‘Can I try this again?’ They’re never going to tell you no,” she said.
This series serves as a major break for Karrie as she appears in all ten episodes of the series. Prior to Genetified, Karrie appeared in Pretty Little Liars, The Arrangement and USA’s The Purge.
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