Jessica Pimentel: Actress By Day, Death Metal Frontwoman By Night
Happy To Be Here
Greta Johnsen
4.6 • 924 Ratings
🗓️ 4 August 2017
⏱️ 26 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Jessica Pimentel, known for her role as Maria Ruiz on Orange Is The New Black, isn’t just an actress. She’s also in a band ... a death metal band. Nerdette’s Tricia Bobeda sat down with Pimentel to talk about what it’s like to lead an alternate life as a death metal frontwoman and how her music, which is heavy and hardcore, is inspired by her Buddhist faith. Pimentel also talks about what it’s like working with one of the most diverse, majority women casts on what she originally referred to as, “that computer show about jail,” and what’s cooking for Maria’s character next season.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I'm Natalie Moore. I fell in love with soap operas when I was just five years old, and I still |
| 0:06.1 | watch them. Their television's longest scripted series and have zero reruns. Now let me tell you, |
| 0:12.7 | soap operas aren't just some silly art form. They are significant. In this season of making, |
| 0:18.0 | Stories Without End from WB EZ Chicago. |
| 0:25.7 | Join me as I share how the genre began, their social impact, and why these stories endure. |
| 0:28.3 | Listen, wherever you get your podcast. |
| 0:34.5 | From WBEZ Chicago, this is Nerdat. |
| 0:35.5 | I'm Tricia Bobita. |
| 0:36.6 | And I'm Greta Johnson. |
| 0:41.2 | Today we are talking with Jessica Pimentel, who plays Maria Ruiz in Orange is the New Black. |
| 0:45.3 | You might remember back in season one, she was the one who was pregnant and actually gave birth in prison. |
| 0:50.5 | We're going to talk with Jessica about what it's like working on one of the most diverse lady-powered sets in Hollywood. But we're also excited to talk with Jessica about something else she's got going on in her life. |
| 1:08.5 | So to be clear, that is Jessica singing, right? That is Jessica Pimentel of Orange is the New Black. |
| 1:12.7 | She is an actress by day, death metal front woman by night. |
| 1:21.7 | So we're going to definitely be talking about your career in death metal a little bit later on. But first, I want to talk about |
| 1:28.8 | what so many people know you from, which is your fantastic role on Orange is the New Black, |
| 1:33.9 | the Netflix show. I've heard that you were a little hesitant when you were first auditioning |
| 1:39.2 | to play this role. Is that right? Yeah, absolutely. I had been an actress for a while, and I had been on a string |
| 1:47.1 | of callbacks for this other show that was going on. They called me back and call me back and call me back |
| 1:53.3 | on this other show, and I kind of envisioned myself already there. Like, I was so close. I thought I |
| 1:59.3 | had it, you know. And throughout this process of this other show auditioning me, I had been going in for several roles on Orange. I'd went in for one or two roles. And I was starting to take the description of the characters personally. One of the character breakdowns was not very pretty, a little bit fat, not very smart. |
| 2:20.8 | And I was like, oh yeah, F you. |
... |
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