Hey there, welcome to Latina to Latina.

I'm Alicia Menendez, your host and contributing editor at Basel.

Each episode, I'll be talking to Latinas on the rise.

We're going to talk about how they got to where they are, how the way they grew up made them

who they are, and, you know, get inspired to be our best selves.

I'm Latina, but I'm also all different types of things.

Hollywood is so specific when it comes to Latino, and that needs to change.

This episode, I'll be talking to Jackie Cruz, one of the breakout stars of Netflix's, Orange is the New Black.

For six seasons, she's brought Flaka Gonzalez to life.

But she's also been fighting for causes like DACA and recording her first album.

Somehow, in the midst of all of that, Jackie made time to talk with me about her music, her sexuality, and those fiercely Latina gatherings you've seen on Instagram. Let's talk a little bit about Orange's New Black. Yeah. Can you believe it's the sixth season? Mm-mm. No, man. I get tingles. I remember the moment I got the role. I was in a bad relationship at the time, really bad. And he was like,

you were never happy like that with me. I was like, what? This is my dream. You know this.

So starting Orange was hard for me because of my bad relationship. But I had to cut that out. And you know, the moment

I cut that person out of my life, everything started to fall in place. It is so crazy. And that was

the hardest thing for me, the hardest thing I ever had to do. But, like, it made me strong.

In my music, you'll hear it.

There's a song about it.

How much did getting the show play into being ready to break up?

I was hoping that our relationship was going to grow, you know what I mean, from that.

I was finally happy. I was working, you know what i mean from that i was finally happy i was

working you know in a club season one and two as a bottle service waitress people would recognize me

right let's say at one oak right i worked at one oak i worked at lava right i'm still very good friends

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