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If you sawMan On A Ledge last weekend, then you were also lucky enough to get a first look at Hollywood's next obsession: Genesis Rodriguez. The 24 year-old Venezuelan/Cuban actress made her American big screen debut in the film as Angie, who attempts to rob a millionaire with her boyfriend to prove a man's innocence. Fortunately, her filmography doesn't end there. Just click on to learn more about the Miami-native poised to capture the attention of film lovers everywhere.
Casa De Mi Padre
10. She has a leading role opposite Will Ferrell in Casa de Mi Padre.
If people aren't talking about her now, they won't be able to help it when Will Ferrell's highly-anticipated "overly dramatic telenovela," Casa De Mi Padre, comes out on March 16th. The ambitious Spanish-language American comedy tells the story of Armando Alvarez (Ferrell), who wants to save his father's ranch alongside his brother Raul (Diego Luna), yet ends up falling for his fiance, Sonia, (Rodriguez). In the midst of it all, he gets caught up in a war with a Mexican drug lord (Gael Garcia Bernal).
Prisionera
9. Her big break was a starring role in Prisionera.
Genesis Rodriguez is a superstar among the Telemundo audience. Her introduction to that world came in 2004, with a starring role in the would-be hit, Prisionera. Rodriguez played Libertad Salvatierra Santos, the estranged daughter of the telenovela's main heroine, Guadalupe Santos (Gabriela Spanic), an escaped prisoner trying to rebuild her life after being wrongfully held in jail for 30 years.
Daughter of El Puma
8. She's the daughter of Venezuelan entertainter Jose Luis Rodriguez, a.k.a. "El Puma."
Rodriguez's natural inclination to Spanish-speaking soap operas is pretty self-explanatory when you realize her father is El Puma, a Venezuelan actor and singer who has released many international hits and starred in a number of acclaimed telenovelas. Her half-sisters are no stranger to the small screen either. Liliana and Lilibeth Rodríguez Morillo are both soap opera actresses.
What To Expect
7. She has a supporting role in the upcoming What to Expect When You're Expecting.
As if the cast of the Kirk Jones comedy couldn't get any hotter, Rodriguez was offered the supporting role of Ava, the roommate of pretty pregnant woman #5, Rosie (Anna Kendrick). Rounding out the list of actresses "expecting" in this film are Brooklyn Decker, Cameron Diaz, Elizabeth Banks and Jennifer Lopez. To watch these women and their dudes "suffer the joys of the childbirth process," catch it in theaters May 11th.
Dame Chocolate
6. She gained recognition with Dame Chocolate.
After wrapping up her role in Prisionera, Rodriguez took leading role in Dame Chocolate, a highly successful limited-run serial that aired in 2007. The Telemundo series followed Rodriguez as Rosita Amado, an unlucky-in-love woman who leaves rural Mexico to work in the chocolate business in Miami. In true telenovela fashion, she meets a dashing chocolatier played by Carlos Ponce, her co-star who would also briefly become her real-life boyfriend. The stars of the series were even invited to become special guests in the Top Chef: Miami episode, "Latin Lunch."
Man on A Ledge
5. On her lingerie scene in Man On A Ledge: "It's just a body. It just happens to be mine."
If you haven't already written off the Sam Worthington starrer, Man On A Ledge, Rodriguez gives you at least one solid reason to watch it: a random changing scene in the middle of a heist that leaves your memory imprinted with the image above. During an interview with Joblo, Rodriguez downplayed the hype around the scene like all ridiculously hot girls should do to make us love them even more for being humble.
Dona Barbara
4. She starred in Dona Barbara.
In the 2009 soap opera adaptation of the Romolo Gallegos novel of the same name, Rodriguez yet again plays the unwanted daughter, Marisela, of the series' main heroine, Barbara Guaimaran. The story follows the tragic titular character, who sets out for revenge against the men who abused her as a child and killed her father. She also seeks to reconnect with her daughter, a plan which is complicated by the fact that they fall for the same man, Santos (Christian Meier). Rodriguez and Meier would briefly take their romance off-screen.
Entourage
3. Her first non-telenovela role was on Entourage.
Fans of Entourage who kept up with the show through the seventh season might recognize Rodriguez. She played Sarah, one of Turtle's drivers in his failed hot chick limousine service, "LimHos." While this was not Rodriguez's first foray into English-speaking roles—she had a brief stint on the American soap opera Days of Our Lives—it was her first mainstream, non-dramatic role.
Natalie Portman
2. She wants to emulate Natalie Portman.
In a "twitterview" with Latin Gossip, @ElGossiper asked @GeniRodriguez to name a celebrity she admired. The actress tweeted back, "Natalie Portman. Shes accomplished a lot @a young age. Shes a positive influence. A career I would love 2 emulate." If all goes according to Rodriguez's plan, count on seeing her on the red carpet at prestigious award shows within the next few years.
Last Stand
1. She's filming alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Last Stand.
Adding to the awesomely random cast that already includes Arnold Schwarzenegger, Forest Whitaker, Johnny Knoxville, Zach Gilford and Jaimie Alexander, Rodriguez joins the team as an FBI Agent whose partner is played by Rodrigo Santoro. The Kim Jee-woon action-comedy, set for release early next year, follows an inexperienced staff of law officers as they try to stop a wanted drug cartel leader from crossing the Mexican border.
