By Elia Esparza
Andrea is best known for her groundbreaking role in Hulu’s East Los High where she played Jocelyn Reyes, a high school gay student. Fast forward to the present, and now we find her recurring in a superhero world in the role of “adult” Zoe Ramirez in CW’s super popular series Arrow, which just got picked up for Season 8!
A consummate actress, Sixtos tackles each role with serious respect. With her chameleon-like ability to fully inhabit the characters, she always impresses. In other words, Andrea gives it her all to bringing her characters to life on screen.
Arrow Creator and Executive Producer Greg Berlanti’s popular action adventure/crime TV series, Arrow, has been on air since since 2012 and has its own “Arrowverse”. The characters are based on the DC Comics character of Oliver Green/Green Arrow.
Loyal Arrow fans love the series which follows the escapades of Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), a former billionaire businessman and politician, and the aftermath of outing himself as the vigilante Oliver Green. The tale is set in the “Arrowverse, sharing continuity with other television series of the universe.”
Season seven features “Zoe’s” big reveal in episodes 4 and 6. It is 2040, and a grown up “Zoe” (Sixtos), daughter of Rene Ramirez (Rick Gonzalez)“Wild Dog”, is being groomed to become the future Black Canary, a superhero, whose skills have yet to be revealed. Rumors are that she possesses superior martial arts skills, and like her predecessor, is a badass fighter and part of the futuristic Green Arrow’s resistant effort.
We caught up with Andrea to talk about her new exciting role and how she tackles her acting career.
Latin Heat: Who is “Zoe Ramirez”? Give us some backstory on your character.
Andrea Sixtos: Zoe is the daughter of Rene Ramirez aka “Wild Dog” and Laura Ramirez who unfortunately passed away when Zoe was pretty young.
When Zoe was a kid, seeing her dad Rene fight crime, save lives and keep the city safe was truly inspiring to her. She was proud of the work he did and looked up to him. Flash forward 20 years and Rene is now mayor of The Glades, and Star City is no longer his focus and he’s turned somewhat against vigilantism. Meanwhile, Zoe is hiding from him the fact that she’s now a Canary working to help save Star City which inevitably causes distance between them but Zoe won’t give up hope that he’ll one day remember his way.
LH: How does your Zoe’s relationship with her dad remind you of your own?
AS: Well that’s easy, my dad has always been my hero. I’ve always looked up to him and what he stands for. He’s brave. He loves his family and has always fought to keep us safe. Love my papa… and, momma of course [chuckles].
LH: I understand your character’s storyline takes place in the future, can you tell me how her future connects with the show’s current storyline?
AS: My futuristic storyline is set in 2040, which I think is the friggin’ coolest! In the present storyline young Zoe is seen learning how to fight and is always encouraging her dad to be the hero she believes he is. She frequently watches him run off on a new mission with big admiring eyes. She’s also given a canary pin as a gift from Dinah Drake [current day Black Canary], which is a big hint that Zoe would be involved in the vigilante world as an adult.
LH: How physical is your role?
AS: As of right now, my role hasn’t been too physical but I expect the physicality to be amped up in future episodes. I’ve been athletic my entire life, playing sports, kickboxing, always staying fit, so I’ll be ready when the time comes to kick some ass! [Laughs]
LH: What is it about Arrow that appealed to you?
AS: Everything about it! I was excited for the opportunity to audition for a superhero show. I mean, it’s a dream really. I also love the CW and think they make some great content. I’ve always felt I’d fit well in one of their shows and boom! Here I am.
LH: How many callbacks did you get and how did you learn you had booked the gig?
AS: I had two callbacks for the role and I found out I booked it when my agents and manager, called me saying ‘I hope you got your passport!’ It was a VERY exciting moment for us all.
LH: What is most challenging in working on a popular TV series?
AS: Well, I am working on a hugely popular show and I’m hoping and praying the OG Arrow fans enjoy watching my character join the team. There’s a lot weighing on how they react to our storyline and that can be a little stressful, but so far so good!
LH: Do you have a favorite action hero or heroine, who is it and why?
AS: I think all superheroes deserve lots of recognition because they all fight crime for the greater good of humanity. But if I had to pick just one I’d have to go with Batwoman. Not only is she insanely badass and sexy, but she only uses skilled martial arts and detective work as her abilities, no superhuman powers which I think is so… so… cool.
LH: Let’s talk about your acting career: When did you start in the business and what has been the most frustrating and most rewarding thus far?
AS: I started acting at the age of 13 and because I basically grew up in the business, it’s always been my way of life. Studying, going to the auditions, booking some, losing most, but I always continued moving forward, never giving up.
Most frustrating thing about it—All the countless hours lost sitting in rush hour traffic on the 101 and 405 freeways going to and from auditions. [Laughs] And, of course not booking those roles that I truly wanted deep down in my core is hard. But something that I’ve learned over the years is that everything happens for a reason. I didn’t book those roles because they weren’t mine to have—they were someone else’s. I’d say to learning that lesson has been very rewarding. I’ve gained tougher skin through the let downs and I know that my job as an artist is to put my best foot forward, soak in the lessons and CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD. What’s mine to have is already in motion and patience is one hell of a virtue.
LH: Do you have a favorite role from past credits? Which one was the most difficult to say goodbye to?
AS: Playing Jocelyn on East Los High was definitely a favorite role of mine that was pretty hard to part with. It was an unforgettable experience that I’m really grateful I had. I learned a lot. I’d say the hardest thing to walk away from was the family we’d created on set. Luckily, I’m still very close friends with a few of them today.
LH: Any other projects brewing in the near future?
AS: I’ve been lucky enough to be busy working on Arrow these past few months so my schedule has been pretty tight but I’m looking forward to jumping into something new as soon as the chance arises!
Thank you, Andrea Sixtos!
Andrea Sixtos is repped by Momentum Talent and Literary Agency; Nelson Management; and Cunningham Escott Slevin & Doherty (CESD) Commercial Talent Agent.
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Arrow
Mondays (8:00-9:00 PM) on The CW
Berlanti Productions, Warner Bros. TV, and DC Entertainment.
Showrunner: Beth Schwartz
Principal Cast: Stephen Amell, David Ramsey, Emily Bett Rickards, Echo Kellum, Rick Gonzalez, Juliana Harkavy, Katie Cassidy Rogers, Kirk Acevedo.