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Miami native, Otmara Marrero’s earliest acting role was in the 2015 telemovie “Instant Gratification.” She also appeared in episodes of “Ballers” and “Graceland.” In 2016, she was cast in the drama “My Daughter's Dilemma.” The following year, she joined the cast of the feature film “Miss Arizona.” In the web-hacking TV series “StartUp,” Marrero is Izzy Morales, an Internet expert who joins a group of Miami collaborators caught up in digital currency, dirty money, and a Haitian gang. Thank you for taking the time for this interview. I understand you started out as a dancer for the Florida Marlins. How did you break into acting? Otmara Marrero: I started doing ballet at three. That was my first love. I did that for 15 years until I was a sophomore in high school. I wanted to be cool and be on the dance team. So I auditioned for the team and didn’t make it, but the coach said I should audition for the Florida Marlins and I made that team. I always loved performing but I was really shy and I didn’t have a voice. I thought I was going to dance for the rest of my life but I realized it just wasn’t enough for me. I went back to college, worked at a nightclub, did commercials and that’s when I really found my voice. So I took an iPhone photo of me and submitted it to an agency. I had no experience but I finally landed a part on “Ballers.” Alex A Kecskes: What attracted you to the role of Izzy Morales? Otomara Marrero: She’s a super complex Latina. Originally, when I read the pilot, my first thought was, this role was for a man. I was really intrigued by the writer/creator Ben Ketai. Izzy is from my hometown. So for me to move here and audition, the stars couldn’t have been more aligned. All the technical aspects of the
show and the people attached to it make “StartUp” really great. I auditioned for the role nine times. They put me through the ringer but I get it. They were gambling on me. I didn’t have a name, no one knew who I was.” AK: Did you audition for the role? If so, what was that like? OM: I auditioned for the role nine times. They put me through the ringer but I get it. They were gambling on me. I didn’t have a name, no one knew who I was. I didn’t have a resume. I was green. After my first audition, something felt really right. I did a slow walk from the office to the elevator when I heard Ray (Ricord), one of the executive producers, say, can you come back in for a couple of minutes? They gave me this really long three-page monologue and told me to come back in 10 minutes. So I went back to my car, studied the scene, returned to audition and it felt effortless. After that, I got several callbacks and did a scene with Adam (Brody), who I didn’t recognize. I just started talking to him as if I’d known him forever. I definitely think he thought I was a little crazy. AK: Izzy is this super smart Internet tech genius. Did you have to bring yourself up to speed on all the tech-speak? OM: I’m so tech illiterate. My iPhone is like IOS6 or something. I barely use the computer. We’re really fortunate to have people from Silicon Valley. During the first season, I met with a girl who was a professional coder. She kind of taught me the basics. And once you know the basic lingo, you can kind of navigate through and it all begins to make sense. “What Izzy and I have in common is our ambition. She has her eye on the prize. We’re both very driven by our dreams.”
HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY • 31