(left) photo Courtesy of Telemundo; (right) photo by Trae Patton Courtesy of NBC

NBC’s hit TV show Heroes, already known for its ethnic diversity, has added a little Latin flavor this season in the form of Dania Ramirez as the volatile Maya Herrera. Introduced in the season opener as a Dominican fugitive on the run with her twin brother Alejandro (Shalim Ortiz) and trying to sneak into the United States, Ramirez is relishing the role.

“It is completely different than anything that I’ve done, definitely one of the most well rounded characters that I’ve been able to play,” says Ramirez, whose credits include X-Men: The Last Stand, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and a stint as Blanca Selgado on The Sopranos. “You get a taste of everything with her—a taste of the vulnerability,” Ramirez enthusiastically continues. “She’s religious, and Latina. You get that and you also see her become a strong woman. You see her comfortable in her own skin and owning who she is.”

Maya, according to Ramirez, “is emotional. She loves too much, she fears too much, she feels too much. She is essentially a good person but she has a hard time controlling her abilities.” Maya’s abilities were being kept tightly under wraps at press time, but Ramirez reveals that she would only want a similar power “as long as I could control it all the way, be in complete control. Otherwise no, because it’s intense!”
Although Ramirez hadn’t watched Heroes last season, she caught up before her audition. “They sent me all of season one and I was hooked,” she says. “Now, when I get scripts I try not to read ahead on the other stories because I want to be surprised.”

While the physical demands of the role have required her to step up workouts—she does circuit training with a personal trainer—the Santo Domingo native loves that she’s been able to speak her native Spanish in the role, and she’s also excited about the wide-open parameters of her character.

“One of the reasons that in the past I was fearful of doing television was because I didn’t want to play one note,” Ramirez says. “She’s definitely not one note. I’m really excited and blessed to be a part of not only a successful show, but the cast is amazing. I say that as a fan because I watched all the episodes. The writers are blessing me with amazing stuff. It makes my job a lot easier.” ...