Meet Tatiana Ortiz: Actress & Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tatiana Ortiz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tatiana, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I grew up on the north side of Chicago – actual Chicago, inside of the city itself – in one of, if not the most multicultural environments you’ve ever seen. And I am not only referring to racial variety. I attended a very small, private, predominantly white school in an upper middle class neighborhood by day; and spent every other waking hour on a basketball court. By age seven I was part of an inner city all boys (except me) AAU team based out of the low income housing project Cabrini Green. Those boys tuned into my brothers, the coach turned to my father figure, and culturally it was the opposite of my school life. Race was not the only thing that divided the two environments that dominated my developmental years. Interests, style, informal vocabulary, preferred meals and cooking style, you name it. They were pretty much on opposite ends of the spectrum. One environment would laugh me out of the room should I suggest we listen to some pop or alternative song on the radio, in the other you would be considered a dork if you couldn’t sing along to every word. In one environment, it was confidence to the level of arrogance displayed in the form of trash talking and teasing or “roasting,” and a hunger to grind for everything you get; in the other it was humble niceties and generous hospitality. In one I was surrounded by the alpha male where softness was weakness, in the other I got to be a giggly school girl gossiping about crushes. To throw in another plot twist, I have a very Puerto Rican side of my family, so holidays and common weekly gatherings included coquito, loud laughter, dancing, sazon and sofrito, and music taste that happened to be more Frank Sinatra or something you could bachata to. Of all the differences in cultures I was experiencing, one in particular changed the game for me and is the root of the very person I am today. I spent most of my school days with close friends, and while they didn’t ever seem to, I always noticed how much more money they had than me when I would visit their houses or we would go out to eat. I admiringly called them “rich” in my head, only to end the day and head to basketball practice where I was literally affectionately teased for being the “rich” one. It baffled me! I didn’t understand how they could even see me in that light; until I did. That level of exposure to different worldviews did not provide just the surface level lesson to be grateful for what I had. It showed me instead how much your perspective affects your reality, and as a result is what matters most. Once I innately understood that, everything else about me that you see today began to develop. Gradually, the way I maneuvered through these varying environments started to even out as it changed. I have heard of concerns that biracial children often feel like they don’t fit in anywhere and have identity issues, and for me I guess I never did quite match my peers in any of the environments that molded me. But I saw that what was cool in one environment was lame in another- and vice versa -and that completely discredited the entire concept of “cool.” My tastes turned into a combination of everything I was exposed to and I began to own it, so in some ways I was always a bit offbeat with whoever I was currently around: family, friends, brothers. But instead of developing an identity crisis, it made me realize you don’t have to match to fit in. Not only does that make me comfortable with diversity, it makes me comfortable BEING the diversity in deeper ways than the color of my skin. I can sit in a room full of country bumpkins, punk rockers, or people from another country and feel as at ease as if we all matched. Because that is all I know. To me that is life. It always has been. I’ve never matched, but I’ve always fit in.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Since childhood I had an interest in acting, but very early on I excelled and stood out dominantly in sports. Basketball became my main passion until after college, and when I decided to finally pursue acting I thought it would be much easier to transition from modeling to acting than from sports. So I started with just taking pictures. Not even 2 months into a modeling career, I came across a casting call for background of an action movie. Action was the perfect genre for me to start in, and though I had no professional experience I figured I could definitely throw a good punch or pretend to get beat up- or whatever the background role required, so I went for it. Only, the director saw my look and said that he wanted me to come audition for the lead female role, as she was written to be a more athletic tough girl. It was incredibly intimidating having my first audition be for the lead of an independent feature length film, but for some reason I just felt… really good about it the whole way through. Sizing up the other women that were auditioning – as we athletes tend to do – I just felt like I naturally was the character already. It was also one of those things where I was such the underdog, with no real training and no experience, that I wasn’t nervous. It is oddly sometimes scarier to have an easy shot as the last seconds wind down on the clock of a big game than if your throwing up a hail Mary from half court, because nobody is expecting you to make that one- they just hope you do. I felt the same in this situation, and my lack of nerves must have done me right because I got the role. The film was shot years ago and as independent films with a lot of special effects sometimes do, it is just now doing the film festival circuit. And while it seems like a long time to wait – I think it has been 5 years- I have used that time to grow as an actor. I took classes at Second City in Chicago and did short films and other projects to develop a reel. If that movie had come out shortly after we shot it, people would have seen my performance, looked into me, and I’d have had nothing to follow up with but a blank resume. Now, I have an additional short film currently in festivals that is winning awards, I have done ads and music videos and built up a network of incredible talent around me. I even got a few nominations for my parts! It was the beginning of my awareness that I need to trust the process and not question the timing of things. If you do what feels right, what feels GOOD, eventually things will line up as they should. I am developing a brand based around chasing your bliss and letting the chips fall where they belong, and this was just one of the very early examples that confirmed it for me.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I actually have not been here very long at all. I quit my day job, and then moved across country just a few months ago. I am still learning where everything is, so I haven’t decided my favorite spots yet! Right now I am still just so enamored with simple things like the weather, and the landscape. Chicago has extreme temperatures both hot and very cold, and is very flat. As an athlete we would do “hill workouts” on what I now feel like are bumps compared to the mountains on the west coast. Beyond that, I am still looking for places to check out myself, so if anyone has any suggestions go ahead and hit me on the social network or something and let me know! Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My support system is unparalleled! I don’t think I can name people individually because I would accidentally leave someone out, but they absolutely know who they are. I came from a family that believed in me so much there was almost a “what are you waiting for?” vibe in response to any ambition I might voice. Had I said I wanted to study rocket science, my family would have been like “I don’t know why you’re sitting here talking about it, go do it!” and would follow up with whatever resources I needed to start taking the first step. They attended all my games and cheered at my graduations and built my confidence always. Right there with my family are my closest friends, people I never had to wonder about whether they would be there for me if I hit rock bottom or saw dark times, because they have stepped in before it even got that far. They would never let me even struggle if they could help it, and that’s not an assumption or hypothetical. The theory has been tested and confirmed. I am fortunate to experience true loyalty and that has pushed me to heights I would not have reached without it. Finally, Project Education Plus, the Chicago Demons and the boys and girls I grew up playing ball with never ever let me slip up, and pushed me to stay on the positive, productive path that children from Chicago too often stray from. If there is one thing I could never be, it is one of those success stories that start with “They said I wouldn’t make it! now look where I am!” because if one single person is somewhere doubting me now? my support system is cheering WAY too loud for me to even hear it.

Instagram: @ohhh.thattatiana

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ohhhTHATtatiana

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ohhhTHATtatiana and https://www.facebook.com/blissjunkieco-105442421316334

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4NkEKvELBEJ9kjyA57u5iA

Image Credits
pictured: Frankie DePonte Jr., Ryan Harrison, Darryl DeLaney, Mitch Schlagel Photographer credits: Nancy Vela, Deqwan Young, Kedrick Parham (wasn’t sure which kind of credit you were referring to)