Eiza González is giving flowers to the Latin pop icons who helped shape her sound, style, and identity.
The 36-year-old actress sat down with Complex’s Mami Tiff in support of new film In the Grey. Near the 19-minute mark in the video linked above, González was asked who she would put on her Mount Rushmore of Latin pop artists.
González’s picks included legendary figures and contemporary stars who influenced both her upbringing in Mexico and her evolving taste in music.
“I have to put Karol G in there. I love Karol G. I love her music. I’m obsessed with her,” she said before adding the late Selena Quintanilla to the lineup.
“I would say for me growing up in Mexico was Paulina Rubio, which if you don't know her, she was like our little Britney Spears of our country," she continued. "That girl's a vibe. She was like in these micro shorts running around with a little booty. And I was like, ‘I wish I had that booty.’ I was wanting to be her so badly."
As she continued, González acknowledged how difficult it was to narrow down her list, noting that there are “so many good mariachi women, too” before rounding out her selection with Becky G.
Elsewhere in the interview, González looked back at her own decision to step away from her Latin pop stardom to build a career in Hollywood.
When asked if she had any regrets about the decision, González answered, “I think so. I also moved to the U.S. at a time where the people that I was watching on screen weren't being allowed to be both."
She continued, “They were like, 'Oh, you're too much of a good singer to be an actor.’ And people were trying, but no one could successfully do both. And now … It's received in a better way where you see someone like Ariana Grande getting nominated for an Oscar, and you're like, ‘Yes, this is amazing.’ Or when I was growing up, you saw people like Justin Timberlake trying to be an actor and a singer, and people were like, ‘No, you're a singer.’
“It was harder for people to be taken seriously in both careers,” she said, “so I felt the moment that I crossed over I had to [make a] sacrifice.”
González has not completely shut the door on her music career, however.
“Now I'm like, ‘Maybe I do a little EP here and there,’” she said.
Watch González’s full interview with Complex up top.
