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Paola Lázaro

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Paola Lázaro
Born (1988-10-24) 24 October 1988 (age 36)
San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States of America
Other namesPaola Lázaro-Muñoz
Education
Occupations
  • Actress
  • playwright
Years active2014–present

Paola Lázaro (/pao-lah/ born October 24)[1][2] is a Puerto Rican actress, writer, and playwright. She is best known for portraying Juanita "Princess" Sanchez on the AMC apocalyptic drama television series The Walking Dead (2020-2022) and Angela Gomez in the Netflix series Obliterated (2023).

Early life

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Lázaro was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Lázaro later left to study at the State University of New York at Purchase. In 2009, she graduated as a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a degree in dramatic writing.[3] Lázaro completed her Master's Degree in playwriting from Columbia University in 2013.[4] At the end of her final year at Columbia, she was mentored by playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis over the course of the production of her thesis play. Over the years the two have become very close, and Guirgis finds her to be a “kindred spirit,” often referring to Lázaro as his best friend. His presence has heavily influenced both her writing and her career.[5] Following her thesis production with Guirgis, Lázaro also participated in the Emerging Young Writer's Group at the Public Theatre, worked on a summer program with Labyrinth Theatre Company, and received an Arts Entertainment Scholarship Award from the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts.[6]

Career

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After earning her M.F.A., Lázaro was asked to join Atlantic Theatre Company in New York City, as playwright-in-residence for the 2016–2017 season.[7] This selective playwright-in-residency program was created by the Tow Foundation and provides funds to New York City theatre companies to support a playwright's production of a new work, and focused on Lázaro's new play, Tell Hector I Miss Him (2017).[8] The play dramatizes a cast of eccentric characters in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, coping with love, addiction, and fear.[9][10] The Atlantic Theatre Company's production, directed by David Mendizabal, opened January 11, 2017 and was scheduled to close January 23; the run was extended due to popular demand. One reviewer described the play as “Our Town with salsa and cocaine.”[11] Though Lázaro grew up in a neighborhood very different from her characters, she said the play has “a lot of me in it” and parallels her own past experiences with love.[12] Lázaro hopes the play will offer universal themes and characters for Latinos, while also representing the humanity in her characters. As she asks, “where is the love in macho culture, in tradition?”[13]

While Lázaro is dedicated to relating to Latinos everywhere through her playwriting, she has a background as an actress as well. Under the direction of Lisa Peterson, Lázaro performed in Cherry Lane Theatre's recent production of Lisa Ramirez's To the Bone, a play based on interviews Ramirez conducted with Latina immigrant poultry workers.[14] Lázaro played Lupe, daughter of Olga (played by Ramirez), a hip-hopping, skateboarding student of political science and law. Her work on this production is described as played with “vivacious urgency,” and it earned her a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play.[15] In 2017 she was acting in film, playing a sex worker in a drama called Pimp and an undercover officer in the film Scenes from the Underground.

Lázaro is a firm believer that Latinos must “write our own stories and create work for ourselves.”[5]

In 2020, Lázaro was cast as Juanita "Princess" Sanchez on AMC's The Walking Dead.[16]

Personal life

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Lázaro identifies as pansexual.[5]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2016 A Northern Star Mateo's sister Short film; credited as Paola Lazaro-Munoz
2018 Pimp Louisa
2020 Black Bear Cahya

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2016 So, Then Tell Me Sue 2 episodes
2017 Shelter Gloria Unsold pilot
2018 Dichos
2018 Lethal Weapon Luisa "The Gute" Gutierrez 7 episodes
2019 SMILF Itsy 2 episodes
2019 Wu-Tang: An American Saga Tonya Episode: "Assassination Day"
2020–2022 The Walking Dead Juanita "Princess" Sanchez Recurring (Season 10)
Main / Also starring (Season 11)
Nominated - Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actress: Television (Drama)
2023 Obliterated Angela Gomez 8 episodes[17]

References

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  1. ^ "Paola Lazaro Wiki Bio 2021: Age, Birthday, Height, Family, Net Worth, Boyfriend, Walking Dead". Edailybuzz.com. March 30, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  2. ^ Gardner, Elysa (January 19, 2017). "A Playwright Who Puts Her Demons, and Family, to Work". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 25, 2017.
  3. ^ "Playwright has a "hit" at NY's famed Atlantic Theater!". Purchase College. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  4. ^ Schillage, Emma (January 7, 2022). "Alumna Paola Lázaro '13 Receives 2021 Steinberg Playwright Award". Columbia University. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Gardner, Elysa (January 19, 2017). "A Playwright Who Puts Her Demons, and Family, to Work". The New York Times. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  6. ^ "Paola Lazaro-Munoz Receives Residency Through Tow Foundation Grant". Columbia University. February 9, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  7. ^ "PAOLA LÁZARO - Atlantic Theater Company". Atlantic Theater Company. Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  8. ^ Gerard, Jeremy (January 24, 2017). "'Tell Hector I Miss Him' Review: 'Orange Is The New Black' Stars Add Luster To A Fresh New Voice". Deadline. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  9. ^ Stasio, Marilyn (January 24, 2017). "Off Broadway Review: 'Tell Hector I Miss Him'". Variety. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  10. ^ Piepenburg, Erik (January 4, 2017). "Well, You Can't Wear Orange All the Time". The New York Times.
  11. ^ "TELL HECTOR I MISS HIM / Jan 11 — Feb 19, 2017 - Atlantic Theater Company". Atlantic Theater Company. Archived from the original on November 28, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  12. ^ Elysa Gardner, “A Playwright Who Puts Her Demons, and Family, to Work,” The New York Times, January 19, 2017.
  13. ^ “A Playwright Who Puts Her Demons, and Family, to Work.”
  14. ^ Carey Purcell, “Political Drama To The Bone, Inspired by Real-Life Interviews, Opens at Cherry Lane Theatre,” Playbill, September 17, 2014.
  15. ^ Christopher Kompanek, “To the Bone: Theatre Review by Christopher Kompanek,” Timeout, September 19, 2014.
  16. ^ Ross, Dalton (March 29, 2020). "'The Walking Dead' showrunner on the introduction of Princess". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  17. ^ Rajput, Priyanca (August 2, 2022). "Cobra Kai creators filming new series Obliterated in Albuquerque, New Mexico". KFTV.com.
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