Empowerment

“On My Block” Star Jessica Marie Garcia’s OMG Moment!

By

YSBnow Editorial Team

Published on October 12, 2015

• Share
• Tweet

Jessica Marie Garcia burst on the scene as the hilarious Willow on Disney Channel’s Liv & Maddie in 2013 before landing her role on Netflix’s hit series On My Block. When she first came to the YSBnow House to talk to us about her character on Liv & Maddie and her journey to Hollywood, we had to ask her if she suffered any embarrassing moments along the way. Her answer was hilarious and relatable!

Watch the exclusive video now.

Jessica also opened us to about the process of auditioning for acting roles while Hollywood has so many stereotypes in place. “The descriptions I would get would be like, ‘rotund or chubby girl’,” Jessica explains. Additionally, Jessica has had to deal with casting directors and colleagues assuming she wouldn’t have the talent to land the parts either. “To be quite honest with you, there’s a lot of auditions people don’t expect me to be good. I go to class, this is my profession, this is something that I aspire to be so I put my all into it.”

Lastly, Jessica reflected on growing up without seeing girls who looked like her on television. Now, she’s helping to pave the way for other young aspiring actresses who watch her onscreen. “I love when I get to see something like Fresh Off The Boat or Black-ish like see these are normal families and I can root for them,” Jessica says. “Growing up, I didn’t see a lot of people who looked like me. I didn’t see a lot of Hispanic actors, a lot of just big, strong, characters who are female and not a tiny little stick.”

Unfortunately, the fourth season of Netflix’s On My Block has been put on hold due to production restrictions from Covid-19, but you can watch the first three season of the show on Netflix now and expect to see the cast back in action very soon.