While most actors are pounding the pavement seeking to land just one job in Hollywood, Constance Marie currently holds two. At present she simultaneously juggles roles as wife to George Lopez on the comedian's self-titled ABC sitcom and as liberal legal-aid attorney Nina Gonzalez on the 20th Century Fox/Greenblatt/ Janollari drama American Family, which airs on PBS. All who are familiar with television gigs know this is no simple undertaking. Asked during a recent phone interview with Back Stage West which of the two genres--sitcom or one-hour drama--she prefers, Marie replied, "It's a little difficult because you have to shift gears so drastically. But life is dramatic and comedic at times. Sometimes in the most dramatic situations there is comedy. And good comedy comes from a sense of reality. So it's not just timing and jokes, which is very important, but if you have the connection to the character and the reality of the circumstances, then it's grounded. I like them both. And if they pay me, I'll do them both."
Indeed, Marie welcomes the chance to overextend her professional self: "I just remember all those days in the unemployment line, stressed out over when my next job was coming. I learned that when you got it, fucking go for it. You have to, because work begets work, and the thing I learned is no matter how good an actor you are, there is going to be downtime. There just will be."
Marie started working as a teenager when she was selected out of 500 hopefuls to dance in David Bowie's Glass Spider Tour. Subsequently a choreographer liked her dance moves and had an interest in Marie for an upcoming TV pilot.
"The choreographer was Kenny Ortega, and they were going to do a TV series of Dirty Dancing. They needed someone to play the Cynthia Rhodes part. They decided to go ethnic, so they asked me to audition," recalled Marie. "I had no previous acting experience. Actually I failed drama in high school because of nerves. I wasn't able to memorize the words. I had complete stage fright. I was great when we did all the physical stuff, but when it came to the words I freaked out. Consequently I didn't pass. [During the audition for Dirty Dancing] I didn't really experience the panic I went through in high school because I'd been onstage and done a few movies and videos as a dancer. I had a certain amount of confidence now. I went in, read, and basically went with my instincts. I just did what I do naturally."
Marie's instincts served her well. She took her transition from dancer to actor in stride and put herself to the test of becoming a sitcom performer. "It was pretty much on-the-job training kind of thing where I had to learn how to hit my mark. I was like, OK, What's a mark?"
After Dirty Dancing came a long-term stint on the soap opera Santa Barbara. It was time for Marie to enroll in acting classes. "I thought, I should really know what I'm doing; maybe I should take some classes. To me class is actually worse than working because in class they can bust you. They'll go for your weak spots and make you grow. It was really great. I enrolled in Larry Moss' class. Because I was terrified in the class situation, I literally spent the first year just listening and learning."
Over time Marie has clearly become more comfortable with her craft, as evident in her numerous appearances on television (For Your Love, Early Edition, Dancing in September) and in feature films (Mi Familia, Selena, Tortilla Soup).
An actor who has achieved much success, Marie nevertheless remains humble and appreciative of her accomplishments. Maybe it's because she learned early on that an actor's life is more than just getting the job.
"There were some jobs I wanted that weren't necessarily right for me at the time. The ones I thought I'd never get, I got. As long as I am doing the best work I can possibly do at any given time, I can't do any better than that. I don't think anybody can. I really try to get my mind around being happy where I'm at because I hate that whole tortured-artist thing. It's great when you're younger, but as I get older I want to have a balanced life. I want to feel good about what I do."
Marie is getting a lot of chances to feel good.