Actress makes push for Latinas in STEM, sciences | Vida en el Valle

With her role as Ella López in the television show ‘Lucifer’ now in its third season on Fox, Aimee García hopes to continue representing a smart, strong Latina woman in the field of science on television.

“I think it is really, really important to represent Latinas in STEM and Latinas in science,” García said of her character Ella.

García, who had her first official Hollywood break as a series regular in ‘Greetings from Tucson,’ is best known for her role as George López’s niece, Verónica Palmero on ‘The George López Show.’

García was recently featured in the network comedy series ‘Rush Hour.’

About her character Ella, García said “I love her. I love her. I love that she is a smart, strong Latina scientist.”

“She is a woman of faith, she is a woman of science, she isn’t defined by her sexuality, she is not defined by relationships, she is in her own lane, she is not self-conscious, she is funny, she us fun, she is the smartest person in the room, but she stills remembers where she came from,” said García, an established actress of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, who was born and raised in Chicago.

García said her character Ella is also multilingual – speaking not only English and Spanish, but also French.

“I almost think of her like a super hero,” said García. “I just love her positivity, and love how she always wants to hug people and bring them joy.”

García said someone told her recently that her character Ella López was “the only Latina scientist in network TV and I think she should be one of many.”

“But I am so grateful that young Latinas can look at someone como Ella López (like Ella López) and say ‘wow si ella puede ser científica yo también’ (if she can be a scientist I can too).”

“I think is really important to have those kind of positive female role models and I love her,” García said of her character. “I wouldn’t actually change anything about her. She is the best.”

In the third season of ‘Lucifer,’ García said Ella López is going to team up with a lot of other characters.

“We get to learn a little more about her, we also get to meet one of her brothers, she got four brothers, and we get to meet another one of them and kind of learn more about her story, her family,” García said of what viewers can expect this new season. “I really want them to introduce her abuelita, that’s the one who showed her how to pick locks, which I love.”

García said viewers will “learn more about why Ella is the way she is, … We will get to see more dramatic side of Ella, specially when it comes to family and brother.”

In 2007, García was nominated for an ALMA and Imagen Award for best supporting actress in a television series. During the final three seasons of cable’s ‘Dexter,’ García starred opposite Michael C. Hall as Dexter’s endearing babysitter. She also starred on ‘Vegas,’ with Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis.

In 2014, García, who lives in Los Ángeles, starred in the remake of ‘RoboCop,’ alongside Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Keaton. Other feature credits include ‘Private Valentine,’ opposite Jessica Simpson; Adam Sandler’s ‘Spanglish;’ ‘Lies & Alibis,’ starring John Leguizamo; ‘Dirty,’ opposite Cuba Gooding Jr.; ‘Dragon Wars,’ the highest-grossing film in South Korea’s history; and “Go For It!,” in which she starred as ‘Carmen.’