Roberta Colindrez is a Mexican-American actress and writer known for originating the role of Joan in the musical Fun Home and the TV showsI Love Dick and Vida.
Early life
Born in Mexico with Argentinian and Honduran heritage, Colindrez grew up in Houston and Austin in Texas. She first realized she wanted to become an actor when she and her brother took theater class together at age 12. She moved to New York City when starting out as a professional actor.
Career
Colindrez made her off-Broadway debut in 2006, starring in Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind. She appeared in several short films and regional theatre productions after that, and in 2011 she wrote and starred in the film Otis Under Sky. In 2013, she began playing Joan, a "confident young lesbian", in the musical Fun Home off-Broadway. The showclosed in early 2014, and after a cameo in the Academy Award-winning film Birdman, Fun Home opened on Broadway in 2015, where it won 5 Tony Awards and was nominated for 7 more. Colindrez has also made guest appearances on several television series and her performance on I Love Dick as a genderfluid artist was described as "breakout" in an interview with Vanity Fair; showrunnerJill Soloway described Colindrez's performance as "masterful", portraying "a queer cowboy masculinity". In 2019, Colindrez joined the cast of LatinxTV dramaVida as a series regular from the second season. She also does voice acting work, most notably in the podcast Alice Isn't Dead. In 2020, Colindrez joined the cast of Amazon's comedy pilot A League of Their Own. Colindrez also writes for the stage, preferring "dark, heavy, comedic nuance".
Personal life
Colindrez identifies as queer and nearly passed on Vida because she was worried about being typecast, having had problems getting acting work because of her sexuality and gender expression and having previously spoken about Hollywood being "a place where people who are queer will only be seen as queers". She accepted the series regular role after showrunner Tanya Saracho persuaded her that the show is showing that people aren't defined by their sexuality. Colindrez became close friends with Bobbi Salvör Menuez on the set of I Love Dick, which she found helpful when filming a sex scene with Menuez. Menuez gave Colindrez a stick and poke tattoo as a memento of their friendship.
