Josefina López Gets Real About "Real Women Have Curves" and the Tough Road for Latinas in Hollywood

When she was around 12 years old, Josefina López showed one of her stories to a friend. The friend responded by saying that her dog could write better than López. "I remember, at that moment, I came up with a story of a dog that could type. And I remember thinking, 'Oh, maybe she has a literary dog.' And then I started coming up [with] this dog writing novels, and that's how I was able to cope," she tells PS in an exclusive chat.

"Then I showed it to one of my teachers, and he goes, 'You have to learn how to spell before you can be a writer,' because there were all these errors. And then I remember just being really hurt. I was thinking, 'Oh, my God, I should quit writing.' And then there was a part of me that said, 'No, a robot can spell, but no one can write like I can.'"

The creative force behind "Real Women Have Curves" has lots of stories of resilience like this. She's developed a thick skin from dealing with Hollywood and a world that hasn't always seen her value and what she has to offer as a Mexican American woman. While it's become common for white male filmmakers to see a lot of opportunities after a successful Sundance debut, the bar is much higher for Latinas, who remain woefully under-hired in Hollywood despite consistently delivering well-received work at the film festival.

"I've had so many movie deals with so many different networks, so many TV shows, and nothing has happened except for 'Real Women.' I've had 30 years of nothing but rejection," she recalls. "If you were to look at my track record, you would think I was a loser, but the fact that I am still writing, that I'm still creating, and that I'm unstoppable means that I am a winner."

Indeed, López's career is defined by these moments where she sets (and then raises) her own bar for success. She remembers telling her dad that she was going to be an actress when she was around five years old. By high school, she was going for it, acting at school and auditioning for parts.

"I realized soon that in order to be an actress, you had to be thin and beautiful because otherwise, there's no role for you. In a man's world, a Latina is his whore or his maid, but that's it," she says. "I realized, 'Oh, okay, I either have to conform, or I have to walk away, or I have to go make a difference.'"

First, she tried conforming by attempting to lose some weight. She soon realized the cost would be too high. "I was wise enough to know, and I was shown that if I went that route, eventually I would have to give up who I was to be an actor . . . I'm not going to be ashamed." López stopped trying to lose weight, she never anglicized her name or lightened her hair. There were many moments where she thought about giving up but never actually threw in the towel.

"Rather than me selling out on who I am, I'm gonna write the plays that haven't been written, where a chunky girl, a girl like me, gets laid . . . where she gets the guy, she gets to be the hero," López says. "I refuse to be a supporting character in a white man's story. I'm the protagonist. I'm the heroine. Because it takes more courage and strength and resiliency and creativity to be a woman of color than a white man. Everything is set up for a white man to win. Nothing is set up for us to win."

With that rebel spirit, she wrote the play "Real Women Have Curves," drawing on her personal experience. Eventually, she co-wrote the screenplay and endorsed the musical adaptation, which will be on Broadway in 2025. The 2002 film launched the career of America Ferrera, who's gone on to become a household name. Of the film's star, López said, "I am grateful that America Ferrera is out there representing our community, using her platform to inspire Latinas and all women to go for their dreams and to speak up."

Today, López may mostly be known for that story, but she's penned more than a dozen screenplays and even more full-length plays. And her turn to writing isn't the only time she refused to wait for permission. When she couldn't get her other works produced, she founded her own theater company, CASA 0101, out of her Boyle Heights neighborhood. There, she runs workshops and helps develop the next generation of Latine playwrights.

"My romantic notion now is that I would like to be the Gertrude Stein of Chicano, Latino artists," she says, referencing the famous woman who built the careers of a generation of greats, like Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

It's an admirable goal and one of many that exemplify López's commitment to her community. On August 30, her newest play opened up at her theater, giving Latina talent more opportunity to shine. Titled "A Woman Named Gloria," it tells the story of Gloria Molina, who beat the odds by becoming the first Latina to hold not one but four elected offices before passing away of cancer at 74 last year.

Of the forthcoming play's subject, López says, "She's a hero to our community, even though a lot of people don't know what she did," she says. "All these resources — the fact that the Metro comes all the way to East LA, all these things that we take for granted is the work that she did… [Her accomplishments are] important to Chicano history. They're important to Mexican American history, and her story is Mexican American/Chicano history."

López is all about crafting narratives where Latinas are the heroines, and she doesn't want to be the only one. For those looking to follow in her big footprints, she has this piece of advice: Stay humble, declare yourself an artist, and declare yourself a winner. With those three maxims, she knows we can change the world, create life-altering art, and build institutions that serve generations to come. She's been doing it through sheer force of will and shows no signs of slowing down. Josefina López isn't waiting for anyone to give her permission, and neither should you.

Cristina Escobar is a POPSUGAR contributor who writes at the intersection of race, gender, and pop culture. She's the cofounder and editor in chief of LatinaMedia.Co, a digital publication uplifting Latina and gender-nonconforming Latine perspectives in media.