Interview: Katie Barberi Talks Corazon Valiente and Grachi

Interview: Katie Barberi Talks Corazon Valiente and Grachi, Written by: Karen Benardello Sometimes even the hardest-working actresses who have appeared in Hollywood films and television shows since they were children don't always get the name recognition they deserve. This is certainly true with Mexican actress and singer Katie Barberi, who, after being born in the remote town of Saltillo, Coahuila, began her career in stage productions when she was nine-years-old in Nevada. After relocating to Los Angeles as a teen, she quickly proved her talent in numerous American television shows and movies, before making the transition to Latin series. Barberi generously took the time to speak with us over the phone recently about her two current television projects, Telemundo's telanovela, "Corazon Valiente​," and the Nickelodeon Latin American series, "Grachi". The television actress discussed with us, among other things, what attracted her to her roles of Perla Navarro in the record-breaking telanovela and Ursula in the Nicelodeon family show; why she decided to make the transition to telanovelas after starting her career in Hollywood from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s; and why living in several American and Mexican cities before she was 10-years-old helped her in her career. Question (Q): You portray Perla Navarro in Telemundo's telanovela "Corazon Valiente." What was it about the script and the character that convinced you to take on the role? Katie Barberi (KB): You know, I had never worked with this writer before. This was an Argentina writer. I've also done six projects now for Telemundo. It was interesting to me, and a special performance. Every work I've done with Telemundo has been very, very good for me and my career. I love working with them. Telemundo has something very much in their favor, and that is, they take risks. They work with scripts that are originally from European writers and South American writers, and sometimes even Asian writers, which one might think is odd for a telanovela. But the concept of the genre of soap operas and love and affection and pain are universal. Telemundo takes risks, and I've always really appreciated that about their work. I loved the script, and they asked me to do it. I have yet to turn down a project with Telemundo. I think they're an amazing company that does innovative things for the Latin market. I appreciate the projects that they've given me. Q: "Corazon Valiente" is the first 9PM telanovela since 2006 to pass the one million mark in premiere week among adults 18-49. What was the feeling like, knowing that so many people are watching the show? KB: Up until now, I've done 17 telanovelas for the Latin market. If everyone had the recipe for success, they would all be a tremendous success. But we don't. When you do a project, the writers, the directors and the actors all hope for the best, obviously. It's always a shock, in a very good way, when that many people get behind your project. It was very exciting. I'm doing another project for Nickelodeon Latin America, called "Grachi", which is a tremendous success. It's very exciting as well, because it's for children and pre-teens and teenagers. It's exciting to be liked and to have your work appreciated by so many people. It's a thrill. To continue reading this interview, please click here.