Rosie Perez has been killing it on “The View” every morning, tackling the hot topics of the day, with a little Latin spunk thrown in for good measure.
The 50-year-old actress said when they approached her about becoming the first Latina on the all-female panel, she was excited, especially after she was told Whoopi Goldberg was staying on and Rosie O’Donnell would be returning.
“It’s been crazy and fun. It’s such a new arena that I have entered,” she told Fox News Latino on Wednesday.
Perez attributed her successful transition to TV to the two seasoned hosts.
“The only struggle honestly that I’ve had with this show is getting up at the crack of dawn. It’s killing me,” she added.
When asked about the recent rumors of behind-the-scenes tension among the various co-hosts, Perez described it as “insulting.”
“It’s really, really, really insulting because you watch ‘Meet the Press’ or ‘Hardball with Chris Matthews’ or Bill Maher and they have heated debates and that is what they are referred to as – debates,” Perez said. “When we do it’s called a cat fight and it’s only because we’re women.”
She added that at the end of the day they will get emotional because they are “talking about serious subjects” and they will disagree or agree on all of them.
“What you see on TV is real. We aren’t faking it,” Perez said. “We are putting ourselves out there and we are sharing our opinion, but at the end of the day we all love each other and respect each other. And it’s just insulting.”
Perez added: “Everybody is looking for (the cat fights) and any little thing they may hear, it’s blown out of proportion… and as far as I’m concerned, I’m having a good time and I respect these women.”
When she is not debating hot topics on TV, Perez is preparing for her upcoming Broadway run with Larry David’s play “Fish in the Dark.”
She said although she cannot talk about it – at the producer’s request – she can say that it’s really funny.
In the meantime, Perez has teamed up with Pine Sol for its “When Life Stinks, Women Rise Above it” online mentoring campaign. The program, managed by the nonprofit Women Empowerment, matches women from across the country to inspire and help each other.
“I think it’s a fantastic partnership that I am making because there are so many women that have helped me in my life – as a child, as a teenager, and even now as an adult – and I want that for other women as well,” she said.
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