NYC Actress and Model Ruth Solorzano on Moving Past "The Ugly"
Portrait by Ambe J. Williams
Michelle Jace
Brooklyn born millennial Ruth Solorzano may be most recognized for her modeling work with Ambercrombie & Fitch, but her newest endeavor explores what it means to heal from violence and abuse. Solorzano’s project, Post-Ugly is a new podcast premiering August 1st, 2020.
Ruth resides in NYC today, but she didn’t always live there. She grew up in Northern California as the oldest of three kids in a Dominican and Guatemalan family.
“My Mom had me when she was 16. I learned to cook by the time I was 10 and was making rice and beans on a weekly basis. Spanish was my first language. The earliest house I remember living in was my grandma’s where there were like three other families in and out at any given time”, Solorzano shared about her childhood. “Those were happy memories”.
After earning her B.A. in Theatre Arts, she moved south to Los Angeles where she began her professional career. After a short time in LA, Ruth decided it was time to move back to her hometown Brooklyn.
“My time here in New York has been all kinds of different. My first job was cocktailing at a popular music hall where I made connections and started to build upon the career I wanted. I began modeling and freelancing with a few agencies and worked my way into commercial land.”
Solorzano has booked spots for Calvin Klein, Abercrombie & Fitch, Tru TV, Android, and Samsung to name a few. Ruth is an extremely hard worker. She doesn’t give up and she pushes herself to do and be her best. “By hustling and constantly putting myself out there I finally got my first TV co-star on an episode of “The Blacklist” on NBC last year.” She mentioned how thankful she is for her agency and opportunities that have stemmed from past connections. She has “been able to get into some pretty badass rooms and have been learning from some of the best”.
Solorzano’s hustle and success are undeniable, but her podcast Post-Ugly takes a look at a very different side of her life and how she and other survivors heal from past traumas.
“My biological father was in and out of jail growing up and my mom was always working. My mom got remarried, and we became very religious. My life changed from eating chicken, going to public school, and to baptist church on Sundays to becoming vegan, being homeschooled, and doing church from home because it was too “wicked” out in the real world. I was homeschooled from 8th grade all the way through high school”.
Post-Ugly Logo by J. Brooks Robinson
Post-Ugly chronicles life post-abuse and “broadcasts the voices of survivors” in a docu-series style episodic podcast. “In the podcast, I interview five survivors of abuse, including myself, and we discuss different topics such as relationships, triggers, dreams, and so on. Each season will deal with abuse in some sort of way. I also interview specialists who work with survivors and we discuss the behaviors that can result after being abused. This season we will be discussing child abuse and I interview Dr. Christie Jenkins who is the CEO of The Family and Child Abuse Prevention Center and core faculty at Walden University.”
Ruth, what's next for you?
“Well with the current situation things have changed a bit (Covid19). I’m still auditioning, I’m still training, I’m still hustling. Landing a recurring role on TV is always on my mind”. As far as her dream job goes, Ruth says she wants “to be able to do what I love and get paid a decent wage for it. Also, I’d love to be on HBO.”
Ruth shared a bit about what she hopes is next for the entertainment industry as well.
“I speak fluent Spanish but I also sound like a girl who grew up in Northern California. My identity as a Latinx woman has been something that is constantly evolving as I learn and grow and come into who I am as a person. When it comes to it affecting my career...surprise, it does. I definitely get sent out for Latinx roles for the most part, and the funny thing is when I do, 90% of the time I’m the darkest one there. It’s like “you should be Latinx but you still have to look kinda white.” It’s been something I’ve come to terms with and (hopefully) things are changing to be more inclusive and to have more representation out there but it’s still an issue. “Ethnically ambiguous” is what they like to call me (I don’t know how to feel about that term, I HAVE an ethnicity, two!) but I work very hard to push beyond that and to be seen as a talented young actor.”
Keep an eye out for Ruth Solorzano!