Flaca and Maritza of “OITNB” aren’t the only Latina duo kicking ass on TV these days. Rosa and Amy from the Golden Globe-winning sitcom “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” are a killer comedic duo.
Credit: Brooklyn Nine-Nine / Fox
And the best news? They play razor sharp detectives, not meter maids.
Melissa Fumero plays the innocent, smartypants detective Amy Santiago.
Credit: Brooklyn Nine-Nine / Fox
Stephanie Beatriz is tough-as-nails detective Rosa Diaz.
Credit: Brooklyn Nine-Nine / Fox / Tumblr
That scar over Stephanie’s right eye is from tripping on a lego, but “Rosa” would prefer saying it was from a knife fight.
Together, detectives Diaz and Santiago kick ass.
Credit: Brooklyn Nine-Nine / Fox
Diaz is sarcastic and kind of terrifying.
Credit: Brooklyn Nine-Nine / Fox
Santiago is adorkable.
Credit: Brooklyn Nine-Nine / Fox
And they’ll both crack you up.
Credit: Brooklyn Nine-Nine / Fox
Fumero, born to Cuban parents and raised in New Jersey, says growing up Latina gave her strength.
Credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty
“I think that there’s a quiet strength you’re brought up around when you’re Latin, especially growing up in a Cuban family made of refugees. There definitely was an extreme work ethic — anything less than working really, really hard is unacceptable — and just a general toughness and strength that I learned from the women in my family and my father,” said Fumero to Huffington Post.
Fumero studied drama at NYU. On her last day of class, she got hired on the soap “One Life to Live.”
Credit: One Life To Live / ABC
For four years, she played Adriana Cramer, a naive Puerto Rican girl who aspired to become a fashion designer.
You may also remember Fumero as aspiring minion Zoe on “Gossip Girl.”
Credit: Gossip Girl / CW
Newsflash: She’s currently sporting a baby bump!
Credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty
This detective just got put on diaper duty.
Stephanie Beatriz was born in Argentina to a Bolivian mother and Colombian father.
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She moved to Texas when she was three. Can you say “Tejana boss bitch”?
She got her start in drama as a Shakespearean stage actress.
Credit: @iamstephbeatz / Instagram
He resume includes performances at renowned theaters like Yale Repertory, Old Globe Theatre and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
You may remember her as Sonia, Gloria’s little sister on “Modern Family.”
Credit: Modern Family / ABC
You know, the one who tried to seduce Jay.
Together, Beatriz and Fumero are proud Latinas… and total goofballs.
Credit: @iamstephbeatz / Instagram
Almost as hot and tempting as those fries.
And they’re helping destroy those one-dimensional roles that Latinas have played for decades.
Credit: Ben Gabbe / Getty
Beatriz told Latina magazine they’re excited to bring much-needed diversity to television: “If you look at the landscape of television right now, we are in a really exciting time, with shows like ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine,’ ‘Orange Is the New Black,’ ‘Jane the Virgin,’ and ‘How to Get Away with Murder.’ There are so many different types of people right now on television. The light is coming through the cracks. You can’t block it out anymore. It’s changing.”
What’s your favorite Rosa & Amy moment? Tell us in the comments below and don’t forget to share on Facebook and Twitter!
