IF YOU ARE A FAN OF BROOKLYN NINE-NINE YOU KNOW STEPHANIE BEATRIZ AS THE ARRESTING, SMART AND HILARIOUSLY DEAD PAN DETECTIVE ROSA DIAZ. BUT IF YOU WERE A CLASSMATE OF HERS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL YOU MIGHT KNOW STEPHANIE BEATRIZ AS "THE TWISTY LITTLE MUSTACHED TOP-HAT VILLAIN" OF HER FIRST EVER SCHOOL PLAY. IT WAS PUN-NILY TITLED: HEAVEN HELP THE PO'TATERS OR I'D-A-HOE THE POTATOES, BUT THEY JUST WON'T GROW! "IT WAS A MELODRAMA," BEATRIZ CLARIFIES, ADDING THAT SHE WAS "A HUMAN VILLAIN" AND NOT A POTATO VILLAIN. BUT IF YOU SPEND ANY TIME WITH STEPHANIE BEATRIZ THE ACTOR YOU WILL LEARN THAT SHE PEPPERS HER SPEECH WITH THE PHRASE "YOU KNOW?" THIS MAY SEEM UNIMPORTANT BUT IT SUMS UP SOMETHING ESSENTIAL ABOUT BEATRIZ: SHE KNOWS A LOT. AND BECAUSE SHE IS A GENEROUS TEAM PLAYER, SHE GIVES THE PERSON SHE IS CONVERSING WITH (IN THIS CASE ME) THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT THAT I WOULD KNOW TOO. BUT THE MORE TIME I SPENT WITH BEATRIZ THE MORE I REALIZED THAT I, IN FACT, DID NOT KNOW. AND THAT I WAS ABOUT TO LEARN A LOT ABOUT TRAILBLAZING AN AUTHENTIC PATH FORWARD IN HOLLYWOOD.