January Playmate Riley Ticotin has acted (with J.Lo), danced (with cas- tanets) and earned a black belt in karate (watch out for the nunchucks). But her greatest strengths are far more profound- and inspiring.
January Playmate Riley Ticotin has acted (with J.Lo), danced (with cas- tanets) and earned a black belt in karate (watch out for the nunchucks). But her greatest strengths are far more profound- and inspiring.
Yes, things have changed, but the industry still has a long way to go—with race just as much as body type. When I go to castings, I’m always told I’m not Latina enough or I’m not white enough because I’m mixed race. It’s frustrating that Hollywood still adheres to stereotypes when imagining a role. My sister, who still acts, says, “All my auditions are for -super-sexy and kinkster characters, and I have to speak in Spanish or with a Spanish accent.” We didn’t grow up speaking Spanish at home. My sister failed Spanish class!
Every day I’m on set, someone wonders aloud about my ethnicity. When they ask, “Where is your family from?” I say, “America.” When they ask, “What are you?” I just say, “Human.”
Taking what I’ve learned in the industry, I’d love to someday become an art director or a casting director. That being said, there’s still a lot I’d like to accomplish as a model, because there’s power in representation. I never thought it was important for someone like me to be in PLAYBOY, but I hope some 15-year-old girl, crying because she doesn’t look like what she sees in the media, sees me and says, “I’m okay.”
