ARTICLES

From: Brntwood June, 2001
By: Craig A. Williams

When Michael J. Fox left ABC's Spin City last year, the general assumption was that the show would be finished. The show's creators, however, brought in several new cast members to replace Fox and keep the show running, including Charlie Sheen as Deputy Mayor Charlie Crawford and Brooklyn native Lana Parrilla as Angie Ordonez, the quick-witted office assistant at city hall.

"It was nerve racking for everyone," the 23-year-old Parrilla says. "I was really nervous and so was Charlie. He has a lot on his shoulders. Replacing Michael is not easy."

As difficult as it may have been, the show has continued its run as one of the highest-rated sitcoms on television. Credit for that success must be given in part to Parrilla's talent and beauty.

Beauty, of course, came naturally to the Puerto Rican-Italian Parrilla. As an actress who had appeared in plays and a few independent films, finding her place in sitcoms did not come as easily.

"The one thing I found very difficult in the beginning was all the rewrites," Parrilla says. "I didn't understand why they were changing it. I'd never experienced anything like that. Usually when you get a script, that's the script. Or when you read a play, a play's a play. Doing sitcoms is so new to me and having all the rewrites kind of freaked me out at first. I didn't know if I was doing something wrong."

Parrilla learned quickly with a little help from other members of the cast, especially Heather Locklear. "She's like a big sister. I love her. She's the sweetest, most humble actress I've ever met. Everyone's great. They teach me so much. They're great idols for young actors because they're very classy. Heather is the classiest woman I've ever met."

Although Parrilla has done some film work, including most recently Very Mean Men with Matthew Modine and Martin Landau, for now she is focusing on her role in Spin City .

"I'd love to do film. I think about Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich , and those kinds of roles. I love that strong woman with a lot of confidence who knows what she wants and goes after it. I'd love to play those kinds of roles. But I think right now, at this point in my career, the best thing for me to do is probably TV for awhile. Hopefully, that will give me more clout to get into film."