Katie Barberi might not be a name you recognize at first glance, but her unforgettable face will definitely make you look twice. Born in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico (try saying that after a couple of shots of tequila), Barberi is the daughter of hotelier Ernesto Barberi and actress/singer Audrey Anderson Barberi. At the young age of just 8 years old, Katie began taking singing lessons and was quickly cast in The Nevada Opera Company’s adaptation of Macbeth. Katie has since gone on and has appeared on various other theater stages, television shows, and even films. Katie is best known in the world of telenovelas. This August, Katie will add her 13th telenovela to her resume as she joins the cast of El Amor No Tiene Precio. Katie filled me in on her past, present and future.

Tell me about your upcoming role in El Amor No Tiene Precio.

It’s one of the longer telenovelas that I have done. Usually [tele]novelas last six-eight months. This will be on the air for a year and four months—I come in after the first 100 episodes. My character starts out as La Chacala. We find her in a prison. It’s very rare that I get the opportunity to do something like his. I am usually cast as a Joan Collins villainess. I was able to play a very butch character—I played her as a lesbian. She does what she needs to do to survive.

What was it like shooting at an actual prison in Florida?

It was very cool. We shot it at a maximum male security prison. We would have to clear the area when the male prisoners were getting off and on the bus. It was surreal. You’ll never feel that sort of claustrophobia and feel the reality of not being able to get out of somewhere until you are in it.

Why do telenovelas draw such a large audience?

I have done several [tele]novelas that have seriously rivaled, if not beat, the ratings of ABC, NBC and CBS over the summer. Especially because those networks are in re-runs during that time. Thirty percent of the overall population of the United States is Latino. Telenovelas are primetime and they are all that is really seen in the Latin countries. They get a very loyal following and we as actors get a loyal fan base.

You have played an array of characters.

I have played everything from the very high class, lovely socialite wife dying of cancer in Alguna Vez Tendremos Alas to the drug whore of a drug lord in Traviesa. There is no acting training like doing telenovelas. You are shooting between 35-40 scenes a day for six months. You are required to know what you are doing. Literally, with every scene, in five minutes you have to knock it out. There is no time after that.

How is theater different from acting in front of the cameras?

They both have their joys and difficulties. The interesting thing about theater in Mexico is that they have their own version of Broadway. They bring down the musicals and buy the rights and then translate them. Just like you would see in New York, they do their version in Mexico and they cast well-known television actors. Theater is the same dialogue, blocking and character study for each show. However, each night in theater something different happens in each show.