ST: How did you come into performing?

JM: I was a natural imitator- I used to make fun of my relatives (smiles) . My Dad was a great joke teller so there was always a joie de vivre surrounding my childhood. I learned from my Dad that being a natural ham is often the quickest and easiest way to make friends. Later, when I was older, I wanted to impress a guy so I joined the choir. That didn’t work out the way I planned ... and I proclaimed 'I will never sing again' (makes dramatic gesture) When the choir didn’t work out I knew that I needed another outlet… so I found my way into acting.

ST: How old were you when you first started acting?

JM: I was in junior high...maybe seventh grade. There was a circus traveling through the little Texas border town in Northern Mexico where I lived. The ringmaster invited the kids to come dance up on stage to win prizes. I just jumped in doing basic John Travolta hustle moves (which were the “in” moves for that time). The first prize was tickets to another showing of the circus and I performed again with a screen comedian named Capolina, who made kids movies. When you are that age, you don’t think twice about just getting up and doing your thing. Plus, Capolina was kind of famous so it was very exciting.

ST: So it sounds like early on your performing interests were more toward dancing?

JM:Well, I always wanted to dance but had been told that I was too tall. I was already taller than most of the boys! And, if my height wasn’t the issue, then I was told I was too fat. So, given those limitations, the other channels that interested me were performing poetry in class, or going into singing. I ultimately decided to act. .

ST: So, in terms of performing, your first love was really dancing rather than acting.

JM: Yes. I think when you see movies like Saturday Night Fever, Grease, or any of the musicals I grew up watching – all the old movies had singing and dancing which always made me feel like, “ I wanna sing! I wanna dance!” So my initial love of dancing was just a natural extension of that influence. My brother and sisters and I used to sing all the time, and in Mexico, you have traditional dances that are a part of your growing up. But, as I said, singing and dancing as a bigger person was just not done. Even though I had a natural joy for it, I was always an outsider. I still have a joy for it, but now I have much more confidence to pursue that joy. There is a great painting by Edvard Munch that’s called 'The Dance of Life". You're either outside looking in, in the middle of it, dancing with someone, or you're too old to dance. I hope I never get to be too old to dance! Even though my knees beg to differ, occasionally. (smiles) That picture is a good representation of life, I think. You're outside and you're looking, you're learning, and you want to see what everyone else is doing. Each stage pushes you to another stage of where you want to be in your life. And, despite the fact that I was always told 'you can't get there because of who you are', I know that I CAN dance and that who I am is important. I made a conscious decision to celebrate that knowledge.

ST: Growing up in the Mexican culture, what messages did you get from your parents in terms of whether it was okay to be overweight?

JM: No, it's never okay to be overweight. Weight was a very big issue because I was already so big {as a child} and my mother was not. She was very thin, curvy; my sister was the same way. My brother wasn't.

ST: How did your decision to be a professional actor come about, and when was it?

JM: When I was a freshman in High School, I didn't know what I wanted to do. I didn't know if further education would be available to me; we were very poor and didn't have the means for me to go to college. I became involved in competitive dramatics, (face lights up),the University Interscholastic League. People would compete with each other in performing prose, reading poetry, or acting. I remember that one girl was getting a full ride to go to college on a theatre scholarship, and I thought “I can do that too”. In fact, I had actually beaten her in competition. So, she was a senior and I was a freshman and it was like, 'this kid is getting a fifty thousand dollar ride to go to SMU doing what I'm beating her at?' (laughs) I thought, ‘ I can do this’, 'this is something I'm good at. That attitude is what got me through college. I came to New York City on an internship during my senior year working with The Women's Project. That was really cool; and through that I started being involved, meeting more people and doing productions with bigger theatres. I did a Lane Bryant commercial and people were like 'hey I saw you in that Lane Bryant commercial!' And I'm like - 'Yeah, that's me.' (smiles). But, there was also a technical aspect of it. I'd been doing almost 4 years of theatrical work; but backstage, in design and costuming. It was good work, allowing me to experience the New York lifestyle and pay the bills…but was ultimately not fulfilling. So I made a stronger, more concrete effort to perform. In 2005 the desire paid off; I became involved with Big Moves {a size diverse dance company}, and I started meeting people that got me more highly visible work. And that momentum continues today.

ST: How did you come to have such a good body image?

JM: It's just a matter of perception. I have a friend who is very thin...I think she's very lovely; but she has a horrible self- image. She validates herself through the relationships she has with men...and I ask her: “but, what about the relationship you have with yourself? “Everybody has good days and everyone has bad days. There are days when you really hate everything about yourself. And other days when you think that any day above ground is a good day. It's just a matter of perception. I used to think that because I'm big, I'm fat, I'm not successful. Just turning that perception around and saying it's because I'm big, because I'm fat that I'm successful has paved the way for me. And, certain roles have exposed that positive belief. Performances like "Shortbus" are not in any way negative. Neither was "Fur", or the Details magazine shoot. Rather, they are affirming. Again, it's a day to day thing; sometimes you're not going to be pleased with who you are, with your weight...or whether it should be higher or lower. And there are also political expectations with that; if you're successful because you're big, then it's like... well how much is too big, or what's too little, and if you're dieting or not dieting, or if you make a lifestyle choice. Everybody comes to self-acceptance and self-love at their own pace. It's not forced. It’s personal and I just got there (smiles) a few years ago myself.

ST: "Shortbus" was John Cameron Mitchell's film; Details is a magazine.. what was "Fur"?

JM: "Fur"... was a film about people involved in the Coney Island Freak show. The role I played...was sedate and not exploitative. A central scene was at a wake. There were people of all different shapes and sizes, all just coming together. We're all human, and there are things that bind us like birth, love, sex, and death...AND we all go through them no matter what shape, what size, what religion, how rich or how poor we are. I think it helps to put those images out there.

ST: Do you get asked to do exploitative things?

JM: I get requests from talk shows, like Jerry Springer and Tyra Banks... that want to have people act out every ugly aspect of humanity. I don't want to be a part of that. Others do...and may make money to do so...it's a fine line, being a performer.

ST: What do you think about the stereotype that big women don't really date, and what have your dating experiences been like?

JM: I've been privileged to find men who get involved in relationships with women who are big, or, like, super-sized or whatever they want to call us in that sense...so that's a good thing. Man learns by example. And if we're able to see that that is possible, people can say , 'well why not me?' You're going to like whoever you're going to like; we can't help it...it's pheromones...it's...an attitude...whatever. I've been involved with guys who feel that I have the best attitude and self-confidence and just want to be around that. And some guys are all about the physical and say 'this is really great and you're like my {beauty} ideal' .That's great ,too. With any relationship there are ups and downs, and some of them work and some of them don't. I don't take it personally. And I don't blame it on this. (points to her waist).


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Having come a long way since her start doing John Travolta moves at the circus, Janie Martinez is an accomplished actress and solo performer based in New York City. She can be seen in "Shortbus" ( John Cameron Mitchell's feature film), "Fur", in Details magazine and in Time Out New York magazine; as well as onstage performing in The Globesity Festival, "Bolero" (a modern dance show by Keigwin + Company at the Skirball Theatre), her one-woman show, and in various shows and venues throughout NYC. Janie is also a founding member and performer with Big Moves New York, a size-diversity dance and theatre troupe. For more info email bigmovesny@gmail.com or check out www.myspace.com/bigmovesnyc