Anna Maria Official Website

I grew up in San Jose, California, and I went to a Catholic middle school called St. Justin. I was a straight A honor roll student and the teachers loved me.

Musical Theater

I wanted to be in show business ever since I was a little girl. My grandmother, Sylvia Latorre, is a singer/actress/comedian, and an icon in the Philippines who I grew up watching on stage. When I started musical theater, I loved it right away, which naturally got me thinking about singing and acting professionally. I was honored to be the first Asian Cinderella in the Bay Area, which was one of my favorite roles of all time. The cast and the director were amazing. They were my best friends, and just being on stage with them was really cool. I was also in The King and I as Tuptim, and The Wiz as Glinda.

I would love to do more musicals. It’s a lot different than T.V. because it’s live and you can’t mess up, whereas on a set you can do as many takes as you need to. I love being on stage, because I can see people enjoying my performance, and standing up and clapping. It makes me happy.

Modeling

I began my career as a model, which was a lot of fun. I modeled for Mervyn’s, The Gap, Levi’s, and Old Navy, and did a lot of photo shoots with other girls my age, so I got to make new friends. That bonding was really the best part, and I advise other girls to not obsess over their body type and image. Just be happy with your body and your looks and surround yourself with people who love you for who you are.

Star Search

I was a finalist in “Star Search,” which was a huge stepping stone for me. It was fun because I love being on stage and singing, but it was also terrifying because I’ve never really been judged on my singing, so that made me a little nervous. I sang “Somewhere” which is one of my favorite songs, and I competed against David Archuleta! He was a sweet guy and has a great voice.

The Disney Channel

The first job that I booked was “Hannah Montana.” I still lived in the Bay Area at the time and my agent told me that I should audition for a Disney Channel pilot. I sent tapes to Disney and before I knew it, I was being flown back and forth. A couple weeks later, I got a call from Disney saying I should move to L.A. I did, and here I am!