HOLLYWOOD — She strolled into the dim dining space of Musso & Frank Grill on Hollywood Boulevard undetected. Even when she placed her oversized sunglasses atop her head — revealing a face seen on millions of television screens — customers remained oblivious.

But some heads did turn. Waiters. Busboys. They recognized Kate del Castillo. To them and the masses who have watched her across Latin America and beyond, the svelte 36-year-old Mexican actress is a household name (think Jennifer Aniston of Latin America). Starring in nine telenovelas can have that effect, especially when they’ve aired multiple times in more than 100 countries, including the U.S. on Univision.
And her face probably will become more recognizable to U.S. audiences. After finding it difficult to break into films in her homeland because of her telenovela ties, the actress moved stateside three years ago for a career rebirth that has included roles in films, spots on hot television shows and the occasional spokeswoman deal with big cosmetics companies.
“It’s good to be busy, right?” Del Castillo whispered before a star-struck server approached to reveal he was a fan of her telenovela work.
She starred in the 2007 independent movie “La Misma Luna” (“Under the Same Moon”), about a Mexican mother who immigrates to the U.S. and the son she leaves behind — it recently became the highest-grossing Spanish-language theatrical release in U.S. history.
The actress, joining the hair-flipping ranks of fellow Hispanic sirens Penelope Cruz and Eva Longoria Parker, just closed a deal to become the new face of L’Oreal Paris, with print and TV ads debuting in the U.S. this fall.
Oh, and she recently appeared on A&E’s “The Cleaner.”
She also has a recurring role on Showtime’s “Weeds.” She plays Pilar Zuazo, a powerful Mexican crime boss and a new nemesis for Nancy (Mary-Louise Parker), the suburban mom-turned-pot dealer. The role also finds her bossing around her real-life ex-boyfriend Demian Bichir, who plays drug lord/respected politician Esteban.
“I love playing this powerful Latina woman,” Del Castillo said as she ignored a call on her iPhone, revealing a beach-side photo of her and beau Aaron Diaz, a Mexican model/actor. “We’re usually either seductive, slutty women or we play maids. To play someone with power was a lot of fun.”
Although she hadn’t been familiar with Del Castillo’s acting, “Weeds” creator Jenji Kohan didn’t even need to see the actress audition in person. “Truthfully, she was out of town,” Kohan said. “All we had was her reel and that was enough. She just blew everyone away.”
Del Castillo’s strong and confident demeanor made her “perfect for the role” as a stiletto-heeled chief who is a powerful figure in Esteban’s life, causing a dent in his relationship with Nancy. And she has done it without being “particularly `soapy’ or melodramatic in her acting,” Kohan added.
Del Castillo may have ditched the telenovela-esque performance usually outfitted with over-the-top facial expressions and exaggerated dialogue delivery, but she did find the genre’s work regimen useful on set.
“I’ve done 40 scenes in a day when I did telenovelas,” she said, motioning with her hands to emphasize the rapid pace. “Here, you do two or three — maybe four. (Telenovelas) give you a lot of tools to work with. There’s not a lot of time to waste. You have to be on top of your game. It was almost like a training school and I really appreciate that.”
She made her U.S. debut in the Golden Globe-nominated PBS series “American Family” alongside Edward James Olmos.
And since her role in “Under the Same Moon,” she has starred alongside Tilda Swinton in 2008’s “Julia” and recently completed production for “Down for Life,” which depicts the lifestyle of a Latina gang leader in Los Angeles.
Ecker compared her to Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz as a glamorous but versatile actress. “And she has the audience she’s brought along with her from Latin America and within the Latin community in the United States. It’s a loyal audience; as soon as people become aware of projects with their favorite stars, they go watch. The big actors in Latin America are the novela actors. It’s not the film actors.”