Dania Ramirez exclusive interview

by Daniel Falconer | 29 April 2014

Devious Maids was one of the biggest instant hit series to come for quite some time, with a plot and cast that could rival the greats.

Dania Ramirez speaks exclusively about her new life as a mother to twins, getting back into shape and back to work as well as the new second season of Devious Maids and mischief on the set with Eva Longoria.

How is parenting going for you with your twins?

Amazing amazing. I'm in love! I don't even know how I have energy because I have two babies and I'm working all the time - my babies are three months old.

How did you get back in shape so quickly?

I didn't have a choice! I had them in December - I was in the hospital - bed rest with my twins because they wanted to come early, and got the email saying we were back in January. I started crying I was so hormonal, I was in the hospital looking at these four walls and my big old self. My belly was out to here and I thought oh my God what am I going to do, how am I going to do this?

How did you do it?

For one thing I have two babies so I'm just busy all the time. I got good genes as well, that’s a big part of it, my mom was always thin. But you know I just really got focused and ate really well. I ate really well also towards the end of my pregnancy to make sure that it wasn't going to be so hard and I was in really good shape right before I got pregnant, so that also helps a lot.

I actually had the babies naturally vaginally it was. It's very rare with twins I found out, so I was very lucky they both turned head down right before, and the doctor asked me if I wanted to try and I was like: 'is the recovery period going to be less?' and he said 'yes', so I tried and because I didn't have to have a C-section that made the recovery a little easier.

I did a lot of juicing. At the beginning I ordered juice cleanses that had all the nutrients because I needed to make sure I was doing it the really healthy way because I'm naturally thin anyways, so if I do it the wrong way it might not be the healthiest way for my body, so I really made sure that I ordered something healthy online.

One of the juice cleanses I did here in Atlanta is called Roots and I just drank 6 to 8 juices a day - basically different green ones with kale and spinach - I did all of that and when I started to be doing a little working out about a month ago I started adding an almond base to have more calories.

How long were you on strictly juice?

I did it for four days once and three days another time. I would give myself a break in between and I ate a lot of vegetables and stayed away from carbs.

How do you do it now with the twins being three months, are they here on set?

They're actually not on set today because I knew I had the interviews and I also have to shoot the scene. They’re also very young - I don't like to take them out and expose them to stuff. I'm very protective over them.

They do come to set sometimes but my husband's in town and my stepson Kai is also in town for spring break so they are just enjoying the babies at home today.

My mom was with me for the first three months, she just left two weeks ago. It was a nightmare after she left because I had her here with me right from the beginning and I had to work right away so I got used to having her there and feeling like I could trust who was with my babies all day long. So when she left I was just a little thrown off, sleep deprived. But the good thing about it is as far as parenting is concerned I was really, really nervous when I was pregnant about what to do and what to expect and once they came out I didn't have time to second-guess and over think.

Once this one is finished eating, you got to feed this one. This one needs burping, then it’s this one. I was all over the place, you think you know what you want to do and then they arrive! It's really beautiful the way your natural mother instinct kicks in. It’s been great to add that experience to my life as an actress - it always helps because of something else it's a different layer that now I have. I am a mother so I know it -what that connection is - and I know what that is really about. I always say as an actor you're as just as good as your life experience so I've had a lot of life experience so far and now this just in addition.

You said that you been friends with Eva Longoria for a long time…

Yes we've known each other for a long time. It's really hard in Hollywood to be hanging out on a regular basis because everybody is so busy but we have always had a great relationship, she's just a fun-loving gal.

How did you meet Eva?

Out in California was the first time I met her. I attended one of the charity events that she was throwing and we were sitting at the same table and we just hit it off.

How long was Eva here?

She was here doing the first episode so she was here for about two weeks and we had a blast. I'm crazy so I'm always like the girl that's hiding behind the doorway to scare somebody on the set. Growing up the way that I did, I grew up with a lot of cousins, you just have this imagination and I love going and telling different stories. I'm a clown.

How authentic do you think this series is to what is really happening in Beverly Hills?

I think the message behind Devious Maids is a message of hope, it is a message of hard work. The great thing about the show is that it's not about our jobs, it's really about who we are, where we are, and where we want to end up.

I know my mom used to work at a factory, moving boxes when she came illegally to just give us a better future and so you actually get to see that through this series. You get to see these immigrant people come to another country to try to better themselves and to try to give their children a better future and I love that in the series. I love that message that the show has, more than it is about us being maids - if you really look at these women for who they are, they are really strong woman women and it takes a certain kind of inner strength in order to survive in a country that's not yours.