The half-Mexican actress has landed the lead role in the indie feature film Ana Maria.
Ganem will portray the title character, a receptionist obsessed with a telenovela who suddenly finds herself transferred to the TV world of her beloved characters, where everyone thinks she’s the fabulous and beautiful star of the show.
Georgina Riedel will direct the pic, which she co-wrote with Jose Marquez.
Ganem currently stars as Valentina Diaz on Lifetime’s Devious Maids. Her other television credits include appearances on Rob, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Entourage and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
She’ll next appear in the feature film After The Wedding.
Along with Milian, other celebrities, musicians and journalists of African heritage appearing in the web documentary are actor Laz Alonso, actress Tatyana Ali and journalist Soledad O’Brien, who relate their own previously untold experiences of working through the unreasonable constraints of stereotypes in both Hispanic and mainstream culture.
“It was kind of like a dual existence because outside of my house I would be just an African-American guy,” says Alonso, who recently appeared in Jumping the Broom. “But once I got home, I was Cuban again.”
Other interviews include The Voice season one winner Javier Colon, actresses Gina Torres and Judy Reyes, pop singer Kat de Luna and music video director Jessy Terrero.
“As part of our commitment to reflecting the diversity and dynamism of US Latino identity, we are honored to share these provocative and poignant stories of celebrities who live and work at the intersection of so many cultures,” says Jose Marquez, Telemundo and mun 2’s VP Interactive Strategy, Telemundo and mun2.
The short, made-for-web documentary also features man-on-the-street interviews with Generation Y Latinos who provide a refreshingly nuanced understanding of race and identity in contemporary America.