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As a young girl, Victoria Cartagena jotted down her future aspirations in a diary. These included college, obtaining a teaching degree and appearing on television.
She recently came across this entry and, with a smile, added an update. Who knew these wishes would be granted to a someone only in their 20s? Not Cartagena, who can hardly believe the direction her life has taken.
"I guess dreams come true," said the former resident of Fifth and Mifflin streets.
Gearing for stardom, the actress will soon flex her acting chops in front of a nationwide audience in the WB’s newest show, "The Bedford Diaries," set to hit the small screen March 29 at 9 p.m. It is a date that will mark a milestone in the actress’ life.
"I always wanted to be on television because I watched TV all my life and I always wanted to be a part of it," said Cartagena, who now lives and works in New York City.
Overcoming a series of unsuccessful auditions and a shy personality, Cartagena has become the poster child for determination. Her philosophy? The world is full of talented people, but hard work is what separates the good actors from the great ones.
And nobody is more aware of this than Cartagena, who, in October, finished filming the eight episodes green-lighted for the new series. Ever busy, she continues auditioning while also working a full-time job.
Despite her taste of fame, Cartagena remains grounded – so much so she hardly considers herself a celebrity.
"Nobody knows who the hell I am," she said with a laugh. "For now, I’m a working actor and I hope I can continue to be a working actor."
THE TERM "WORKING" has been in Cartagena’s makeup since she was young.
Before attending Sacred Heart Elementary School, she was enrolled in a kindergarten class that specialized in the performing arts. While others her age were playing with building blocks and crayons, she was on the path to acting.
But Cartagena was less than inclined to tweak her natural inclinations.
"I was so shy that I begged my parents to get me out," she said. "Go figure."
As the years progressed, the acting bug nibbled at Cartagena, who was a diehard soap fan, particularly "General Hospital."
"It was a form of escapism," she said of the daytime dramas. "I was painfully shy and I wished I could be as bold as some of the characters were. It was a fantasy for me."
Putting her fears aside, she enrolled in an eight-week program at the Society Hill Playhouse, which gave the 14-year-old a basic introduction to acting. She and others would pen and subsequently act out their own scripts.
She refused to invite family members to her performances except cousin Monique, who "was four years younger than me and I knew with her she would think that anything was good," Cartagena said.
But, on stage, was when Cartagena felt most alive, her introverted personality fading like the dimming of a spotlight.
"I thrived on people’s attention and applause. It gave me some kind of confidence," she said.
Deciding to keep acting as a sideline, Cartagena attended Penn State after graduating from Bodine High School for International Affairs in Northern Liberties. She secured a degree in secondary education in 1998, returning to her hometown to teach for Aspira, a nonprofit that prepares Latino students for college. While rewarding, the job was not what her soul craved.
"It was the whole thing with my acting. It was always in me," she said. "I knew whatever I did I wanted to give a hundred percent and my heart wasn’t in it."
Through a local casting agency, the budding actress landed small parts, including a one-day shoot at Veterans Stadium as an extra in a cell phone commercial.
Extras "are harder workers than the actors," she said. "[Actors] do a scene and go back to a trailer, but [the extras] have to work all day."
Cartagena’s Penn State friends pushed her to pursue her passion – to the point where one of them mailed her a completed application to New York’s American Musical and Dramatic Academy. She signed the forms and landed an audition. Once again, she overcame her nervousness, nailed a dramatic and comedic monologue and was accepted into the fall 2000 semester, leaving South Philly for the Big Apple.
The actress said she was a sponge who absorbed information, giving "110 percent" as a student. One of her acting teachers, Randolph Pierson, informed her only one out of 16 of those in the class would make it. Determined to beat the odds after her 2002 graduation, Cartagena began booking jobs at theaters throughout New York.
But it wasn’t until working at Elysium Fitness Club that Cartagena landed her big break. One of her bosses, who was also a friend, was administering physical therapy to Joan Scott, the first woman to own her own talent agency in Los Angeles, Cartagena said.
After her boss highlighted Cartagena’s acting abilities, the agent planned an audition. Cartagena was soon with the Gersh Agency, based in both New York and Los Angeles.
In 2004, the actress was whisked into the world of TV auditions, including one as a perpetrator on the canceled NBC series "Third Watch." She didn’t get the part.
Next, she braved the Miami heat to shoot the pilot for a potential TNT series called "The Line," playing a "goody-goody" prosecutor. The show was never picked up.
She did not let these disappointments tarnish her attitude.
Before she got the chance to audition for a co-starring role on the CBS hit "Ghost Whisperer," starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Cartagena landed the role of Zoe on "The Bedford Diaries." The show, set at the fictional Bedford College, is filmed at Barnard College, which is affiliated with Columbia University.
Auditioning in front of bigwigs from The WB and HBO, the studio responsible for the show, was an experience.
"There’s this intense nervousness and focus all at the same time," Cartagena said. "You just go in there and make sure your acting is on par. The rest is up to them to decide."
Her character is one of six students taking part in a college seminar that videotapes discussions revolving around each person’s sex life.
"It talks about the depths to which relationships – sexual or not sexual – affect the decisions we make," Cartagena said of the show.
Some of the topics tackled include abstinence and the difference between love and sex, she added.
The actress is particularly fond of the show since she stars opposite Matthew Modine and reads dialogue penned by "Oz" creator Tom Fontana. The defunct HBO prison drama is one of Cartagena’s favorites.
Noting the dissimilarities between her and her character, Cartagena said, Zoe is "so in your face and so sexy. I’m so chill and laid back. She’s into fashion and I’m like ‘where are my jeans?’"
The show will have to compete against some heavy hitters, including ABC’s "Lost." Moreover, The WB and UPN will merge into one station – dubbed CW – come fall, leaving the fate of "Bedford" unknown.
"If I think about that now, I’m going to start worrying," said Cartagena with a laugh.
Not quitting her day job, the actress still works as a receptionist at Elysium in between auditions. Even if the new show does not pan out, she will keep acting at the forefront.
"I hope to continue to work with the great people I’ve gotten to work with, not only in front of the camera but behind the camera," she said.
