The film gave the sexy star her big break and became her first English-language movie - and she had Rodriguez to thank for going out of his way to land her the part as Antonio Banderas' sidekick.
The director tells Latina magazine, "I was a big fan from the beginning. I gave her her first English major film role in Desperado. I had to shoot a cable movie with her, called Roadracers, so I could show the studios that she could act in English and be great.
"I had to stick to my guns by saying, 'We have to hire a Latino, not just put brown face on someone.'"
