HARLEM born-and-raised actress Marilyn Torres isn ‘t stressing about her role as a maid in the new film “Bernard and Doris ” – the story of tobacco heiress Doris Duke starring Susan Sarandon.
“Being a Latina,it was personally hard to play a maid,” she says.”And if you are not doing a role you really like,it
can be painful.”
But Torres and another Latina actress,Monique Curnen,who also plays a maid, looked at the bigger picture.
“Listen,this is the nature of the business.I can ‘t let anyone define who I am or what I ‘m about.”
The real Torres (who also appeared in J.Lo ‘s “Maid in Manhattan “)will be performing a live,one-woman show this month.
The Boricua writer and comedian delves into the minds of “people you don ‘t hear about ” – like a drug-addicted street thug bargaining with God to save his mother ‘s life – “all tainted characters who come through life ‘s strug-
gles.”
Torres,whose next project is M.Night Shyamalan ‘s “Lady in the Water,” says,,”I want to say something important,whether it ‘s being a Latina,a woman or human being.”
Dec.19,La MaMa Etc.,74A
E.Fourth St.,between Bowery and Second Avenue.(212)
475-7710.8 p.m.$7.