It’s a happy birthday to Catalina Sandino Moreno, who turns 27 today. Moreno of course broke big in 2004’s justly lauded Maria Full of Grace, about a pregnant Colombian teenager who becomes a drug mule in order to make some desperately needed money for her family. She and writer-director Joshua Marston shared a lot of prizes for the film, including the Los Angeles Film Critics Association’s New Generation Award.



Since then Moreno also made strong impressions in both Fast Food Nation and the underrated The Hottest State (above), from writer-director Ethan Hawke, while at the same time knocking out some quasi-gritty, straight-to-DVD fare like Journey to the End of the Night. Unfortunately, those three films were seen by a combined 150 people, so Moreno’s rising star has for the moment stalled.

That said, it’s not a talent issue. Moreno is quite good with softly withholding, and with a little more practice and opportunity could surely branch out into spitfire roles (it’s much harder to go the other way). Of course, it doesn’t help when you have chauvinistic posts like this one, exploiting her Hottest State nudity. But, errr… that is her hottest state, right? No shame there. Roles opposite Benicio Del Toro in Steven Soderbergh’s highly anticipated Che Guevera biopic two-fer (The Argentine and Guerrilla, which will likely screen at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival) will surely help. But I’d love to see Moreno, who has a really lovely smile and sweet disposition, get hold of her own upscale version of 27 Dresses, The Nanny Diaries or The Devil Wears Prada; she’d be great, and it would justly introduce her charms to a wider, Anglo audience.