ONLY ON ABC-7: El Paso actor featured on ‘Supergirl’

El Paso native Jessica Meraz is making a name for herself in Hollywood.

The Coronado High School graduate recently landed a part on the CW series “Supergirl.”

On the small screen, she’s Menagerie, a supervillian who relies on snake-like aliens to attack her enemies.

But in reality, Meraz is all smiles because she’s doing what she loves.

“My interest was piqued when I was around 7 by going to see a musical at the Union Dinner Theater at UTEP,” she told ABC-7 during an interview over FaceTime from Los Angeles. “That was the first musical where I saw kids performing, and I told my dad right after that musical that that is what I wanted to do, and it hasn’t changed ever since.”

Meraz has been acting since graduating from the University of Southern California in L.A.

“It was a series of trial and error and mainly error in this path,” she said, smiling. “I didn’t have any familial connections in the industry, so it was just doing it old school: Sending out head shots and resumes and then just pounding the pavement, doing one audition at a time. And I’m still in that phase — fighting for my every job.”

That was how she landed a recurring role opposite actor Mary McDonnell on the TNT series “Major Crimes.” She played a recurring character, Camila Paige, during the final season of the show, which ended in 2018. It was a larger role, Meraz said, but that being a supervillian “was a real dream come true.”

“The long hours, and being suspended on cables, and exploring what I want to do with her and spending time with her as a character — that’s the really fun part for me,” she said, adding that it’s more fun than seeing herself on television. “That’s great, but that’s really for my parents. That’s the part they really enjoy and get to tell everybody about.”

So what’s next for Menagerie?

“I don’t know,” Meraz admitted. “That’s up to the writers and they definitely left it open.”

The actor doesn’t even know what’s next for herself, personally. But she knows that it involves pounding the pavement, auditions and grit.

“But I’m a gritty gal and I love what I do,” Meraz said with a shrug. “There’s no other life I can imagine myself living. It’s tough, but anything that’s really worth it is.”

That’s advice she follows and dishes out for anyone who wants to follow their dreams, whatever they may be.

Catch Meraz’s debut on “Supergirl” on ABC-7’s sister station, the CW on Sunday, April 7. The CW is re-airing the episode.