Natalie Martinez

By Sara Templeton

Natalie Martinez came to our attention after one of Web Wombat's more peculiar staff members, Will Barker, reviewed the Death Race movie.

I still don't know why Barker hasn't been fired yet, and for some reason he lobbied the editor to commission an article on Natalie Martinez, the token 'babe' from said movie.

From what I can tell, Ms Martinez is fairly new to the scene, but judging by the recent press she's getting her star could be on the rise.

Born in Miami, Florida, on the 12 of July in 1984, the Cuban-American model and actress got her big break in April 2002 when she was personally chosen by Jennifer Lopez as the spokesmodel for the JLO fashion label.

Despite my own belief that Natalie Martinez will fade into nothingness (she needs more tattoos) in the next few years, the new 'it' girl does have a grounding in the mainstream fashion industry, and being chosen from amongst 5,000 other girls to be the JLO spearhead speaks volumes for her innate sex appeal.

Though the JLO label doesn't quite have the heritage of brands such as Fendi or Givenchy, it does sell a number of products such as watches and jewellery, footwear, swimwear, handbags, lingerie, and of course the big money spinner, fragrances.

Being the face JLO gave Natalie Martinez big exposure as she appeared in many billboard and magazine advertisements for the brand, and in June 2003 she landed the cover spread of the UK version of Maxim magazine. 

In the same year she appeared in her first major on-screen role when she was cast in Justin Timberlake's Señorita music video where she caught the eye of numerous music producers.

What followed was a few more years of music video appearances including Sean Paul's We Be Burnin in 2005, and then in 2006 she landed a job on the American TV fashion drama show Fashion House, playing Michelle Miller.

She also appeared on the cover of the Mexican edition of Cosmopolitan in 2006, capping off a very successful year for the Cuban actress.

In 2007 Natalie Martinez scored a role in a handful of episodes of another American TV series, Saints and Sinners, but in 2008 when she played the sultry female lead 'Case' in Death Race she really shot to fame as that was the moment when Web Wombat asked me to look at her profile.

So, here we are, back in the present with nothing but speculation and this quote that was probably taken when Natalie Martinez was a bit tipsy: "Cubanas are very strong women. So don't mess with us, don't take us for granted!"

Importantly, and according to the Movie Channel nerds, Death Race has made a profit which bodes well for Natalie's future as a movie hero. 

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