"Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2" is slated for release on April 17 and reunites the cast from the successful first installment. Among those stars returning for a second time is Raini Rodriguez as Maya Blart, the titular character's daughter.

Rodriguez, who was born in Texas, has been acting since the age of 11 and has appeared in such films as "Girl In Progress," "Prom" and such TV series as The Disney Channel's "Austin & Ally," "I'm in the Band" and "Jessie," among others.

The actress recently spoke to Latin Post about her experiences on the set of both "Mall Cop" movies as well as her point of view on being a Latin American in the film industry:

Latin Post: Why don't you tell us how filming the sequel was different from doing the first film in the franchise?

Raini Rodriguez: Working on the first one, I was 14-years-old and it was my first feature film. Coming back six years later, I have so much more experience. And getting to work with Kevin [James] again was so amazing. We had so much fun.

LP: How has the character changed for you personally?

RR: Maya has grown up. The film takes place six years later so she is getting ready to go to college. She is almost 20 years old now, ready to experience life and get out there. She still wants to be there for her dad and her family, but at the same time she really wants to explore life.

That is the deal with that aspect of trying to grow up, but not break her dad's heart at the same time.

LP: What was it like to work with Kevin James and what have you learned from him over the course of these two films?

RR: I learned so many things from Kevin James. I learned to just go for it. He is an amazing comedic actor when it comes to stunts. He is not afraid to commit. He runs into doors head-on. He is amazing and so much fun. His improvisation on the set is great. I learned to have that confidence and just go for it. He is an amazing person to work with. I worked with him for six years already and he is like a second father.

He is so much fun to work with and he gave so much freedom to the character for the second movie to let me throw in what I felt like I wanted to say. When we were together and would improvise, he loved taking suggestions. He is so open to work and is such a great person.

LP: What was the experience of working with director Andy Fickman? 

RR: Andy is so lovely. I love him. As a director he is so much fun and he makes the environment friendly. He is also always open to suggestions and is always willing to work with you. He is there to answer questions about characters. He is so incredibly funny and the energy that he brought to the set made it so fun.

LP: What was the hardest scene for you to film?

RR: There is one scene at the end where we are on the roof of the hotel and it is 66 floors up. That was the hardest because I am afraid of heights. To be on that roof and overlook all of Las Vegas was hard. But once I got over it, I was able to enjoy it more. But for the first two hours, I was afraid to move anywhere.

LP: What about the most enjoyable and memorable moment for you on set?

RR: Overall, I loved being there everyday. I love to work and it is so much more fun when the people you work with are like family. They are just so much fun to be around. Overall, that was the biggest joy. The cast and crew is so funny. We would be working late night shifts and at three in the morning we would be laughing hysterically.

And then I loved the big action scene. It was so much fun. I'd never been in one before so to do that was pretty cool.

LP: You have been in the industry since you were a teenager. How has your perception of the industry changed throughout your career?

RR: It hasn't really changed that much. I started acting when I was 11 and I'm 21 now, so a good chunk of my life has been growing up in front of the camera. And it was something I always wanted to do since I was a little girl and to be able to do it now is a dream come true in every sense of the word.

I guess the business side of it. There is so much that goes into that part of the business. You need that team around you to help take care of things. I have a great family and business team and it is awesome. It has been a fun 10 years and I can't wait to see what the future holds.

LP: You just said that you had basically been in the industry your whole life, but do you remember that exact moment when you realized you wanted to be an actress?

RR: When I was younger and I would watch TV shows, I would act out the things I saw in front of my parents. I never knew what it was until someone told me that I was acting. So in that moment I realized what it was called and told myself that that was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. From the second I was born I was always entertaining people. That is something that always came natural to me.

LP: You've worked in both film and TV. Is there one that you prefer?

RR: I love both because they are so different. In TV it takes eight to nine months to film a single season. You're with the same people every week and it is a ton of fun because you create a family atmosphere. There are no major surprises. It is the same thing every week.

But in a movie, you travel a lot. Sometimes it is an in and out thing where you aren't there every week. You work with different people every day.

LP: From the perspective of a Latina, do you find that there are opportunities to play strong characters? What must industry do to create more opportunities?

RR: I think that as a Latina I have been blessed to work in this industry as much as I have. I have had so many great characters on TV. Dramatic roles. Comedic ones. I've done big movie roles and small movie roles. I've done it all and it excites me. I think that my ethnicity is just another part of me that I get to take everywhere I go and it certainly helps to be who I am and portray it in other characters.

There are opportunities everywhere and to be in a business like this and play the amazing roles I am playing, like Maya or Trish, is really special. I feel like in general for everyone, if you want something make it happen. You don't have to wait for other people to create roles for you. Just because you're Latina does not mean that you have to wait for a Latina role. Write it yourself. Get out there and make it happen for you. You have to be motivated to go out there and never limit yourself.