Fresh off of promoting the Netflix hit, "Orange Is the New Black "Season 3 in Mexico City, Alma Award-winning actress and proud Afro-Caribeña Selenis Leyva is a force to be reckoned with and she's bringing her fierce acting skills to HBO's "VEEP."

Leyva, who plays Gloria Mendoza, Litchfield's chef tough yet comical and maternal figure, couldn't be more thrilled to star on the hit HBO show that stars the lovable and talented Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Leyva will be taking on the role as a governor.

Earlier this week, Leyva was a special guest along with her fellow "OITNB" star Diane Guerrero at P&G Orgullosa's forum "Nueva Latinas Living Fabulosa" at The TimesCenter in New York. The event, which highlighted "the unique and complex experience of the modern, bicultural Latina," was hosted by Golden Globe winner Gina Rodriguez, radio personality Angie Martinez, style expert/TV personality Lilliana Vazquez and Entertainment Weekly correspondent Nina Terrero.

"She (Leyva) is someone who has taken a lot of care in cherry-picking roles that speak to who she is, where she comes from and where she's going," said Terrero. "She's not going to be the maid, she is not going to be the cook, although we love her as the cook, but she's going to be the governor!"

Leyva, who is Cuban and Dominican with Jamaican roots pointed out that while the industry has recognized her talent, her Afro-Latina ethnicity was always in question.

"I mean how many times I would go to LA -- that's where everything happens in television, right? I remember going out there and people would say 'oh my gosh, she's so good, but she doesn't look Mexican.' I would say, 'Yeah, I know because I'm not! I'm Afro-Latina,'" Leyva explained. "'She speaks Spanish but she doesn't look Latina. Oh, she's so exotic.' They would say to my agent. My favorite was 'your client, you know, the Latina who looks black but speaks Spanish.' I was like, 'Wait a minute!'"

Humble and humorous, Leyva attributed her infamous "OITNB" eyebrow raise to her mother, who has a strong presence and authority and kept her in line while growing up.

Joking aside, Levya also pointed out that her inner strength and cultural pride not only stemmed from the tough love of her mother, but from her late grandmother, whom she also cherishes.

"But you know what? The reality is that yes, it was harder. Did I ever feel like I didn't want to be Afro-Latina? Absolutely not. I had an amazing abuela...may she rest in peace...who was Jamaican-Cuban, and she was the most beautiful Afro-Caribeña. So I felt pride in that."

"My daughter, she's white," she laughed. "She's still this beautiful Afro-Caribeña Cuban, Dominican, and Puerto Rican, and she looks white. But that's okay! We come in so many wonderful shades and body types, and I feel that 'Orange Is the New Black' is a celebration of that finally. And not only are we seeing Latinas in various shades and forms, but we're seeing African Americans, we're seeing white women, and we're changing it up. So, whoever said I wasn't Latina enough, suck it!"

"Orange is the New Black" Season 3 kicks off on June 12, 2015. "VEEP" Season 4 returns April 12, 2015.