SPENDING 'SUMMER' WITH PENA.

Byline: GREG HERNANDEZ

Elizabeth Pena had been on a nonstop, multicity publicity blitz for her new movie, "How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer," when she called from Miami recently for a chat.

If she was fatigued, the only sign is that her naturally throaty voice is just a tad throatier than usual.

This gifted actress, best known for TV's "Resurrection Blvd." and such films as "Lone Star," "Jacob's Ladder" and "La Bamba," is on a mission to spread the word about the movie which finally opened in theaters two days ago) -- three years after it first screened at the Sundance Film Festival.

"I've had a total of maybe nine hours sleep in the past three days," she said. "But I believe in this movie and I believe in (director) Georgina Garcia Riedel. She's a great talent. It stayed with me, this movie. Georgina is a very daring woman."

Elizabeth was eager to be in the low-budget film because she saw a terrific role for herself as a lonely, depressed, single mom running a butcher shop raising a daughter (played by America Ferrera). Also key to the film is her 70-year-old mother, played by Lucy Gallardo.

"I'm lonely and frustrated on so many levels," the actress said of her character. "We all in this movie, in this long, hot Arizona summer, discover our sexuality."

What was it like working with a pre-"Ugly Betty" America?

"I had only seen her in 'Real Women Have Curves' but I had never met her," she said. "Working with her and Lucy was a complete joy.

"America is a very solid person, obviously well-guided by her real-life mom. She's intellectual and a very good actress."

Elizabeth is a woman who speaks her mind and that's what makes her such an interesting interview. I wondered about what it's like, at 46, to try and land good roles in film and on television: "There are no roles for women in America, lead roles, that are written for women over the age of 30. A co-starring role has maybe a 35-year-old playing 42. The reason I was drawn to ("Garcia Girls") is because it's a women-driven piece with wonderful roles that explores female sexuality beyond a certain age. In the movies, women don't have sex after 40.

If they do, they get raped. But you can see a 72-year-old man going at it (with a much younger female) and it's accepted."

I had heard that Elizabeth was set to be cast in the 1993 film "The House of Spirits" which starred Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons, Glenn Close, Vanessa Redgrave and Winona Ryder -- and all playing South Americans (at least Antonio Banderas was in the cast!)

"I had read the the novel and I loved it," she remembered. "Now it comes time, they are casting it. They offered me a wonderful role, a whore. I was ecstatic! That's a great role. I was fine. But then I find out the only female Hispanic in the movie is Catherine the whore! I'm sorry, but aren't all the characters Hispanic?"

She turned the role down and the movie was a major flop despite the A-list talent involved.

Elizabeth has no regrets: "I like to make money as much as the next person but I also didn't want to be an artistic whore."

Not that she's overly picky. If she didn't take on roles in bigger commercial hits like "Rush Hour" and "The Incredibles" and do various TV guest spots and voice-over work, "I'd be in my house doing laundry all day."

That would be a major waste. That throaty voice should be heard!

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Photo:

(color) In "How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer," Elizabeth Pena plays a lonely, depressed, single mom.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images