LaToya Tonodeo’s Secrets to Success in Acting, Her Relationship
LaToya Tonodeo
Fans of the “Power” TV franchise will be more than familiar with LaToya Tonodeo, the beautiful actress who portrays Diana Tejada in the crime drama series.
Apparently born on 23rd April 1997 in Los Angeles, California, USA, LaToya is said to be of Black and Hispanic roots, but has never publicly discussed her ethnicity. Other personal details, such as her family and childhood years, are also unknown to the general public.
Career
Since her breakout role as the unwilling heiress of the Tejada crime family in “Power Book II: Ghost”, LaToya is generally recognized as one of Hollywood’s rising young stars and frequently described as ‘one to watch’, especially amongst urban audiences. Nevertheless, many casual fans will be surprised to learn that the actress has been linked to the entertainment industry since 2009.
LaToya’s acting debut as a Party Girl in the 2009 hip-hop comedy “Becoming Pony Boi” poses some interesting questions about her age. Although there are no still images of the Californian in the movie, it’s hard to believe that a young girl of 11 or 12 years old would be able to convincingly play an adult partygoer.
In an online discussion regarding the mystery of LaToya’s real age, one netizen wrote: ‘She looks really young. Met her in the mid-2000s and she was a full adult then.’ The most popular fan theory is that LaToya shaved a few years off her age and has been taking advantage of her youthful looks so as to audition for younger roles: after all, Diana Tejada is only about 19 years old in the “Power” universe, and if LaToya publicly admitted to being in her early-to-mid 30s, the role would’ve gone to another actress.
Back to LaToya’s showbiz beginnings, the Californian returned to acting after a six-year hiatus with a cameo role in “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2”. In the same year, she also depicted Jasmine Pierce in the gritty thriller “Dutch Hollow”, and Sonia in the short “The Last Straw”. The latter project was particularly helpful to LaToya’s career trajectory, as she proved that she could switch from one genre to another with her harrowing portrayal of a woman trapped in an abusive relationship.
💜Thank you https://t.co/lYejbH90kM
— LaToya Tonodeo 💜 (@ToyOfficial) February 16, 2022
However, it took a while for LaToya to make a name for herself in Hollywood echelons. After a cameo role as a bridesmaid in “The Perfect Match” and a minor recurring role in “The Fosters”, work came somewhat slowly for the actress – that is, until she landed her first major recurring gig as Tara Byrd in “The Oath”.
Despite only appearing in five episodes of the show, Tara became a fan favorite, but who disappeared in the season two premiere. Years later, writers have yet to explain why they suddenly wrote LaToya’s character out, but it’s likely that she left the series after being offered a bigger and better role in the second installment of “Power”.
In a March 2022 interview with Revolt, LaToya credited her newfound success to ‘grind, prayer, and affirmations’ and praised the series for representing different types of women. Although Diana is initially presented to viewers as an aspiring queenpin learning the ropes of the drug trade from her mother Monet (played by award-winning singer Mary J. Blige), she soon has a change of heart after going to college and realizing that she’s being used as a pawn in her family’s many schemes.
Season two of the show also brought with it a new love interest for Diana, namely Tariq St. Patrick, who is played by Michael Rainey Jr. and is the deuteragonist of the “Power” universe. Without giving too much away, we can tell you that Diana and Tariq’s relationship, which blossomed throughout seasons two and three, could potentially tear the Tejada family apart and bring about devastating consequences for the rest of the “Power” characters.
Apart from filming season four of the show, LaToya doesn’t have any other new projects that we’re aware of. In any case, the actress makes sure to keep her fans up to date with social media updates regarding her career.
Personal Life
Quiet as it’s kept, LaToya’s been dating fellow actor Arlen Escarpeta since late 2014 or early 2015. Arlen was born in April 1981 in Belize, but moved to the USA during his childhood; if LaToya’s industry age is to be believed, the pair have been dating since she was just 17 years old and he was almost 34.
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Although Arlen is best-known for playing Bobby Brown in the 2015 biopic “Whitney”, he has had a handful of memorable roles in movies such as “Final Destination 5”, “Into the Storm”, and “Friday the 13th”. The Belizean-born actor had his first on-screen role in the 2000 movie “The Playaz Court”, and spent the next few years doing odd jobs in between minor TV gigs.
From playing a young LAPD officer in “818” to starring in Preston Whitmore’s “Dough Boys”, the actor specialized in drama and crime shows, and movies that showcased his artistic range to perfection. However, despite working tirelessly throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Arlen’s career highlights – such as a co-starring role opposite Matthew Fox and Matthew McConaughey in “We Are Marshall” – weren’t enough to make him a household name.
Things were looking up for Arlen when he landed the role of Lawrence in “Friday the 13th”, but unfortunately, his next few projects – “Brotherhood”, “Privileged”, “Midnight Son” – failed to become mainstream successes. Nevertheless, the actor is the true definition of ‘booked and busy’, as he’s currently playing Zeke Wallace in the NBC procedural drama “Found”.
As for Arlen’s personal life, he was previously married to actress Benita Nall of “Hart of Dixie” fame. The couple tied the knot in 2011 but divorced just a year later for unspecified circumstances – and while the two ladies have had very different career trajectories, Benita’s uncanny resemblance to LaToya is interesting to say the least.
For those who are curious to know how much Arlen and LaToya are worth, reliable sources confirm that the Belizean actor has a small fortune of $300,000, whereas the “Power” starlet is well on her way to becoming a millionaire, with approximately $600,000 in the bank.
