Born in Neuquén, Argentina, Beatriz emigrated with her parents when she was 2 years old to Webster, Tex., just outside Houston. Her interest in acting began with that perennial refuge for young outsiders: high school theater.

“That’s where the weird kids were; that’s where the gay kids felt comfortable. A lot of people of color gravitated toward that group,” Beatriz said. “I just felt like the best version of myself when I was with that group of kids.”

After high school, Beatriz graduated with a theater degree from Stephens College in Missouri, then moved to New York.

“I knew there was space for me in theater, but I didn’t know if there was space for me in TV and film,” she said. Eventually, she found her place: Following bit parts in a few TV series and a notable supporting turn in the film “Short Term 12,” Beatriz got her big break in “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” which debuted in 2013.

In portraying a “tough good guy,” Beatriz found inspiration in spaghetti Westerns, a genre which sometimes featured a character in an all-black get-up. She describes it as a “robot-cowboy” look: “I think I was taking elements of that archetype when I started thinking about her as a character. I remember going into the first costume fitting and saying, ‘I think it’s a lot of black.’”

Aside from her inscrutable nature, Rosa is known for her sardonic tone and dedication to being a solid detective.