Paula Garces was born on March 20th 1974 in Medellín, Colombia. Her father was a fisherman and her mother a schoolteacher. She moved to the United States very early in life and grew up in Spanish Harlem, New York. Before turning to acting she once pursued a career in kick-boxing and also being a personal trainer in New York City. She first drew Hollywood's attention when she toplined Paramount's 2002 teen sci-fi adventure Clockstoppers starring opposite Jesse Bradford, directed by Jonathan Frakes, and produced by Gale Anne Hurd and Albie Hecht. Paramount quickly became a fan and cast her in Richard Benjamin's hip-hop comedy Marci X opposite Lisa Kudrow and Damon Wayans.