Art Imitates Life for Andujar in ‘Precious’

For actress Stephanie Andujar, her role in the critically acclaimed drama “Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire,” hit close to home.

Born and raised in Manhattan, Andujar, who is of Puerto Rican descent, spent most of her adolescence without her father, who was in and out of jail for drug-related crimes. In “Precious,” she plays Rita, a young girl trying to put her life back together by quitting drugs and attending an alternative school. There, she meets the title character, Precious (Gabourey Sidibe), an overweight and illiterate teenager who is pregnant for the second time with her father’s child and living with an abusive mother (Mo’Nique).

During an interview with EXTRA, Andujar, 23, talked about the film, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival this year, and what she hopes audiences discover in their own lives after seeing it.

“Precious” opens in Chicago Nov. 6.

EXTRA: You graduated from Pace University this past May with a degree in business. When did acting become a part of your life?

Stephanie Andujar: It’s always been a part of my life. I did a lot of theater growing up in New York. My mom put me in an after-school program for acting. She didn’t want me to be on the streets. Then, I went to a performing arts high school. All I could see myself doing was acting and being an entertainer. I couldn’t picture myself doing anything else.

Tell us about Rita and what interested you in playing this role.

Rita is a former heroine addict. In the book, she can’t read, she has HIV and she’s been a prostitute since she was 12. [The role] hits home because my father was a heroine addict. I’ve dealt with things like that in ...