UC Riverside professor takes big step for Native American actors

When viewers first see her, Rose, a Native American woman in her 60s, is inside her second-hand shop in the town of Derry, Maine, in 1962.

She speaks with another character about the woman’s son. The scene ends with Rose staring after the woman with an unreadable expression.

The role of Rose in “It: Welcome to Derry” is more than the next acting gig for UC Riverside professor Kimberly Guerrero.

It’s another important step by a Native American actor in a Hollywood that has seen few significant Native characters in movies and TV shows. • UC Riverside professor Kimberly Guerrero portrays Rose in “It: Welcome to Derry,” an HBO Max series. (Courtesy of Brooke Palmer/HBO) • UC Riverside professor Kimberly Guerrero, left, is seen with Taylour Paige in “It: Welcome to Derry,” a new HBO Max