Why Roxie Alba From 9-1-1: Nashville Looks So Familiar

If you've been keeping up with ABC's procedural drama "9-1-1: Nashville," you have likely found yourself captivated by the fearless first responder Roxie Alba. The trauma surgeon-turned-paramedic is brought to life by Dominican actress Juani Feliz, who has quietly built an impressive resume across major television shows, making her a familiar face to eagle-eyed viewers. She's plied her trade in shows like "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "Blue Bloods," "Power," "The Good Doctor," "Fleishman Is in Trouble," "NCIS: Hawai'i," and "The Equalizer." 

More recently, she appeared in four episodes of AMC's anthology horror series "The Terror" as Marisol, the supportive girlfriend of Pepper (Dan Stevens), a moving man from Queens who finds himself committed to a nightmarish psychiatric facility. The third season (which is based on Victor LaValle's "Devil in Silver") scored rave reviews, with the whole cast coming in for praise. "In projects like this, there can be a fine line between committed performance and psych hospital schtick," the Boston Globe said in its review. "The cast of 'Devil in Silver' walks that line without tripping over it."

Fans of the underrated Prime Video series "Harlem" might also recognize Feliz from her recurring role as Isabela Benitez-Santiago, the out politician and love interest of Quinn (Grace Byers). During an interview with Pop Culture, the lesbian actress opened up about the warm reception her character received from viewers. "I've seen all the love from the lesbian community," Feliz said. "And people are just really into it and they just love that there are multiple LGBTQ storylines in this show, which is very refreshing and something that hasn't been seen in many other shows at all."

Moviegoers might also recognize Juani Feliz, though her first few roles were blink-and-you'll-miss-them ones. She started out on the big screen with very minor parts in films like "The Purge: Election Year," "Doctor Strange," and "The Polka King," working her way up to meatier jobs. In Alex Garland's dystopian thriller "Civil War," she plays Joy Butler, the Secret Service agent who gets killed while trying to negotiate the president's safe surrender. Her most recent feature is 2025's "Birthrite," a folk horror about a pregnant woman who moves into a house she inherits from her aunt with her girlfriend, only for her unborn child to become the target of a witch coven.

Playing Maya in "Birthrite" gave Feliz another chance to represent the lesbian community onscreen, and the same can be said of Roxie in "9-1-1: Nashville," whose relationship with Elena (Anna Akana) is central to the show. When Gayety asked her about playing queer characters, Feliz said, "I love being able to portray them because I feel like I bring something authentic. I have lived experiences, coming out, falling in love, getting my heart broken." The actress is very happy about the way the writers handled this character in particular. "One of the cool things about this show is that we didn't lead in with Roxie being a lesbian," Feliz said. "We got to know her as a person first — how she moves in the field and what drives her."