Call it a Robo-tastic moment in Aimee Garcia’s acting career…

The 35-year-old Mexican American and Puerto Rican actress is starring in MGM‘s reboot of the RoboCop franchise.

Garcia portrays Dr. Jae Kim in the film, a role she landed through sheer determination even though the role was written with an Asian actress in mind.

“The role was not for a Latina initially,” Garcia told Efe in an interview. “But I fought hard. I wanted to work with (Brazilian director) Jose Padilha because I love the Elite Squad films. And the cast was amazing. So I did a lot of auditions. Why couldn’t a Latina be a scientist?”

“Jose chose me in the end and I feel proud to play someone who knows about biology, engineering and chemistry like modern-day Hispanics. That’s the reality. I like the fact young Latinos can see themselves reflected in my character and realize they can also achieve their dreams,” said Garcia.

RoboCop, a remake of the 1987 film of the same name, is set to open in U.S. theaters on February 12. It’s set in the year 2028 and tells the story of conglomerate OmniCorp’s efforts to bring its hi-tech crime-fighting technology to the United States.

A new product developed by OmniCorp scientist Dr. Dennett Norton (Gary Oldman) has been developed to circumvent a ban on the use of drones: a half-man, half-machine known as “RoboCop.”

Garcia plays Norton’s assistant, Jae Kim, a researcher who heads a team responsible for assembling the first cyborg (Joel Kinnaman) and helping him transition to becoming a machine that can faithfully respond to a series of pre-programmed directives.

“We all know that Latinas are sexy, sassy and full of life, but it was time to also show another side of that reality: well-educated, intelligent people,” said Garcia, who most recently starred on Showime’s Dexter.