Salinas native Angie Ruiz whups tail on TV.

For weeks on end Angie Ruiz has been learning roundhouses, throwing backhanded blows, and running after bad guys – in heels, no less.

The Salinas-raised actress realized that she’d “rather play James Bond than be a Bond girl” after meeting 007’s Daniel Craig on the set of the British drama Flashbacks of a Fool. Today, she’s realizing the dream: kicking butt in the pilot television program The Genesis Files.

The show follows Ruiz as title character Rachel Torres, a beautiful, yet dangerous assassin. The project is spearheaded by Steve Pink, writer and producer of the ’97 action/comedy Grosse Point Blank. Having last produced episodes of HBO’s hit Entourage, Pink’s headed back to his action-packed instincts with Ruiz as his starring vehicle. He’s currently shopping for a network home for The Genesis Files.

Ruiz attended Washington Junior High and later North Salinas High before her Hollywood break. After attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Ruiz caught the acting bug in San Francisco, where she landed a role in the romantic comedy 40 Days and 40 Nights. Following a string of movies, including a 2008 tango short film La Milonga, which earned Ruiz recognition on the film festival circuit, she found herself in the middle of Hollywood shooting serious Genesis Files fight scenes with Benny “The Jet” Urquidez, famed kick boxer and martial arts choreographer.

Ruiz says her dancing abilities, as exhibited in La Milonga, came in handy for the rigorous combat takes.

“Fight choreography is sort of a dance,” she says, “a kind of rhythm that you need to connect to a person.”

It’s no coincidence that in the pursuit of justice in TV land, her fist connects with many a villain’s nose.

For more on Angie Ruiz’s projects, visit http://www.angie-ruiz.com