RhonniRose Mantilla was born on February 15, 2000. Talking about her Puerto Rican heritage and her role, Mantilla said, "I feel like, since it being in my blood, it just kind of comes out more and it's easier to kind of shift into my character as Anita as she's very sassy and very spicy". She then worked various jobs, including as a hostess, waitress and nanny, in New York. In 2024, Mantilla was part of
Great Lakes Theater's tour production of musical
Into the Woods, where she played the role of
Cinderella. Her performance was praised by Roy Berko from
BroadwayWorld, who called her "Lovely and talented" and praised her "a wonderful comic-timing sense, especially in doing prat-falls" in addition to her "strong singing voice" and her "music story-telling abilities". Mantilla also appeared in regional productions of
Jesus Christ Superstar,
The Wiz,
A Chorus Line and
Buddy Holly Story. Mantilla also produced, directed and created
Stardust, a musical and showcase of her dancing. It was the first Black daytime soap opera in 35 years and debuted on February 24, 2025.
Beyond the Gates was Mantilla's first screen role. Explaining how she received the role, Mantilla recalled that she went home during a break from the tour of
Into the Woods and sent in a self-tape for the role of Kat for
Beyond the Gates, but she was then asked by the casting team to read for the role of Chelsea instead, so she did. When Mantilla found out that she had received the role, she moved to Atlanta. Mantilla described working with Mosley as her "favourite thing", calling her helpful and acting like a mother. The actress felt privileged to be able to portray that on the soap, explaining, "I think it's really, really vital for that kind of character, for Chelsea, to be seen, because it just reflects how our society is. I hope that other queer and questioning and poly people like Chelsea can kind of see themselves in the character". The actress also hoped that she would be able to sing on the soap at some point. ==Acting credits==