Aquino was born in Teaneck, New Jersey, to Adele Frances (née Mesiti) and Salvatore Aquino. She first acted in junior high school productions. She went on to Harvard University, studying pre-med with biology as a major. In her final year, she realised that she was spending more time acting than studying and so left to travel to New York to take acting classes while working at a law firm. She stayed there for three years without landing any acting jobs, before traveling to Minneapolis on a recommendation where she gained her first roles. She enrolled at Yale University School of Drama in 1986 after two years of rejections.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qrDOpaWerKekv7W0jZympmeRosZurdCuoKenXaOytXnWqKmtoF1rg3l8kw%3D%3D