1999 saw Cavazos win a pair of English-speaking roles in American productions, proving her relocation to the United States to pursue acting work a fruitful endeavor. In the independent "Mascara", the actress gave an impressive performance as Laura, a newlywed whose quest for perfection threatens to ruin her as she struggles to save her already rocky marriage, cure her husband of his financial problems and keep her conservative parents happy. She followed with a keen turn as a popular Mexican singer in "Sugar Town", Allison Anders and Kurt Voss' look at the smaller scale music scene in Los Angeles. Cavazos had one of the more interesting and morally ambiguous roles in the film, as a confident and powerful woman intent on seducing a happily married guitar player (John Doe) she pointedly recruited for her touring backup band. With her career on the rise, she segued to a supporting role in the major Hollywood release "Bless the Child" (2000), which starred Kim Basinger as a woman protecting her young niece from the drug addict mother who abandoned her years before when the woman returns with wealthy husband in tow, both evil occultists who seek to tap into the girl's supernatural powers.