Golden Globe-winner Gina Rodriguez talks about the magic in Jane the Virgin.
Currently in London filming the new Alex Garland movie Annihilation, Golden Globe-winner Gina Rodriguez and I spent half our time talking about London and things she’s been doing there when she’s not filming. We almost forget to talk about Jane The Virgin. The CW show was shut out of the Emmys last year, but will things change this year? Gina Rodriguez was nominated for a second Golden Globe in the Best Comedy Actress category, and recently Emmy voters turned out for a For Your Consideration event, filling the room with tears of laughter.
If you’re not watching one of the funniest shows around, here’s a brief overview of why you need to catch up with the CW show before season three begins. Jane The Virgin stars Rodriguez as a virgin who gets accidentally artificially inseminated and ends up falling for the sperm donor. Jane hails from a Latino family, and that’s where the comedy arises. Comedy aside, the show deals with serious issues such as immigration and abortion. Many episodes have ended with cliffhangers that leave you waiting desperately for the next episode or next season!
I caught up with Gina Rodriguez to talk about season two and that wedding cliffhanger!
AwardsDaily TV: The emotions for the wedding episode ran the gamut and that dance with Rogelio was brilliant.
Gina Rodriguez: I love him so much.
ADTV: I did think, at one point, that the dance would not happen. I think everyone thought the same thing.
GR: With Michael getting shot, it’s the perfect suspense.
ADTV: Well, I was going to ask you, is Jane going to be a widow? There’s that episode where they say, “For as long as Michael lived, until he drew his very last breath.” Is that a foreshadowing?
GR: I don’t know that answer to that because I don’t know what’s going to happen. Jennie [Snyder Urman] keeps it real private. We see the following episodes the day before we start shooting it. We don’t really know anything in advance… maybe a few days in advance. So, I don’t know, but I don’t think so. My guess is not. After season one when Mateo got kidnapped, it was resolved quickly. In the same form from first to second season where she resolved it quickly, I have a feeling she’s going to do the exact same thing.
ADTV: On that episode, there were so many great moments – that silent moment between Jane and Rafael was one – but what were some of the stronger moments for you?
GR: I feel like this season was so magical. We had such an opportunity to play so many different characters with all the fantasy sequences. Jennie is so lovely in allowing all of us to do this kind of work. She just allowed me to fly where I got to do things where I wouldn’t as Jane in these fantasy sequence. It allows me to stretch my craft and to stretch and extend myself. The swimming, the rap, and the dance sequence are just some examples. Being able to dance with Derek Hough was such a highlight for me because I love salsa dancing, and I loved Derek Hough. It was magical.
All through the season, I get to play with comedy and with drama. Jennie does such a great job writing. As for the season finale, from that moment which is such a great moment with Rafael and Jane, the idea that we walk through life sometimes so selfishly. We don’t think about what our actions are going to do to somebody else. That was such a beautiful moment to show someone being selfless, and Rafael’s character being really selfless with Jane.
The exchanging of the vows was so emotional and so incredible. Michael doing his vows in Spanish, I love it, I died for it.
ADTV: I loved it so much.
GR: We do those scenes from five different angles. A master, a close-up, over the shoulder, a track. We do so many, to do that scene with Bret fifteen times where we were crying every single time. Working with somebody so strong like Bret Dier, being able to be so connected to someone in this fantasy world. It’s a fantasy because we’re not married, we’re not in love, we’re not going to run off into the sunset. We’re friends and co-stars, so to be connected to somebody so well that you could just get to that space every single time. That was a really long day. We shot the wedding sequence over multiple days. Looking back, I feel so lucky that I get to work with somebody so fantastic and that I get to work my craft, my tool, and my engine. Also to look and to feel so proud.
Just talking to you is a huge triumph because you put out your art and you do as much as you possibly can. You say, I’m not going to be stopped by whatever limitations people may think we have because are on The CW, and we have “Latino show.” We have a great showrunner that allows us to do amazing things. The whole season has been better than season one. She just keeps getting better. She just keeps writing these magical storylines, and these fantasy sequences that we really can exercise our craft. It’s freaking awesome, and I can not wait to get back to season three. As much as I love London and I want Jane to come to London, I’m so excited to be part of a project that I actually freaking love.
ADTV: Let’s talk about the guests. You’ve had Britney Spears, Derek Hough, and of course Bruno Mars on the show. Who else would you like to see on the show?
GR: The truth is, every single person who has been on the show has wanted to be on the show. I met Bruno at the Cotto/Canello fight. He and his girlfriend are such big fans of the show. He asked me to come to the suite, and we were talking about Jane. They were saying how much they loved it. It’s the same with Lupita. I saw her in Eclipsed on Broadway. She said it was the only thing that gets her out of this negative space after this heavy play I do every night. She told me how she goes home and watches re-runs and it’s lightens her life. The truth is, everyone who has been on the show has wanted to come on the show. This was my second audition and I booked it, so come and play, have an amazing time, experience love and art.
ADTV: I have to ask about your foundation, We Will. What’s going on with that and how can people volunteer?
GR: We just put the foundation up, this past year. We’ve already started to work in the WestSide family health center which is located in Santa Monica. The majority are latino patients, and there are 95 percent of Latinos who work in the clinic. We are also working with multiple camps across the country that help inner city youth find sports to get scholarships for college be it lacrosse or rowing or sports that aren’t really taught in inner city communities, outside of basketball and baseball.
There’s a large opportunity for scholarships for children of color to get, but they’re not being utilized because those children aren’t taught those sports. We’re working with organizations that are doing that. We’re just starting up and are in our first few months. We have an amazing awards show coming up. I’ll be executive producing that, our foundation will be a part of as well.
Hopefully, we’ll have more opportunities for volunteers coming up. At the moment, my sister runs the foundation and is collecting information as to who needs assistance. So WWHU foundations stands for, We Will Help You, We Will Serve, We Will Be There, We Will Assist. We’re continuing to raising money so that we can help who ever is in need.
You can find out more about the Will Will Foundation on Twitter. Gina Rodriguez and Jane the Virgin will be back for season three on The CW this fall.