Gina Rodriguez on Jane The Virgin It’s not about sex!

BEVERLY HILLS, California — “I’m not a virgin!” With that, Gina Rodriguez jokingly announced her arrival at a function room of the Beverly Hilton, ready to face a platoon of international journalists eager to “grill” her about her talked-about TV series Jane The Virgin which is into its Season Three (premiering on Sony Channel anytime this month) and for which she won a Golden Globe Best Actress in a TV Comedy.

Nobody (this Conversationalist included) expected the happy-go-lucky to tear up halfway through the presscon. That was when she recalled how moved she was by the support of her Filipino fans (her account was briefly recounted in a previous Funfare column but discussed more extensively in this piece).

Tagalized (Season One) for local viewers by ABS-CBN, Jane The Virgin easily caught the interest, especially of teenagers who were drawn to the story of Jane Villanueva, described as “a girl who lived by the rules” studying to become a teacher, working her way through school by working as a waitress at a hot Miami hotel, never forgetting the lesson her grandmother taught her about the importance of saving herself for marriage, until she was accidentally artificially inseminated. Well, what happens to Jane in Season Three is worth waiting for.

Excerpts from the international presscon:

Since you started the show and you’ve had the opportunity to do a lot of things, what’s your proudest achievement in that respect?

“Oh, that’s difficult, because, you know, I love to celebrate — like nothing holds like a certain priority in my life. I think that when I go after something, when I set a goal and it’s accomplished, I love to celebrate that, because then it invigorates me to go after another goal. So, I don’t know if one means more than the other. And then like when you look at the grand scheme of your life, it’s like maybe the best thing that ever happened was that my sister successfully delivered my niece because it was a very difficult delivery, and so like you think, well, there’s that.

“And then there’s like your career, and your career just can never trump that, you know. So, I am happy that my sister is with us. I would say it would be creating a foundation with my siblings, the We Will Foundation, actually doing something that we said we would do 15 years ago, you know. It’s really nice to be able to do what you love, have all these doors opened and then you can like do what your heart has always wanted to do.”

The show is almost always described as addictive, and people binge on it. What is about it that is so compelling and that makes it addictive viewing?

“I think because it’s the ability to laugh through life’s experiences. There’s nothing better to me than to laugh at social commentary and without judgment to be able to talk about immigration reform in a light-hearted way, and I think it’s addictive because we haven’t seen honesty portrayed on screen as often. I think we crave some honesty and some wit and I think our writer does both of them very well. I hope that works. I hope that’s what it is. I was just in Europe and I traveled with my parents for a little bit and to see how well it’s received around the world is like the greatest gift ever. Yeah, when they don’t even speak your language and they are like talking to you and you are like, I don’t know — just hug me, let’s just hold each other, it’s because of you. So, it’s very cool, it’s very cool.”

At this point it’s “Jane The Virgin” but she is going to have sex this season. Do you feel pressure to get that right or is there comedy to be found in the potential awkwardness of that scene? How are you going to approach that?

In a scene from the TV series with leading man Justin Baldoni

“Oh, man! How honest do you want me to be? The first thing that came to mind is I am 32, I don’t think it’s going to be that awkward. No, I’m kidding! But then that’s actually completely untrue, because when you are in those circumstances on set, it’s probably the most awkward and non-intimate and non-passionate experience, you know, when filming that.

“That being said, the two gentlemen that I work with — knowing I don’t know who it is I am losing my virginity with, my guess it’s going to be one of them, right? I mean, I can’t imagine like I just do it with like a random person, and I’m like, you know what? Let’s do it. Forget it. But, the show is not about sex. It’s not. I mean, that’s been such an incredible theme to talk about and to generate this idea of the unpopularity of saving yourself and making it popular.

“I think that’s been the coolest aspect about sex on the show — to talk to young girls and be like, you can still be attractive and strong and sexual and understand temptation and understand your body and feel comfortable in your body and save yourself for a time that’s going to feel great.

“And you’re going to be able to tell your kids about it, and you are going to feel good about it, and when you tell that story, you are going to feel strong whether you are with that person or not. You know, like that is a really awesome message to send to the world when we are in a very over-sexualized, you know, society. At 32, me feeling pressure is crazy, you know, like I can only imagine what 16-year-old girls are going through.”

If not about sex, what else is the show all about?

“The show is about conviction. The show is about honesty. The show is about family and love and understanding oneself and being fearless. The show is about journey and discovery, and hopefully Jane has sex. (Laughs) But that just makes for a fun pop. It’s not her world. She is not driven by it, and you can tell that and also I think it’s such a beautiful message, you know, because it definitely makes me think about, if we want to be personal, it makes me think about the choices I make because I should worship my temple and the people that I bring into my life should respect me.”

Oh, nice to hear that.

“I should respect myself. So, even at 32, to have that constant reminder is a great feeling, because I’m not married, you know, and I want — I want what Jane talks about all the time and what Jane wants. I want that, too. So, I think that that’s what it pushes, but it doesn’t like, you know, when she has sex, it’s going to be magical. I just know Jennie, it’s going to be magical, you know. And it’s going to last about like two-and-a-half minutes. (Laughs) I am kidding, I am kidding, I am kidding. Or not, you know, who knows?”

(From your Conversationalist) Hi, I am from The Philippines.

“I love The Philippines. You guys are very loving.”

Girls back home, they identify with you because you look like a Filipina.

“I get that all the time. I love it, thank you.”

Do you have any Filipina blood?

Rodriguez during the press conference when she cries as she recalls her father (a boxing referee) telling her how much Filipino fans adore her. ‘I’m thankful for their support,’ she says, choking on her emotion. ‘It’s a really cool thing that they’d never know what it does to me...’

“I probably do! I mean I am Puerto Rican. We are everything. Yeah, we are everything.”

What I would like to know is how are you similar to or different from your character?

“I am different in the ways that I continue to try to be similar to her. So like everything that I am not but she is, I am constantly being reminded of it. You know this character I played this summer was vastly different from Jane and it threw me off entirely. So, it’s really nice to play a character that you wish you were more like. So that’s what beautiful about Jane.

“I would say that how we are similar is we are both pretty fearless, you know, and we both live in honesty. Clearly you guys can tell I’ve been really honest today. I am a very honest human being because it makes me feel free. I feel very free in my honesty and I think Jane feels the same way. Where we are different — I am not a virgin. (Laughs) But I wish I was as patient, as understanding, as like — at times I remind myself that one can make decisions for oneself and that’s okay and that’s not selfish and that’s, you know, important. And that’s something I’ve needed to learn, because I am a people pleaser, probably most actors are, but, and that’s not always the best thing, you know, because you’ve got to take care of you.”

What did you learn from Jane, your character?

“Jane is teaching me how to take care of me, because I want to keep playing her, and I want to be good to the people around me, and I want to create this great world and I want to do amazing things that help younger girls and I want to liberate others, and I have all these things I want to do, but I think that’s what Jane has that I don’t. It’s something I’m learning every day. And if I didn’t have her, I don’t know if I’d be thinking about it as much. So, I thank God I get to play a character that makes me do that every day. So, let’s hope by next year, I got on lock, yeah.”

What’s your message to girls in The Philippines that adore you?

“Oh my God! The reason why I am able to do what I love is because of their extreme love and support. I want them to know that they are a part of this journey just as much as I am because there is absolutely no way I’d be able to do what I love without them. Their support on social media, their support via fan mail…I’m thankful for all that.

“My father went to the Philippines recently to supervise a fight. (Her father served as referee in the Pacquiao-Algieri in Macau last year. — RFL) He was sending me pictures of him like pointing at the poster, and he is so proud, and he is there with all his buddies. And like, you know, that support — I don’t know if you can translate that into words to have your father send you a picture. (Crying) But that’s a really cool thing that they’d never know what it does to me. And now my make-up artist has to come on in and make me look presentable again. (Laughs) But this is gearing up for Jane.”

Sorry for making you cry.

“Oh no, are you kidding? On the contrary, it’s such a great memory. I am crying because it’s such a great memory.”

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