A little ‘Bird’ inspired her
Fair warning: Gina Rodriguez is done waiting.
Never one to bite her tongue when it comes to pointing out underrepresentation of Latinos in front of and behind the camera in film and television, the 33-year-old actress, best known for playing the titular heroine on the CW’s “Jane the Virgin,” decided the best way to influence change was to take action.
So this moment in mid-January on the dramedy’s set in Manhattan Beach— in which Rodriguez, in her directorial debut, is giving notes to her costar Yael Grobglas (who plays Jane’s sometimes foe, Petra) during an emotional scene — is more than Rodriguez growing as a filmmaker, though that’s nice too. This is about arming herself with the tools to pave the way for more like her.
It’s the latest step in her transformation into a multi-hyphenate.
Rodriguez has steadily built her portfolio as a producer. She had three shows in development this cycle under an overall deal at CBS Television Studios for her I Can & I Will Productions, including a pair of series focusing on the Latino community.
“I realized early on as an actor that I’ve got to stop waiting for the industry,” she says. “I’ve got to stop waiting for people to hire Latinos. I have to stop complaining that there isn’t more representation. I need to do it myself. I know what rejection is, I know what failure is — and it doesn’t scare me. If I want the utopia of Latinos on the screen and behind, I need to produce, I need to direct. I need to do my part.”
Rodriguez is determined. And added inspiration came this year after being captivated by a certain film written and directed by a woman: Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird.”
“‘Lady Bird’ was my exact experience,” she says. “I grew up in Chicago. Went to Catholic high school. Parents were poor. Pretended like I was somebody else. Wanted to get the ... out of there. Wanted to move to New York. Had a funny, funky relationship with both of my parents. And I just thought to myself: ‘I should make my own ... movie. I should direct my story. I should make my movies because Greta, what an inspiration, showed it was possible. Go out and do it your damn self and create opportunities for others while you’re at it.’ ”