I just cant stop saying how much you #ROCK Gina Rodriguez!!! I wouldnt say that I chose Jane over Devious Maids. When I was presented with Devious Maids after Sundance, after I did a film at Sundance and I had an ABC holding deal, I found it limiting that that was the one that was available to me. I found it limiting for the stories that Latinos have. For the stories that Americans have, I feel like theres a perception that people have about Latinos in America specifically — somebody growing up in Chicago, English being my first language, Spanish being my second — that we are perceived a very certain way. Our stories have been told, and theyre not unmoralistic, you know, being a maid is fantastic. You know, I have many family members that have fed many of their families on doing that job, but there are other stories that need to be told. And I think that the media is a venue and an avenue to educate and teach our next generation. And, sadly, right now the perception they have of Latinos in America are very specific to maid, landscape, pregnant teen. Mind you, I am playing pregnant but not a teen. I didnt become an artist to be a millionaire. I didnt become an actor to wear Louis Vuitton. I have to give this dress back when were done. I became an actor to change the way I grew up. The way I grew up, I never saw myself on screen. I have two older sisters. Ones an investment banker. The other one is an doctor, and I never saw us being played as investment bankers. And I realized how limiting that was for me. I would look at the screen and think, Well, theres no way I can do it, because Im not there. And its like as soon as you follow your dreams, you give other people the allowance to follow theirs. And for me, to look on younger girls and to say, Well, Ginas like me, maybe not necessarily the same skin color, maybe not necessarily the same background, but like thats me. Im not alone. I can do it too. So every role that Ive chosen has been ones that I think are going to push forward the idea of my culture, of women, of beauty, my idea of liberating young girls, of feeling that they have to look at a specific beauty type. And I wasnt going to let my introduction to the world be one of a story that I think has been told many times. I wanted it to be a story that was going to liberate young girls and say, Wow, there we are too, and were the doctors, and were the teachers, and were the writers, and were the lawyers, and I can do that too. And I dont have to be a perfect size zero. I can be a perfect size me. And thats what I live. So Jane, I waited for her patiently. And now shes here. And thank you for being here with us. Because this is a dream come true to me.
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 18:32:00 +0000