Emmys: Gina Rodriguez on 'Jane the Virgin,' Stretching as an Actor, and That Golden Globes Night

Can you believe that a year ago, most of us didn’t know who Gina Rodriguez was? Thankfully, Jane the Virgin came along to introduce us; the CW’s freshman hit has charmed viewers and critics alike with its fun, soapy tale of a girl who finds herself accidentally inseminated — and earned Rodriguez a Golden Globe award for best actress in a TV comedy, beating out the likes of Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Edie Falco.

Jane is filled with shocking, telenovela-style plot twists, but it’s the heartfelt performances — from Rodriguez, especially — that keep the show grounded. With Emmy nomination voting currently underway, Yahoo TV chatted with Rodriguez about Jane’s remarkable season, her first reaction to reading the pilot script (and seeing that title), what that Golden Globes night was like for her and the cast, and how Jane has made her stretch as an actor. As she says, “everything I’ve learned up to now has prepared me for Jane.”

Congratulations on a fantastic freshman season. Would you have believed it a year ago that we’d be talking Emmys right now?
No, I can’t believe right now that we’re talking Emmys. [Laughs.] I couldn’t imagine it then. What a blessing. Honestly, the whole thing is terrifyingly exciting. I really feel so proud of Jane. I feel like we all worked our butt off, and it was such a fun ride, and [showrunner] Jennie [Urman] is so brilliant. So the whole thing has been a gift. To ask for more just feels super selfish… though there is a person inside me that’s like, “That would be awesome!”

Was there a moment when you knew the show had struck a nerve, and people were responding to it?
Yeah, there was definitely a moment. It was at TCAs [the Television Critics Association press tour], right after the pilot had been shown to the critics. And we were welcomed with such warmth… they’ve been so supportive and so outwardly vocal with their support, I was like, “This is awesome! This is surreal!” And this is not the crowd I would think this would strike a nerve with.

Obviously, we’re on a network where we have… a smaller viewership. We’re up against monsters on Mondays. But it just seems like those who connected with it made us, and found a way to watch it: whether it’s on TV on Monday night, or on Hulu, or they’re buying it on Apple. It just felt like people were seeking it out. So we were the little engine that could. It felt like people were enjoying this story, and really feeling the heart of it, and not just the crazy rollercoaster.

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What was your first reaction when you read the Jane pilot? It’s a unique creation: It has comedy, it has drama, it has romance, it has social awareness. Did you ever think this might be tricky to pull off?
Yeah, sure! When I first got the audition, and they were like, “Gina, we have an audition for you for Jane the Virgin,” I was like, “Come again?” [Laughs.] “That’s quite the title! Who do they want me to go in for?” “Jane.” And I was like, “What?!?” [Laughs.] There was a moment of, that’s just some craziness. And then I got the script, and within five pages, I was like, “Who is Jennie Urman? Because this woman is outstanding. This is something different. And is she Latina? Because she gets this first-generation story.”

And that’s what I ended up realizing: This woman writes for women, and for people. She writes for human beings. That’s the great thing about Jane: Jane could be any ethnicity. But for some reason, it was my ethnicity. She was Latino, and first-generation Latino, and the elders spoke Spanish, and I spoke English. And this is exactly the way I grew up! So I was like, “Has this woman been watching my life?” And it was genuine, and fresh, and loving. Because there was so much heart.

And then I auditioned, and it was a really awesome audition. There were like 14 pages; it’s one of those where you’re coming in and you’re reading four scenes. I did it all. And at the end of it, [Jennie] was like, “I’m gonna see you again.” And I wanted to be like, “You want to put that in a contract? Can we get this on the record?” [Laughs.] But I said, “Thank you so much for writing such an awesome script for a Latina. I appreciate you.” And she was like, “Yeah, you got it.”

And her ability to be so socially aware… that was my favorite part: the social awareness. There was social commentary without judgment, in this fun, poppy, bubblegum, delicious world. And that’s great, because that’s how you get to the youth and you let them know about equality, and you let them know about immigration, and same-sex marriage, in a very positive light. Which it should be shown in! So yeah, when I first read that script, I was like, “I don’t know how… I hope I can do this; I’m up for the challenge… but there is something really strong at the bottom of this. And I’ve just gotta find out how to get to it, you know?”

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I feel like maybe your finest acting achievement is just keeping a straight face in your scenes with Jaime Camil, as Rogelio. How do you do it?
[Laughs.] Jaime is loving, and caring, and humble, and kind, and generous, so that’s where that part of Rogelio comes from. That’s where Jaime exists in Rogelio. Because that hysterical, preposterous, over-the-top man has that humble, kind, generous, caring heart. But I don’t know how to keep a straight face. He makes me up my game. I’m like, “OK, I’m gonna work with Jaime. I gotta bring it.” And I’m gonna bring it, because the man is a genius. I gotta stay afloat!

The show also has this great balance of comedy and drama: You might be doing a pratfall in one scene, and then crying the next. How do you manage those transitions, as an actor?
You know, the great thing about Jane is, it’s also been such an exercise for me. Everything I’ve learned up to now has prepared me for Jane. Because I’m 30 years old; I’ve been acting for a while; I went to school for acting. And… I wouldn’t say everything I’ve done has been amazing. Like, I’ve had some kinks, and I was working out who I was. And you’re always growing as an actor: You’re always evolving, and you’re always people-watching, and stretching your muscles, and figuring out how to go to places you haven’t before. But everything I’ve done before Jane has prepared me to use those tools to go in and out of comedy and drama.

But also, working on Jane has fine-tuned me as an actor. I feel like it’s gotten me better; it’s helped me grow. Just because I was so stretched, and I was asked to come with these different feelings in a scene… but then you think about life, and you think about how we’re never just one-note. And our emotions do go all over the place. And we do physically feel so differently throughout every moment of the day. And when you’re super present in your life — like, try it one day — you’ll be like, “Wow, I feel so much! And I can feel so much.”

So with Jane, I really get pushed to do that. And so it’s been awesome, because it’s made me feel like I’ve been able to grow as an actor. What a blessing to work on something you love, something that people are enjoying, and something that you feel like is constantly working your muscles. Now I just need to go to the gym. [Laughs.] Because next season, I don’t have that pregnancy belly! I can’t hide the cookies.

What was that Golden Globes night for you guys as a cast? You guys were all experiencing that for the first time together, right?
Yeah, I think that was the biggest blessing. The morning I found out we were nominated, it was such a crazy morning. I woke up in a nightmare — like, four minutes before they announced the nominees, which is like 5:30 a.m. in L.A. — that we didn’t get nominated. Somebody showed me on their iPhone; they were like, “Sorry, you didn’t get nominated. But here’s the people that did…” And it was like, Family Matters, and The Cosby Show, and Full House. And I was like, “What?!? This is impossible! These are not the shows that we’re up against! What is happening?” But my boyfriend was like, “I just had a dream that you did get nominated.” So then I went back to sleep for four minutes, and then I got a call from my publicist, screaming; she was hyperventilating.

But the beautiful thing is, while she was on the phone with me, the show got nominated. Because I am nothing without them. We are nothing without the background extras that come in every day to our show, and there are like 60 of them, because we work in a hotel and we always have waiters and people in the lobby. We’re nothing without everybody. We’re nothing without the cameramen and the gaffer department and the electric… to be there with them made it so much more special. To have a poster that’s just your face and know you’re nothing without your cast… it felt so good to experience this amazing accomplishment, this achievement all together. Because we all deserved to be there. So that was so freaking awesome. I couldn’t have asked for more. It just felt like the greatest gift ever given.

And we were all at the [Golden Globes] table together, and my category went up before the show’s. And to see all of them just fingers crossed… Jaime was next to me with his head down, praying. My sister was next to me, holding my hand, praying. Jennie was looking at me dead in the eyes… everyone was just so supportive. Obviously, it’s great to see somebody who wants you to win — but they really wanted me to win! There was no envy; there was no jealousy; there was no hate. We were there together.

And that award that I won should’ve been Jane the Virgin, the entire ensemble. Because that is what it was. I am nothing without them. Like I said before with Jaime, I get stretched. He’s like, “You better bring your comedic genius, right this second!” He calls my comedy spirit up, and we have these awesome moments of real-life love. And it’s so incredible with my mom and my grandma… I feel like they’re related to me! It’s otherworldly. I think it’s because we’re all just so grateful to be there. We all know how difficult this industry is, and how hard you work to get somewhere. So no one is taking it for granted.

And besides Jane, are there any other shows you’re rooting for at the Emmys this year? Got any favorites?
Oh, I have so many favorites! I’m rooting for Transparent; I’m rooting for Better Call Saul; I’m rooting for Orange Is the New Black; I’m rooting for Orphan Black; I’m rooting for Black-ish; I’m rooting for Empire. I’m really proud of the freshman shows. I know it’s very tough. The whole thing is very scary; you’re going up against giants that have seasons and seasons to prove their worth. So I just keep praying that we have a possibility to call people’s attention to see the work we’ve done. But I am praying for the newer shows, because they’re so good, and they’re so different, and they’re so fresh. Oh, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine! So many.

Jane the Virgin returns for Season 2 this fall on The CW.