Gina Rodriguez has proudly advocated on behalf of the Latino community on numerous occasions. Most recently, she called for more studios to cast Latinos in their projects. In an interview with Self.com, the star is now opening up about her personal journey as a woman of color in Hollywood, equal pay and her fight for better representations of Latinos in popular culture.
The 33-year-old, who won a Golden Globe in 2015 for Best Actress in comedy series Jane the Virgin and stars alongside Oscar winner Natalie Portman in the newly released film Annihilation, admits she didn’t have confidence at the beginning of her career. “I didn’t know my worth because the industry had such a specific perspective on what it should be as a brown woman,” Rodriguez told the website, “I had to start saying, ‘Well, I know if I work hard, I can show my worth,’ and I have been doing nothing but that.”
The Puerto Rican actress hopes to use her immense platform to continue raising awareness and help younger aspiring artists stave off self-doubts. Rodriguez, who recently directed her first episode of Jane the Virgin, is currently developing two television pilots centered on Latino immigrants and plan to extend more creative opportunities to fellow Latinas behind-the-scenes. “Obviously I come from a very specific lens and a very specific perspective,” she said. “I, of course, would love to see Latino communities uplifted and celebrated in a positive light because our administration loves to show us in such a negative light. That’s going to be a part of my fight.”
On pay parity, which many actresses have addressed in recent months vis a vis their male costars, Rodriguez told the outlet: “Especially women, and especially women of color, really have to fight for equal pay,” she said. “My white sisters definitely have a higher starting point, my black sisters as well. Latinos really do live in the lower end of pay.”
No matter the consequences, Rodriguez seems determined to flip the status quo in Hollywood: “Whether that means success or failure,” she said, “I’m ready to go for it.”