Gina Rodriguez‘s Golden Globe win for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for her role as Jane in Jane the Virgin has her name on the tip of everyone’s tongues.
The 30-year old beauty who hails from Chicago, Illinois has been called Hollywood’s next big thing, but judging by her Golden Globes acceptance speech, she’s still just a humble Chi-town girl.
In her speech, Gina revealed:
“The award is so much more than myself. It represents a culture that wants to see themselves as heroes. My father used to tell me to say every morning that today is going to be a great day [and that] I can and I will. Well, Dad, today I can and I did.”
Here are eight things to know about Gina Rodriguez:
1. Her role models are her two sisters, one of whom is a banker and the other, a doctor:
“My sisters were making moves that were crazy to our community, to our family. They were getting the best education and they were shattering stereotypes. I had these women in front of me doing what they love to do and fighting for it, whether we had money to pay for college or not, and it inspired me to do something.”
2. Rodriguez got accepted to Columbia University at just 16 years old.
At sixteen years old, she was among thirteen teenagers to be accepted into Columbia University’s Theatrical Collaboration.
3. She’s played Frida Kahlo before.
Rodriguez portrayed Frida Kahlo in the world premiere of British play The Last Moments in the Life of Frida Kahlo at the American Stage Theatre.
4. Her big break came just after she graduated college.
After graduating from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and working in theater, Rodriguez booked her first guest role on Law & Order.
5. Before Jane The Virgin, Rodriguez was a soap opera star.
In 2011, Rodriguez landed the recurring role of Beverly in the soap opera series The Bold and the Beautiful.
6. In addition to acting, she can sing and rap. After starring in the independent film Filly Brown, Rodriguez told Complex:
“I’m in the studio all the time, doing my own songs. “Dream Big,” one of the songs that opened the movie, was actually the only one I was able to write while we were shooting and it got into the film. A year and a half later, I’m finding myself writing all the time.”
7. She only takes roles that showcase Latinas in a positive way. When asked about her attraction to the role of Jane in Jane The Virgin, she told Time:
“To read a story about a young girl where her ethnicity wasn’t at the forefront, where her dual identity was so integrated in life that it didn’t feel like a separate conversation, was such a breath of fresh air.”
8. She basically chose a role in Jane The Virgin over Devious Maids.
“I wouldn’t 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.”
Season one episode ten of Jane The Virgin premieres on January 19th on the CW.
