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Answers by Andrea Navedo, actress, Jane The Virgin, on Quora.
A: It feels pretty groundbreaking for me and I feel a sense of pride. I had a general meeting with the heads of casting before I even knew about "Jane The Virgin" months before my audition. I remember sitting in the waiting room and watching on the monitors the trailers of the CW shows airing at that time and thinking to myself "where are the people of color?" "What am I doing here?" "I don't fit this CW mold." Little did I know at that time that I would be one of the actors to break that mold. Of course much of the credit goes to the heads of the network who had the foresight to see the value that diversity would bring to the network. But I also had the foresight to know that I as a Latina had something to offer. I am glad that I showed up.
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A: There are so many but one of my favorites was when we were filming the pilot. We had some down time in the makeup trailer and were talking about how grateful we were to be working on such a unique show that was so diverse. We knew it was special. We also remarked on how we as a cast had such good chemistry and how we wanted to keep the good and positive vibes going. We had decided at that moment to make a pact that if we had gotten picked up for series that we would continue to be grateful and positive. To this date I can honestly say that all seven of us have remained true to that pact and continue to bring a positive and grateful attitude to set.
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A: If anyone were to be my favorite cast member it would be Ivonne, but I love all my cast mates equally. However, for Ivonne I hold a special place in my heart. She is not only a working Latina actress in her sixties but she has been supporting herself for many years as an actor which is no small feat. And she has been working since the days where it wasn't popular to cast diversely. Besides that she has amazing talents. She not only can act but she can sing and dance. She has had many incarnations in her life from studying to be a nun, to becoming Miss Puerto Rico to her one woman show on TV in Puerto Rico to Broadway. And that is just scratching the surface. I wish I had known of her when I was growing up because there weren't any real and positive role models for me. It would have been very encouraging for my self-esteem. At least I get to enjoy her now and witness her at her craft as 'Alba' on "Jane the Virgin." It is truly inspiring to me to watch her work.
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- Lesson 1: It's okay and kind of cool to preserve your virginity
- Lesson 2: Being a single mother is not the end of the world
- Lesson 3: Latinos are people too
- Lesson 4: Immigrants are not evil but actually contribute to this society
- Lesson 5: Go for your dreams and never give up, even if you have kids
- Lesson 6: Homosexuals are people too
- Lesson 7: Casting Latinos in leading roles is a good investment
- Lesson 8: Diversity is not just a fad, but here to stay
- Buddhism: How does your Buddhism affect your acting skills and vice versa?
- Bilingualism: In many scenes, you and your costars converse entirely in Spanish. Why does the bilingual character of the show matter?
- Telenovelas: What are some great Spanish-language telenovelas that fans of Jane the Virgin would enjoy but perhaps haven't heard of?