Gina Jumps In

Gina Rodriguez is feeling the heat. She has a wedding to plan, a series to finish, and a movie whose success—or failure—rides entirely on her shoulders. She even has a sick puppy. But this is not a woman who sweats under pressure. This is her superstar moment, and she’s ready to seize it.

- Lisa Butterworth

When you’re seconds away from the first big plunge and feeling that perfect mix of excitement, anticipation, and fear? Gina Rodriguez feels like that pretty much all the time these days. Or as she puts it, grinning from ear to ear during lunch at a Culver City restaurant, “terrified as fuuuck.”

The 34-year-old actress has filmed 10 movies during her time off from the instant hit Jane the Virgin, but it’s the upcoming Miss Bala where she lays her reputation, future career, and big-screen viability on the line. She stars as Gloria, a Mexican-American who finds herself swept up—and complicit—in the deadly crimes of a cartel. Taking this professional leap, she says emphatically, makes her really scared. But she’s not preoccupied with achieving box-office success or critical acclaim.

“I felt very alone growing up. I didn’t feel represented. I didn’t feel a part of the conversation,” she explains. “And if you see yourself projected, you believe you are worthy, valuable.” Miss Bala as a whole is groundbreaking. The majority of the cast is Latinx, and so were many of its crew. “When Hollywood reimagines films, they have historically whitewashed them. In this case, the American girl is me, a Latina born in this country. I find that revolutionary.”

Of course, Gina would like the movie to follow in the barrier-breaking footsteps of Black Panther and Crazy Rich Asians. But if it bombs? “Hopefully, it’s the same thing that happens every time a white movie bombs,” she says. “They just make another one!”