Gina Rodriguez: Latinos can keep Donald Trump from getting in office
Jane the Virgin star Gina Rodriguez is on the cover of Latina magazine with a powerful editorial to promote her two big action films coming out. Deepwater Horizon with Mark Walhberg and Kate Hudson opens September 30 and Annihilation with Natalie Portman and Oscar Isaac comes out next year. The interview is great because unlike most stars who start homogenizing their talking points as their star rises, Gina has become even more vocal and committed to bringing up her Latino community with her.
On being Latino and All-American: I love being able to represent both cultures. I was lucky enough to be born with both. I eat hamburgers and hot dogs, I eat arroz con gandules. My grandmother speaks Spanish, my professors speak English. It’s this extra delicious gift that I have.
How Latinos are helping each other: We are definitely helping one another. One thing that I love about Jewish culture is that anthill effect. Every ant brings food to the anthill and everybody eats. Sadly our culture has been living the crab-in-the-barrel effect. We’re so afraid there isn’t enough room for all of us that we fight to get to the top. We don’t need to do that. There’s room for all of us. We’re stronger in numbers. As Latinos, we put Barack in office. We could do the same in making sure that Donald Trump doesn’t get in office. We are that strong.
On shaving her head for Annihilation: I think it all plays into the idea of being your own hero and not feeling like you have to live up to other people’s expectations. I am not my beauty. Who I am is not my f*cking hair, and to be an actor is to transform. To represent a community is to commit, to give my entire all. So if I’m going to represent Latinos in the industry and in art, if I’m going to represent my little cousins in Chicago, they’re going to know that I went full out. Who are we afraid of? What are we afraid of? The worst thing that can happen is we die. Anything else you can handle.
On owning her Latino heritage: A strong leader is one who creates other leaders. So if I am encouraging young girls to take control of their lives, to spread kindness, then I am doing the job God put me here to do. With every attempt we make within the industry, with every project I take, it will be to advance women. Not only women of color but all women and men. One doesn’t exist without the other. I’m just going to continue to keep my head down and keep trying to do the best work I possibly can, never really saying I’ve arrived or that I’ve made it anywhere, but just that I’m going to continue to try.
Gina practices what she preaches about supporting those around you. She has very complimentary things to say about her directors, Peter Berg and Alex Garland and all of her co-stars. For example, of Mark Wahlberg she said, “Mark understands that he got to where he was because of all the people that helped him get there, including himself… He gets struggle, and he could see it in someone else.” Now, I will never be the president of the Mark Walhberg Fan Club but I can appreciate what Gina wants me to see in him. This is one of the many ways in which Gina excels, by flushing out the positive and articulating how it contributes to society.
As for her quote about keeping Trump out of the White House – she;s right. The Hispanic vote was the second largest percentage for Obama in 2008 and third in 2012. Right now, Trump is polling at just 14% with Hispanic voters while 3 out of 4 say they will vote for Clinton. Unless, of course, you consider the polls Trump is quoting, except that those polls are make-believe.
Just me. pic.twitter.com/IZkaTEczz1
— Gina Rodriguez (@HereIsGina) August 24, 2016
Photo credit: Latina, Twitter and WENN Photos
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