‘Jane The Virgin’ Creator Jennie Snyder Urman Had To Rewrite A Scene Because Of Donald Trump

Real life issues do play an integral role in fiction. “Jane the Virgin” showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman was so upset when she saw Donald Trump’s leaked video, which featured the Republican nominee making inappropriate remarks and bragging about sexually assaulting women.

Due to this, she had to rewrite a certain scene in the Season 3 premiere episode. The original scene would have featured Michael Cordero (Brett Dier) chasing Jane Villanueva (Gina Rodriguez) and giving her a surprise kiss.

“I felt so uncomfortable with any gray area in terms of consent,” Urman told the Pacific Standard, even though mid-argument kisses often appear on TV. “Those little symbols [of male aggression and lack of consent] are dangerous right now in terms of what we’re talking about and what we’re faced with.”

So instead of surprising Jane with a kiss, Urman had Michael show up at her door and ask, “Let me kiss you again, sober.” Jane is perplexed by Michael’s persistence, and he simply tells her he’s a fighter. Jane agrees to the kiss, and their romance bloomed after that.

Urman felt more comfortable with the rewrite because it sends the right message about female consent. “My responsibility is to make sure that we’re not confusing things… or adding to the problem,” she said.

Meanwhile, Urman also treaded carefully with Jane’s first time having sex with her husband. Instead of letting her enjoy an orgasm (which would have been ideal), Urman let Jane fake it in order to please Michael. In that sense, the scene became more realistic. “The show tries to live in that space between fantasy and reality. So you wanted to see what Jane expected of it and then what really happens and then find her version of a happy ending within a more realistic context,” she told Vulture.

Rodriguez also said that having sex will have a huge impact on Jane’s psyche. “How is [losing her virginity] going to play into her life, her psychology, how she views herself and how she views her intimacy?” Rodriguez told Entertainment Weekly. “There’s an evolution.”

“Jane the Virgin” Season 3 airs every Monday at 9 p.m. ET on The CW.