‘Jane The Virgin’ Star Gina Rodriguez Shares Secret To Success: ‘I Can And I Will’

“Jane the Virgin” star Gina Rodriguez did not think that she would one day get to star in a popular TV series, and for the longest time, she believed that as a fact.

But when she started thinking differently, good things started coming her way. “Girls like me were never the lead in TV shows. [Because of that] I didn’t believe I could succeed,” Rodriguez told The Collegian. “If you want to see yourself, support yourself.”

Now, Rodriguez stars as Jane Gloriana Villanueva in The CW series “Jane the Virgin,” and she’s set to lend her voice to Netflix’s “Carmen Sandiego” as well. She already appeared on the big screen alongside Mark Wahlberg and Kate Hudson in “Deepwater Horizon,” and the offers are not stopping there.

READ: Gina Rodriguez to lend her voice to Netflix’s ‘Carmen Sandiego’

Rodriguez credits her father for giving her the proper mindset when it comes to achieving one’s goals. As a child, he would make her repeat this phrase everyday: “Today is going to be a great day. I can and I will.” As a result, Rodriguez is still repeating that mantra to this day.

However, the actress took things one step further by sharing the mantra of positivity to those around her. She started the online initiative called #MovementMondays, wherein she uplifts Latinos and Latinas from different industries in order to inspire their peers to take a shot at their dreams, no matter how difficult or impossible the road ahead might seem.

“Life is much more enjoyable when you uplift and give love,” Rodriguez said. “Self-love is what is going to fuel activism.”

People of color often get intimidated by roles in Hollywood, but Rodriguez said their difference is not a weakness, it’s actually their strength. The same goes for any other industry. “Positivity, solution, power. You own all of them. It’s your journey, make it what you want it to be,” Rodriguez added. “One person’s ‘no’ is not the end of your journey. Try and fail and try again.”

Rodriguez also has some strong thoughts about gender equality. In Hollywood, one of the things she wishes to address is the gender pay gap, wherein actors get paid more compared to actresses even though they deliver the same amount of work.

“On average, there is a 20 percent pay gap that women face for doing the same job compared to their male counterparts — a gap that often grows larger for different ethnicities,” she wrote for In Style. “To me, equal pay isn’t just about a dollar amount. It’s about knowing what you’re worth and a strength in knowing what you deserve. It’s about fairly and equally recognizing hard work and talent, no matter gender, ethnicity or religion.”

Rodriguez stressed that equal pay is “necessary” because it sends a message to women that they are valued and are capable of accomplishing great things. “We must continue to champion and support women in our daily lives,” she said. “I believe there are small acts we can all take every day to help champion equality and support one other. One way is to use your social channels to raise your voice.”