Over the years, audiences have watched actress Gina Rodriguez deliver stellar performances in movies and TV shows. Rodriguez is one of Hollywood’s recognizable actresses of Hispanic descent. The American actress was born to Puerto Rican parents in Chicago, Illinois, on July 30, 1984.
Gina Rodriguez developed an interest in salsa dancing at age 7. As she grew older, she transitioned to acting. She studied and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. With her screen debut in 2004, these are Gina Rodriguez’s top movies and TV shows.
Jane the Virgin
The CW romantic comedy-drama and satirical telenovela Jane the Virgin was Gina Rodriguez’s international breakout role. The show premiered a decade after Rodriguez’s debut and has been her most nominated performance, winning the actress her first Golden Globe Award. In Jane the Virgin, Gina Rodriguez played the title character, Jane Gloriana Villanueva. She was a 23-year-old religious Latina woman who became pregnant after a mix-up caused her to be artificially inseminated despite being a virgin. The show follows Jane as she navigates the complexities of her unexpected pregnancy and her relationships while dealing with family dynamics and telenovela-style twists.
Deepwater Horizon
Gina Rodriguez joined the star-studded cast of Peter Berg’s 2016 biographical disaster movie Deepwater Horizon as Andrea Fleytas. Although a Box Office flop, Deepwater Horizon was a critical masterpiece. Rodriguez’s Andrea Fleytas character was the Dynamic Position Operator on the Deepwater Horizon rig.
During the catastrophic 2010 explosion and oil spill, Andrea joined Mike Williams (Mark Wahlberg) in efforts to communicate, rescue, and escape the rig. Although cast in a supporting role, Rodriguez’s character is one of the movie’s memorable characters. Deepwater Horizon also starred Kurt Russell, John Malkovich, Ethan Suplee, Dylan O’Brien, and Kate Hudson.
Annihilation
In Alex Garland’s science fiction horror-thriller Annihilation, Gina Rodriguez was cast in a supporting role. She played Anya Thorensen, a paramedic who joins the all-female expedition team into the Shimmer. Anya was initially portrayed as a tough and no-nonsense character. However, as the team ventures into the Shimmer, Anya experiences growing paranoia and fear.
She puts the other surviving members of the team in harm’s way before being lured away and killed by a mutated bear. While also another Box Office flop, it received generally positive reviews from critics. Annihilation also starred Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, Oscar Isaac, and Benedict Wong. Gina Rodriguez’s performance showed audiences that Gina Rodriguez is more than playing a hopeless romantic in Jane the Virgin.
Miss Bala
Gina Rodriguez stepped into the gun-blazing, action-packed world in the 2019 Miss Bala. Leading the cast, Rodriguez plays Gloria Fuentes, a makeup artist from Los Angeles who gets caught up in the dangerous world of drug cartels in Tijuana, Mexico. During a visit to her friend, Suzu Ramós (Cristina Rodlo), Gloria witnesses a crime and is abducted by the cartel. She’s forced to work for them while also trying to rescue her kidnapped friend. Audiences watched Rodriguez’s character evolve from a vulnerable outsider to a resourceful and determined survivor. The movie also starred Ismael Cruz Córdova, Anthony Mackie, and Matt Lauria.
Someone Great
Gina Rodriguez returned to rom-com with her lead casting in the 2019 Someone Great. Cast as Jenny Young, the movie had an all-female lead, with Brittany Snow and DeWanda Wise joining the cast. Rodriguez’s Jenny Young was a music journalist living in New York City. Jenny is left heartbroken after her boyfriend, Nate Davis (LaKeith Stanfield), whom she had dated for nine years, breaks up with her. Someone Great follows Jenny’s journey as she navigates the breakup trauma and prepares her move to San Francisco for her Rolling Stone dream job. The Netflix rom-com was a critical success with generally positive reviews.
Kajillionaire
Miranda July’s 2020 crime comedy-drama Kajillionaire was critically acclaimed for its story and performances. Gina Rodriguez joined the cast of the emotionally charged drama as Melanie Whitacre. Her character is a bubbly, outgoing woman who becomes involved with a family of small-time con artists. The family consists of Robert Dyne (Richard Jenkins), Theresa Dyne (Debra Winger), and their 26-year-old emotionally stunted daughter, Old Dolio Dyne (Evan Rachel Wood). The Dyne family leads a peculiar and dysfunctional lifestyle centered around scams. Rodriguez’s Melanie Whitacre disrupts their dynamic when she crosses paths with them. She offers a contrasting perspective on life, particularly influencing Old Dolio. Kajillionaire premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and has a 90% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Awake
In the 2021 apocalyptic sci-fi thriller Awake, Gina Rodriguez played Jill Adams, ex-U.S. Army medic, alcoholic, and mother to Noah (Lucius Hoyos) and Matilda (Ariana Greenblatt). The movie’s plot centers around a mysterious global event that causes humanity to lose its ability to sleep. Unsurprisingly, this leads to widespread chaos as people become increasingly affected by sleep deprivation.
Jill Adam’s daughter, Matilda, is crucial to the movie’s plot as she seems to be the only person who can still sleep. This makes her a key to humanity’s survival. In Awake, Gina Rodriguez plays the fiercely protective mother who tries to navigate the volatile and increasingly dangerous world while seeking a cure. The movie was panned by critics but remains one of Rodriguez’s memorable roles on the big screen.
Not Dead Yet
Gina Rodriguez led the cast of ABC’s sitcom Not Dead Yet. Rodriguez was cast as Nell Serrano, a struggling journalist forced to return to her old job after a brutal breakup with her fiancée. Back in Los Angeles, she not only had to work under her former rival and enemy, who was now her boss but she was also assigned to write obituaries. As she tries to rebuild her life, Nell discovers she can see and communicate with the ghosts of the people she writes about. Coming to terms with her abilities, Nell gains a new perspective on her life. Not Dead Yet aired for 2 seasons from February 8, 2023, to April 24, 2024, before it was canceled.
Players
Adding another rom-com to her list, Gina Rodriguez led the cast of the 2024 Players movie. The movie received mixed to average reviews because of its cliché storyline. However, Gina Rodriguez’s performance received special praise. She played a 33-year-old New York City sports journalist, Mackenzie. Besides work, she’s known as the mastermind in hook-up schemes to find mates for herself and work colleagues/friends. She becomes fixated on ensnaring Nick Russell (Tom Ellis), a war correspondent recently employed by her company. Besides these Gina Rodriguez movies and TV shows, here’s everything to know about Rodriguez’s husband, Joe LoCicero.
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