It’s no surprise that Gina Rodriguez is a Hollywood queen who deserves all of the success that comes her way. She’s been vocal about her struggles with anxiety, while her production company has taken on projects centering on feminism and Latina representation. In another BAMF move, Rodriguez recently directed her first episode of her CW show Jane the Virgin, which aired this week, and that particular episode called of her first direction of a sex scene. She spilled about the experience and, no surprise, she worked to make the filming environment as comfortable as possible.
Discussing her directorial debut with TV Guide, Rodriguez shared how having control over the scene changed her perspective of putting it together. “I think that the male gaze on the female body is very different than when you have a female gaze on this kind of scene, because I knew what was going to make me feel comfortable,” she said. “I knew how it was going to make me not only comfortable, but make me feel beautiful, make me feel confident, make me feel sexy.”
Today is a great day. Within hours my Directorial Debut on Jane The Virgin will be out in the world and I can release a piece of my art and heart to the Jane warriors. I hope you get to tune in and I hope you laugh and cry! With love, Directora Gina. @CWJaneTheVirgin
— Gina Rodriguez (@HereIsGina) February 9, 2018
In the Feb. 9 episode, Jane found herself in a sexy moment with her on-and-off-again fling, Rafael. Seeing as actor Justin Baldoni has publicly shared his own struggles with body dysmorphia, filming the scene also emphasized Rodriguez’s need to make her scene partner feel equally comfortable. The emotional insight into Baldoni’s insecurities gave Rodriguez a unique perspective on the scene overall.
“I was able to give that to my male co-star when, stereotypically, people wouldn’t think that men go through this experience,” she said. “They don’t feel confident in front of the lens all the time. They don’t feel manly or buff or ripped. I was able to show Justin just how handsome and masculine he was and could be and really wanted to feel.”
Kudos to Rodriguez for always reminding us that everyone, regardless of gender, faces body insecurities. We hope that she directs more episodes of Jane the Virgin in the future and inspires more women to pursue directing opportunities!