If you watch Jane the Virgin, CW’s hit TV show, you know who this is! If you don’t watch it, you must start! Jane the Virgin won a Golden Globe for best performance, a People’s Choice Award for best new TV comedy, and a Peabody Award. Andrea Navedo is from the Bronx, New York and earned her Bachelor’s degree in theater at SUNY at Old Westbury.
Why did you choose to study at SUNY at Old Westbury?
I’m going to be really honest! For the majority of high school, I wasn’t a good student. There was even one year that I decided to not go to school and just hangout with my boyfriend. I guess my junior or my senior year, I had a wake up call and decided to turn my life around and I broke up with my boyfriend. Out of nowhere, I became an honor student and I had never been a good student! So I went to Old Westbury because it was the only school that took me. I applied to a bunch of colleges and Old Westbury kind of considered me but it was a teacher that encouraged me to write a letter and that’s why I got into to Old Westbury. I don’t remember what I wrote in the letter but I poured my heart out! The head of admissions was really impressed by my letter so I got accepted. Turns out I was an honor student my whole time at Old Westbury!
How would you describe your time at Old Westbury?
It was the best time of my life! In high school everyone was so immature and I wanted to be in a learning environment. I just wanted to be in an atmosphere where people were more serious about their studies, motivated, wanted to get ahead in life and that’s what Old Westbury did for me. I was a theater major at Old Westbury and it doesn’t have a theater major anymore. They did when I was there. I do sometimes wish I went to a theater college, but that’s aright, you get what you get.
What inspired you to be an actress?
I always wanted to be an actress even when I was a kid, watching TV, and wanting to be out there just feeling excitement. It just didn’t seem like a reality to me because I didn’t know how to go about it. There was no money, I had a single mom working a full-time job trying to raise her kids. It wasn’t easy at that time and it was more than just money. It was just this little secret that I had, that I wanted to be an actress; it wasn’t a reality to me that I could be on TV. It wasn’t until I got to Old Westbury College that I saw it as a new beginning, a clean start and I wanted to start on the right foot. I wanted to be open and try new stuff.
First experience acting:
It was my first semester as a freshman when I was walking down the hallway by the theater, that I saw an audition sign. Literally, my heart fluttered! It was like love at first sight! You know in the movies when a boy and a girl spot each other? It was one of those moments. I was so exited and looked at the audition date, but then I started to talk myself out of it. I was exited and the negative voice come in, “you’re not an actor, you have no acting experience, you can’t compete against college actors.” The whole idea scared me. I tried to forget about it the whole week but in the back of my mind, I remembered the date. I started talking to myself, “Andrea you promised yourself that you would try new things.” I didn’t want to have any regrets- I already had so many from high school and I didn’t want that going forward. I forced myself to go and to my amazement I got a part, I did the play, and I loved it. I decided I was going to be a theater major!
Do you still get as nervous today as you got back then?
Oh my god, yes! Yes I do! I had an audition a couple weeks ago for a Will Smith movie! And it was with the director David Ayer, and he is huge! I was so nervous. I get there and I see all these familiar faces from Orange is the New Black and like Judy Reyes. All these familiar faces and I’m like oh God, all these people are going to get it, and I’m not going to get it. Literally, the script was shaking in my hands. I was afraid that they could see it shaking! I tend to memorize the scripts anyways so I was like “I’ll remember my lines and deliver!” The director was great even thoughI messed up! I messed up the first take and I completely forgot my lines. In the back of my head I was like, “oh my God, I’m completely messing this up.” I did it again, and again, and again, and I walked out of there so mad I’ve doing this how long? 27 years? Long story short, I got the role! I couldn’t believe it! I closed the deal yesterday (October 5th, 2016) and that’s why I’m telling you about it. The movie is titled “Bright”.
What advice do you have for students still looking for there passion?
Everyone has a different journey and not everyone with have the experience that I have. I would say look out for that butterfly feeling, because that’s when you know that you’ve found what you really want. I would just say to be open as much as possible and to listen to that inner voice. Get out of your comfort zone because that’s where the magic happens. When you try to stay in you comfort zone, everything’s boring. Do things despite your fears.
Do you think that your college degree helped you after graduation? And how?
Oh my God yes! For sure! Everything I did in college informed what I do as an actor. It was the foundation of my acting and the basic stuff such as open up to a camera, opening up to an audience. It helped with my diction, emotional preparation; all of these things are things that I learned at Old Westbury.
The post graduation job market remains a stressful paradigm for students in general, especially for Media and Communication majors who may have to juggle 9 to 5s while perusing their passion. What was your strategy for finding a job for your major and/or how did you juggle multiple aspirations?
I usually read books that will inspire me to stay more organize and more focused. One of the latest books that I’m reading is called The 4-hour Work Week by Tim Ferris. He talks about how to go from 9 to 5 jobs on the thing that is not you passion. I would recommend that book- I liked it a lot. It gives you ideas on how to go about life and how to do better. I would recommend it as a start! I listen to podcasts and whatever motivates me or keeps me on track. I use to have a full-time civilian job so to speak, but I was constantly focusing on the things I wanted. Acting was my priority that was what I thought about everyday. Keeping what you want in mind is the most important thing.
Don’t miss Jane the Virgin! It’s going to be good, girl!