Andrea Navedo is joining her co-star Gina Rodriguez in a call to action to get the Latino community to watch “Jane the Virgin” and other Latino themed TV shows.
“We need to unite as a group and say ‘We are one,’” she told Fox News Latino recently. “There is so much power in the numbers of Latinos in this country.”
At the P&G Orgullosa’s Nueva Latinas Living Fabulosa forum last month, Rodriguez called on the Latino community to “rise and come together” to watch her show and others to increase the numbers and show studios that Latinos matter.
“We are 54 million plus in this country. If we have a third, even just 10 percent of them watching ‘Jane’ … then we can bring up our numbers and they (the studios) are going to create more shows and they aren’t going to have a fear that we don’t make money,” Rodriguez said then.
To Navedo, there is still work to be done to consolidate the Latino community as a unit. She said a “Jane” cast member recently wondered how FOX’s hit show “Empire” was growing its viewership week by week. The explanation, she said, is simple.
“The Black community sees itself as one group and they are all experiencing the same experiences as a group with racism and whatnot, growing up in this country,” she said. “Latinos come from different countries and they tend to segregate with only their country instead of embracing all the other countries. In reality, all the Latinos are going through the same experiences of discrimination and racism.”
The Nuyorican actress, 37, said she didn’t have any Latino acting role models growing up and it actually detracted her from pursing the craft for many years.
“Acting was always a secret desire of mine when I was growing up. (But) I never really saw any real examples that I could emulate – maybe Rita Moreno – but not that many, so I didn’t think it was a real reality for me,” she said.
It wasn’t until she was in college and took a leap of faith to audition for her first play. Getting a part, the acting bug stuck and the rest is history.
Now Navedo wants what she didn’t have growing up: an authentic representation of Latinos.
“People want to see them and they will go see them,” she said. “Latinos need to get together and support and bring everyone else with them (and studios will listen).”
Navedo, who plays Jane’s mother Xiomara on “Jane the Virgin,” also dished on the last couple episodes of the first season. She revealed that Jane will finally have her baby.
“She’s going to have the baby in the final episode,” she revealed. “It’s a doozy. That final episode is so good and well-written. It’s got three cliff hangers.”
As for her becoming a grandmother for season two, Navedo said she is excited.
“I thought she was going to feel old all of a sudden, but as I discovered my character throughout the season, one of the main things I’ve learned is that the thing she is most proud of is being the mother of Jane,” she said. “I’ve decided that Xiomara is excited to be a grandmother.”
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