Serial phenomenon of the 2010s, “Jane The Virgin” still conceals secrets. Discover 8 facts that you may not have known about the show worn by Gina Rodriguez.
Remember, 7 years ago (or less for those who discovered it later) you fell under the spell of Jane The Virgin, a 23-year-old young woman, a virgin and a believer, who saw her life change when she learned to be pregnant after having been accidentally inseminated by her gynecologist. With such a synopsis, who would have thought that the series would actually be a real pearl of the small screen that has fascinated its audience for 5 seasons full of humor and heart. So a little throwback to the past: discover 8 things you may not know about the telenovela worn by Gina Rodriguez in the role of Jane Villanueva, a heroine definitely like no other.
STRAIGHT OUT OF A TELENOVELA
Jane the Virgin is the adaptation of the Venezuelan telenovela Juana La Virgen, created by Perla Farías and broadcast in 2002. In the original version, the protagonist was 17 years old when she was artificially inseminated by mistake in the hospital. The only other similarity is Rogelio’s last name although “De La Vega” is then the last name of the “love interest” in Juana La Virgen and not Jane’s father. But other than that, there are no other commonalities with the series that we know of. Indeed, the characters of the American version were given new plots and identities. Jane, for example, is 23 years old and her personality is very different from that of Juana and her trajectory too. And if Jane evolves in the hotel industry while dreaming of becoming a writer, Juana evolves in the world of fashion and women’s magazines.
A GOLDEN SERIES
The CW is the channel of Riverdale, Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries, Arrow, The Flash, The 100 and Reign, among others. It is also the descendant of the WB which saw the birth of Buffy against the vampires, Charmed, Smallville, The Brothers Scott or Supernatural. And if all these series have met with success, Jane the Virgin is however the first CW series to be nominated for the Golden Globes and to win one of these famous awards. With these four nominations and her trophy for best actress in a comedy or musical series for Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin has definitely hit hard and has thus marked the spirits with the clever mix of her intelligence, her relevance and her caustic humor.
JANE THE THIRD ONE
Few shows can boast of having quickly found their headliner. As you know, castings are often a long and tedious process, and it can sometimes take weeks or even months to find the right person to play a particular role. Especially when this role is that of the protagonist of a series on which everything will rest! So when the executive producer of Jane The Virgin, Jennie Snyder Urman, began auditioning to find a suitable actress to play the role of Jane Villanueva, she understandably thought it would take some time. To her surprise, she found her Jane within minutes since Gina Rodriguez was literally the third actress to audition! And there it was love at first sight… Once the audition was over, the search also ended.
THE “LATIN LOVER” OF OUR HEARTS
Jane the Virgin is one of his series in which the narrator has a prominent place. Omnipresent, omniscient and hilarious, it must be admitted, the narrator is perhaps THE star of the show who definitely would not have had this mad charm without him. This “Latin lover” voice – with its iconic accent, a true tribute to Latin American telenovelas – is that of Anthony Mendez, a voice-over artist who did his job so well that he was twice nominated for an Emmy. , in 2015 then in 2016, especially for episode 14 of season 1 and episode 12 of season 2.
A VERY (VERY) YOUNG MOM
On screen, Andrea Navedo and Gina Rodriguez are mother and daughter. Xiomara indeed had Jane very young, at the age of 16 to be precise. In reality of course, they are not related but they are certainly not old enough to play such a duo since Andrea Navedo is only 7 years older than Gina Rodriguez! And yet we believe in it: ah the magic of cinema!
TELENOVELA STAR
Rogelio de la Vega is an eccentric and self-centered telenovela star, and who better to embody that than a real telenovela star! Yes, Jaime Camil, originally from Mexico, has starred in dozens of telenovelas. The best known of these is La fea más bella or La Plus Belle des laides in French (2006): this is the second Mexican adaptation of the popular Colombian telenovela Yo soy Betty, la fea or “I am Betty, la moche” in French (1999) which itself inspired the American series Ugly Betty (2006)! For the record, Jaime Camil also dubbed Rogelio in the Latin American Spanish version of Jane the Virgin.
THE ALL-CROSS SERIES
It is not uncommon for two actors who have played together before to find themselves in a new and same project. And this is the case of several actors in the series. Ivonne Coll (Alba) and Tyler Posey (Adam) were both in Teen Wolf. Indeed, Ivonne played in a few episodes of the show in which Tyler Posey is the star. She has also already played with another guest in the series: Adam Rodriguez (Jonathan Chavez) whose mother she played in Roswell (1999). Rita Moreno (Liliana De La Vega) and Justina Machado (Darci Factor) both starred in Netflix’s flagship series, One Day At A Time, as mother and daughter. In Jane the Virgin, Rita plays Rogelio’s mother and Justina, a successful matchmaker and mother of Rogelio’s baby. Finally, Brooke Shields (River Fields) and Eden Sher (Pond “PJ” Fields) are mother and daughter in Jane, but in The Middle, Sher is Sue Heck, while Brooke Shields is the mother of the Glossner boys, the troublemakers neighborhood. And while that’s more of a reference than a crossover, it’s still amusing to note that when Magda (Priscilla Barnes) is imprisoned in Season 2, she mentions to Petra that a “Russian redhead in the kitchens” is trying to get her. poison, a subtle allusion to Red (Kate Mulgrew) who manages the prison kitchens in Orange Is the New Black, a series in which plays… Diane Guerrero, alias Lina Santillan, Jane’s best friend!
SUCCESSFUL GUESTS
Several musical guests have appeared on the show. Among them, Colombian singer Juanes made his debut as producer Elliot Lantana for one episode during the first season. He subsequently recorded “Una Flor”, the main theme of the series. In the second season, other singers appeared… and not the least! Indeed, Britney Spears and Bruno Mars both appeared in their own roles, while Kesha briefly played Annabelle, a colorful musician who moves into the house next to Jane’s.