Top 30 Gina Rodriguez Quotes

I love relatable stories.

I will play the characters with last names like Sanchez and Gonzalez until the day I die, but I also want to play the ‘Michelle Smiths.’

Acting is how I’ll be able to change how Latinos are viewed in media and change how little girls see and talk about themselves.

I’ve specifically decided to say no to projects that weren’t advancing Latinos, that weren’t showing us in a positive light, roles that were gratuitous and spreading untruths.

I like to peel it and share it with friends. You can spread the love with an orange.

I think when you work really hard and you help others, God helps you get what you want.

I grew up dancing salsa – you know, a traditional Puerto Rican dance.

Latinos don’t go out and support their own films, but at the same time, it’s not their responsibility.

What I will not do is continue to perpetuate stereotypes. I’m the daughter of a maid; why do I have to also play a maid? My mom was a maid so I didn’t have to be a maid.

I went to college at NYU for acting, since acting was my dream from very young. I did a lot of hip-hop courses while I was there. I helped co-write a hip-hop production for the main stage of NYU, but I never touched rap.

I started small with commercials and print.

Being half Jewish, we grew up with Christmas trees but had Jewish ornaments.

Every morning, my dad would have me looking in the mirror and repeat, ‘Today is going to be a great day; I can, and I will.’

I’ve learned a lot about what kind of actor I want or do not want to be while being on set. I sit back and observe how other actors treat the totem pole of set politics.

I dream big, baby. I want to do thrillers, I want to do smart David Lynch-type mysteries.

I do not devalue the role of a maid or nanny, or the stereotypical roles that some members of our family have actually done to feed our families in real life.

I think all Latino actors want to be storytellers first. I want to be an actor first, and then I want to be Latina.

I learned a lot from Ana Ortiz, who plays my sister in ‘Sleeping with the Fishes’.

I grew up in Chicago, so hip-hop has always been a part of my life.

I can live in L.A. as a struggling artist. I cannot live in New York as a struggling artist.

I was a salsa dancer for the majority of my life, from, like, 7 to 17, and did the World Salsa Congresses. I realized that I wanted to continue obviously to be a performer. But in my household, being an actor and jumping into acting is not really accepted.

I don’t want the Latino community to think I think the reason Latino films are not doing well is because of us. It is not fully our responsibility.

When I got out of college, I booked a movie called ‘Go for It!’ with Lionsgate, came out here, and I’ve been acting ever since – or trying, constantly trying.

What makes characters real are details, and if you’re crafting a person from scratch, you’re probably not going to pay as much attention to a question like, ‘Does this person bite their nails?’

I felt very vulnerable after ‘Sleeping with the Fishes’; I gained weight for the role. I felt a bit out of my skin in the movie, and it was hard to watch.

‘Filly Brown’ gave me the wings to fly, but red carpets are still very uncomfortable.

This industry is all about work, and just because Sundance exposed me to the world, it is my job to stay deserving in that world. The work never ends; the hustle just get harder, and you get stronger!

I’ve been very lucky; God has done amazing things for me.

I try to keep in mind that it’s a long journey. It’s not a race. It’s about staying focused, continuing to do good work, make my family and community proud; that’s all I really want to do… and pay my bills.

I’m not messing with skiing. You can’t get this Puerto Rican on the slope. Uh-uh.