“Jane the Virgin” for four hilarious years captured the hearts and souls of fans everywhere, it was an American romantic comedy with a dash of satirical telenovela created by Jennie Synder Urman. The satirical nature of the show was embedded within a deep level of authenticity. Jane the Virgin had a precise blend of wildly playful yet knowing; ostensibly chaotic but staying within a structural framework.
The show was anchored by the talented and enigmatic Jane Villanueva (Gina Rodriguez), aired on the CW, premiering on the 13th of October 2014 and concluded on the 31st of July 2019. It was a story of a young devoted Catholic wrongfully artificially inseminated. Jane was a Latina woman who worked at the hotel of Rafael Solano (Justin Baldoni), cancer survivor/playboy whose sperm inseminated Jane. This crazy turn of events served as a determent in her relationship with Michael Cordero (Brett Dier), a Miami police officer. The very soul of the CW telenovela was the relationship between Jane and her single mother Xiomara (Andrea Navedo), who had Jane as a teenager. The show by no means lacked sauciness, but it went on to show that sex isn’t the most important thing in a relationship.
The members of the cast were unique, and embodied each role, connecting on different levels and having a massive effect on a lot of fans. It is only natural if people wonder “what have they been up to” since the curtains came down on the show. Here we take an elaborated look at the members of the cast and what they have been doing.
Gina Rodriguez (Jane Villanueva)
Gina Rodriguez was an instant hit on Jane the Virgin, culminating in her winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a television series (2015). Post Jane the Virgin, Gina starred in crime thriller “Miss Bala” and Netflix’s hit comedy “Someone Great.” Her biggest role since then came when she voiced the titular character in Netflix’s cartoon series “Carmen Sandiego.” Rodriguez maintains a strong relationship with the movie streaming company Netflix. One of her recent gigs with the streaming giant is the sci fi thriller “Awake” which was released in June 2021. In addition to acting, Rodriguez has created her own production company, “I Can and I Will” under which she has produced and directed on so many projects most notably Disney’s Diary of a Future President.
Andrea Navedo (Xiomara Villanueva)
Prior to the ending of “Jane the Virgin” Andrea Navedo took part in the Netflix film “Bright” alongside movie legend Will Smith and Joel Edgerton. Andrea had a guest starring role in Paramount+’s “The Good Fight” for two episodes as Marta Tecades. She also appeared in a comedy drama “Before I Go” alongside Anabelle Sciorra and Greg Berko, and can also be seen in comedy film “Smile and Hug” a film produced by former co-star Justin Baldoni.
Yael Grobglas (Petra Solano)
Yael Grobglas embodied the role of pantomime villain (Petra Solano) on the show. She was deceptive, deeply manipulative – hated and adored in equal measure. Petra started off as scheming, underhanded and at times hilarious, but eventually became a loyal friend of Jane. She also played the role of Anezka, the dim-witted twin sister of Petra Solano.
Yael, unlike the rest of her “Jane the Virgin” alum had only one major role after the ending of the CW telenovela, and it was in stark contrast to her role of Petra Solano. In the movie “Selection”, Grobglas played the role of a middle-aged American singer seeking the affection of the crown Prince Maxon. During her time on “Jane the Virgin”, she had a recurring role on CW’s “Supergirl” and medieval fantasy “Reign”.
Justin Baldoni (Rafael Solano)
Rafael Solano was always viewed as the artful yet smoldering heartthrob of the show, the playboy who had a (come to Jesus) moment after he had and beat cancer, which forever altered the course of his life. He subsequently played Jane’s baby daddy and eventual husband.
Baldoni after the show transitioned from acting to producing, writing and directing. His most notable job as a director was on the 2019 hit film “Five Feet Apart” starring Cole Sprouse and Haley Lu Richardson. The 2019 blockbuster also doubled as his directorial debut and received number a of plaudits, the movie was seen to be resonant of “The Fault in our Stars.”
Justin is known as somewhat of an expert on masculinity, he has a number Ted talks on the subject of “redefining masculinity”, and a show called “Man Enough” which debuted while “Jane the Virgin” was still on air. Baldoni released his book “Man Enough: Undefining my Masculinity” in the spring of 2021.
Brett Dier (Michael Cordero Jr.)
Michael’s story on “Jane the Virgin” could be classified as a whirlwind roller coaster. Fans of the show were often split into two groups – “Team Michael” and “Team Rafeal.” Michael Cordero, was a charming cop who uniquely combined humor and charisma to great effect in his role.
Before the end of “Jane the Virgin”, Brett landed a major role on ABC sitcom “Schooled” a spin off from the network’s “Goldberg”. He also starred in 2021’s A24 sci-fi drama “After Yang” alongside Colin Farrell and Jodie Turner-Smith.
Jaime Camil (Rogelio de la Vega)
Jaime Camil played the role of the self-absorbed, melodramatic, but endearing narcissist Rogelio (Jane’s long-lost father.)
Camil went straight into voice acting with recurring roles on Netflix’s “BoJack Horseman “and on Disney series “Elena of Avalor”. He also had a role on the channel’s reboot “Ducktale”, and was a regular on the one season sitcom on CBS “Broke”.
This post was submitted by Ihechi Echebiri
Ihechi Echebiri is a creative writer, movie enthusiast and game freak from Nigeria. He is also the regional Call of Duty champion in his state. He dreams of being the first James Bond from Africa, crazy? I know. He can also name every single Marvel character and give a vivid description of their abilities in his sleep. In his free time, he sings (poorly), cooks, plays video games and digs out random facts about random things.