It’s a very good day for the CW.
Just hours after freshman series “Jane The Virgin” was renewed for a second season, its breakout star Gina Rodriguez, who plays the title role, nabbed the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy, beating out Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“Veep”), Lena Dunham (“Girls”), Edie Falco (“Nurse Jackie”) and Taylor Schilling (“Orange Is The New Black”).
Rodriguez’s win marks the the CW’s first Globe, not to mention the net’s first-ever nomination.
“It’s like eating red velvet and knowing it’s fat-free,” Rodriguez said of her winning moment backstage, where she broke down in tears. She answered reporters’ questions in both English and Spanish and explained the significance of her award for the Latino community. “It allowed Latinas to see themselves in a beautiful light. When we look into that screen, we change the way we feel about ourselves; we change our perception of ourselves by the way art has created such a ripple effect. And if we can create an effect that shows Latinos like the investment bankers, doctors, lawyers that existed in my own home, I think that will change the way young girls and boys look at themselves. I think that’s needed, especially now where we have dealt with Eric Garner and Michael Brown, where we are dealing with a society that is diverse, that is so beautiful and human — we all need to remember that we all have the same stories and see them as such.”
During her acceptance speech onstage, Rodriguez thanked her cast, CW’s Mark Pedowitz and her family, among others. “This award is so much more than myself. It represents a culture that wants to see themselves as heroes. My father used to tell me to say every morning, ‘Today is going to be a great day. I can and I will.’ Well, Dad, today is a great day. I can and I did.”
Earlier on Sunday, Pedowitz addressed “Jane’s” early success at the Television Critics Assn. in Pasadena. “Hopefully the nominations, the AFI recognition will help drive an audience to it. The Golden Globes tonight won’t hurt it. It will have a great platform to be heard from Tina Fey and Amy Poehler so we’re kind of hopeful.”
