Taking a page right out of the telenovela playbook, JANE THE VIRGIN will be offering not only a pregnant virgin, but an evil twin, and a murder — or at least that is what they hope to be able to spring upon fans as the first season unfolds.
Jane (Gina Rodriguez) just thought her life was complicated enough when she went in for a routine medical exam and came out pregnant. Then her world really took a crazy detour and the next thing she knows: her long lost-father Rogelio (Jaime Camil) reappears, an old flame surfaces, and her boyfriend has special news for her as well. Jane’s life literally will never be the same again, and yet, it may also be the best thing that ever happened to her. JANE THE VIRGIN is a charming and humorous look how Jane’s life inadvertently becomes a telenovela story that she initially wishes that she could escape from.
In exclusive interviews, stars Gina Rodriguez and Jaime Camil, along with creator and executive producer Jennie Urman, teased what this first season has in store for JANE THE VIRGIN.
What can we expect this season on JANE THE VIRGIN?
JENNIE: Expect great telenovela twists. What I wanted to do was create a world with all those telenovela elements, but then is emotionally grounded at the same time. So we are really going to go for those telenovela tropes. To me, the comedy comes out of reacting to the crazy, bigness of it all.
Will we be watching Jane’s growing baby-bump throughout Season 1?
JENNIE: Yes. My plan is that the first season is the pregnancy with a big twist at the end.
So will the show focus more on the incremental changes in Jane’s life after she finds out that she is pregnant?
JENNIE: Definitely. It will be about how she adapts and does not let it take over her life — well, it does — but more about how her life changes, of course.
With the main character already pregnant in the first episode, how much romance will the show continue to have?
JENNIE: (Laughs) A lot of romance! Plus, Jane’s virginity is something that will be coming up and will be tested; and, obviously, there is a love-triangle and we’ll be exploring that. What I like is that Jane is this good girl who has always played by the rules and then this pregnancy happens and it just changes her entire life in how she relates to everyone and sees everything. She really goes through a rebellion while being pregnant. It sort of loosened up her whole world view. So I think it is a pretty sexy show even though it has a pregnant virgin at the center of it.
And it seems like there are multiple suitors for Jane, even though she’s now knocked up.
JENNIE: There are — and it’s sexy. She’s a virgin, but she’s not a prude. So it’s fun. The second episode has a lot of romance.
What do you most admire about Jane?
GINA: I most admire Jane’s strength. Jane goes through a lot of different obstacles, but she always remembers who she is or who she desires to be, and she keeps trying to grow towards that human being. Jane is very comfortable with being wrong, very comfortable with understanding that there are things about her that she needs to work on, and learning from her mistakes. I think that is really admirable.
What is Jane looking for in a man? She seems to be drawn to a variety of male suitors on the show?
GINA: (Laughs) Gotta love the CW for giving me a variety of male suitors! They are extremely adorable and amazing in real life, so I am very lucky to be working with these guys. I think what is beautiful about the show is that Jane has multiple male suitors of multiple ethnicities and multiple age ranges — and no one questions that.
In the first episode, there is a hint that we will be seeing more of Jane’s dad, but he does not seem like the conventional father. How quickly will he come into her life and what will that relationship be like?
JENNIE: Right away, and there will be telenovela fighting and tension and there’s a bit of love-story there too. Then we will explore the story of Jane and her dad and what she expects him to be — because she has a lot of expectations of who her father is and what she expects him to be like. There is also a big problem with her mom since her mom lied about her dad’s identity. So Jane will get to know her father, who is a larger than life character — a real comic force– and their relationship is slowly evolving. He is a little over the top and he is a lot to take in Jane’s world all at once. I mean, his signature color is lavender and he gives extravagant gifts. It is a lot for Jane to take.
JAIME: I think I speak maybe 4 words in the pilot episode, but I swear that staring in the second episode, Rogelio is a lot more involved int the story and in Jane’s life as well.
What will Jane and her father’s reunion be like?
JAIME: Very awkward and very politically incorrect because my character has never been a father and he doesn’t know how to do it. So he thinks being a father is giving Bentleys away. Bu he will learn as the story progresses. He will learn to be a good father and Jane will learn to be a good daughter. It’s going to be a very beautiful relationship. And I think he will end up with Jane’s mother again because they were high school sweethearts. But it will take time to evolve. We are early in the game.
What kind of fatherly advice will Rogelio give advice Jane?
JAMIE: (Laughs) He comes up with these ridiculous lines, but instead of wanting to slap him for being a pretentious bastard, you just love him.
Jennie, you are known as a fearless storyteller. So what is going to be fearless about the first season on JANE THE VIRGIN?
JENNIE: I am not afraid of any of the telenovela tropes. There’s going to be the evil twin. There’s going to be all those things that telenovelas are known for and are so fun. We are going to go for it with all our characters.
We heard Michael Rady has joined the show and will be portraying a character by the name of Lachlan. How does he fit in Jane’s world?
JENNIE: Lachlan works for Emilio, who is Rafael’s (Justin Baldoni) father and he was kind of the heir apparent until Rafael decided he wanted to get back into the business. So Lachlan was displaced and he is coming back with chip on his shoulder. Right now, Lachlan is in the Rafael, Emilio, Petra world, but he will definitely complicate Jane’s world. Everything ties back to Jane in some way.
Then what character is Bridget Regan portraying on the show?
JENNIE: She is a former attorney, who is now an interior designer/trophy wife. But she used to be an attorney and Louisa calls her for help. So she is someone with a complicated history and complicated relationship to some of the other characters. There’s a big twist there.
Will the telenovela voiceovers continue to be a part of the show beyond the premiere episode?
JENNIE: I see the show as an ode to the telenovela. It’s not a satire or anything like that. So it’s more a love-letter with the Latin lover and a narrator. I want their world to have some whimsy and a storytelling quality to it. So that is a big part of it. And then as the season develops, there may be a connection between the voice and someone in the show.
What teasers can you share for the upcoming season?
JENNIE: There is a very shocking event at the end of episode 2. Expect all the typical telenovela twists. There’s going to be a murder — maybe. (Laughs) We are going to bring the telenovela world into our TV show — and it is going to be really a lot of fun. That’s what we wanted it to be: fun. It’s wish fulfillment and being able to write wild fantasy. Viewers should expect big romantic scenes, big comedy and big drama — but emotionally grounded in Jane’s world — magical realism. It’s going to be fun.
To see how wild, romantic and outrageous Jane’s life is going to be, be sure to tune in for the series premiere of JANE THE VIRGIN on Monday, October 13th at 9:00 p.m. on the CW.
The TV Watchtower 