Gina Rodriguez

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

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

“I grew up dancing salsa - you know, a traditional Puerto Rican dance.”

“I love telling stories that allow people to be less afraid to tell theirs.”

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

“I started salsa dancing with a few different companies and started touring the country. It was fantastic, but I realized that I really wanted to talk every time we were performing. That's a problem because when you're dancing, if you stop to talk, that's not really cool to the other dancers.”

“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 started small with commercials and print.”

“Being an actress wasn't realistic. I knew that I was going to have to do it in a way that would speak to my parents. So I went to NYU Tisch School of the Arts for theater, and I studied at the conservatory.”

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

“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 learned a lot from Ana Ortiz, who plays my sister in 'Sleeping with the Fishes'.”

“I love relatable stories.”

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

“I am not going to take a role because there's money. It might extend my checkbook, but not my integrity.”

“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.”