What Happened To The Cast Of Jane The Virgin?
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"Jane the Virgin" was a monumental success while it was on the air. It managed to satirize and recreate the same feeling of a telenovela but for an English-speaking audience. This roped in millions as the series tracked the titular character's accidental pregnancy and its impact on her many relationships. The series is loosely adapted from a Venezuelan telenovela, "Juana la virgen," which also centers around an accidental insemination.
"Jane the Virgin" ran for five seasons consisting of 100 episodes, and each one showcased Jane's life in humorous ways. Characters the viewer thought were bad turned out to be good, and vice-versa. There was an amnesia plot, an evil stepmother storyline, murder, mayhem, and everything else in between. As the plot thickened, Jane's life continued moving forward to an inevitable, albeit predictable, conclusion. Emily Nussbaum of The New Yorker described the show as "not a guilty pleasure. Instead, the show is a joyful manifesto against that very putdown."
While "Jane the Virgin" had enough plot devices spread through its run to fuel a dozen shows, they only worked as well as they did because of the talented actors making them happen. "Jane the Virgin" was chock-full of excellent entertainers, first and foremost was Gina Rodriguez in the title role. Of course, she couldn't have excelled without an amazing group of supporting characters, and this show had tons of them. "Jane the Virgin" concluded in 2019, and this is what the main cast has been doing since.
Gina Rodriguez has done tons of voiceover work
Gina Rodriguez got her start like many actors, having played a walk-on role on "Law & Order." From there, she popped up in various television series and a few films, but she didn't gain much attention until landing the role of Beverly on "The Bold and the Beautiful." Less than two years later, she nabbed the lead in "Jane the Virgin" and managed to kickstart her career to new heights, earning her critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award for her work on the series.
Rodriguez ended her time on "Jane the Virgin" when the series wrapped in 2019, leaving her room to diversify into other areas. She has since done extensive voiceover work, providing the voice of Gina Alvarez on "Big Mouth," the lead on Netflix's "Carmen Sandiego," and more. Rodriguez has also spread her wings a bit more via feature films, which afforded her the opportunity to produce films like "Someone Great," in which she took a starring role.
While Rodriguez has certainly kept herself busy professionally, she's had time to develop personally as well. Rodriguez explained in an interview with US Weekly that she and MMA fighter Joe LoCicero began dating after meeting on the set of "Jane the Virgin" in 2016. Two years later, Rodriguez and LoCicero were engaged, and In May 2019, the actress' Instagram page revealed that the two tied the knot.
Andrea Navedo directed and produced a short film
Long before Andrea Navedo took on the role of Xiomara "Xo" Villanueva on "Jane the Virgin," the actress was already a veteran of American soap operas. Navedo's first role came in 1995 when she was cast to play Linda Soto on "One Life to Live." Soon after, she landed another series regular, playing Theresa Sandoval on "Guiding Light," and numerous roles followed this in various series, including a recurring role on "Law & Order," where she played Detective Ana Cordova.
When she was cast to play Xo on "Jane the Virgin," Navedo was in the midst of an impressive career on television. She's dipped her toe into the world of feature films, but most of her work remains on the small screen, where she's continued to land high-profile roles in a variety of series. Since "Jane the Virgin" ended, Navedo continued doing what she does best: appearing in supporting roles on various shows.
Navedo has also provided her voice to several animated characters, including Ophilia Nuñez on "Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia," which she did for three years. Navedo has spent most of her career in front of a camera or behind a microphone, but she hasn't limited herself to those types of roles. In 2018, she directed and produced "Love Spoken," which she revealed in an Instagram post when the film was released on YouTube.
Yael Grobglas swapped A-list success for domestic bliss
Yael Grobglas began working in her native Israel on television, with her portrayal of Ginny on "Ha-E" helping to boost her popularity among Israeli teens. She spent the next several years building her career on Israeli television, but it was her work on "Rabies" that gained her international attention. Still, it would be a few years before making the leap across the various ponds to work in North America. That opportunity finally came in 2013, when Grobglas was cast as America Singer in "The Selection."
While that series didn't pan out, a recurring role on "Reign" boosted her status significantly, and in 2014, she was cast as Petra on "Jane the Virgin." Grobglas' portrayal of Petra was quickly a fan-favorite. From one episode to the next, you couldn't tell if you should love or hate her due to the complex layering of Grobglas' performance. She created a unique character fans loved to hate while simultaneously hated loving her, and the role was certainly a standout performance in the series.
Since "Jane the Virgin" came to an end, Grobglas has continued acting, but in a diminished capacity. She's only logged two roles, neither of which gained the kind of attention Petra did. Regardless, she appears to be spending most of her time with her family these days. In early 2020, People reported that Grobglas and her husband, Artem Kroupenev, welcomed their first child, Arielle, into the world.
Justin Baldoni founded his own production company
Justin Baldoni got his start working on "The Young and the Restless," where he played Ben for a few episodes. He continued working in television, knocking out a few TV movies and walk-on roles on various series before landing the role of Reid Bardem on "Everwood." This helped elevate his standing, and he eventually landed recurring roles in "The Bold and the Beautiful" and "Single Ladies." Of course, it wasn't until he was cast as Rafael Solano in "Jane the Virgin" that more people began to notice him.
As Rafael, Baldoni had the interesting task of playing the boss/sperm donor to Jane, opening the door for a seriously complex relationship that carried both characters from the beginning to the series' end. After the series was finished, Baldoni focused his attention away from the small screen and began working on feature films. This wasn't new to him, but his role was, as he was the producer and director of "Five Feet Apart" and "Clouds," which earned Baldoni the Truly Moving Picture Award at the Heartland Film festival in 2020.
Baldoni also founded his own production company, Wayfarer Studios, which produces content for films, television, and streaming. Outside his usual role as an entertainer, Baldoni wrote and published a book in 2021. The novel, "Man Enough: Undefining my Masculinity," is based on a TED Talk of the same name. He also wrote a children's version of the book, "Boys Will be Human," published in October 2022.
Ivonne Coll appears to have settled into retirement
Ivonne Coll's impressive career began in 1967 when she won the Miss Puerto Rico pageant. She represented her native country at the Miss Universe contest that same year but didn't win. She worked as a fashion model throughout most of the 1960s, and the following decade saw her move into singing and dancing. Her first film role came in 1974 by way of "The Godfather Part II." She continued working throughout the decade in a one-hour Variety show, "Una Chica Llamada Ivonne Coll" (A Girl named Ivonne Coll).
Coll studied stage and cinema arts before fully embracing a career in acting. Coll's career is filled with tons of recurring roles and series regulars on shows like "The Young and the Restless," "Switched at Birth," and "The Bold and the Beautiful." She was already a soap opera veteran when the role of Alba Villanueva came her way in 2014. As Jane's abuela, Coll managed to morally steer the course of the show while simultaneously expanding her own character through various conflicts and relationships.
When "Jane the Virgin" ended in 2019, Coll appeared to have retired. In 2020, she played Mother Angelica in an episode of "Lucifer" and Scrandice in 2021's "The Fungies." According to el Vocero, Coll returned to Puerto Rico in late 2019 after a half-century career that took her all over the world. She would have retired much earlier, but "Jane the Virgin" put her plans on hold, but only for a while.
Jaime Camil played Vicente Fernandez on The Idol of the People
Jaime Camil's career began in the world of telenovelas, having played Mauricio Rodríguez Calderón in 2000's "Mi destino eres tú" (You Are My Destiny). He continued working in telenovelas, landing recurring roles until 2014. His career was in Spanish language television for years, and it wasn't until "Jane the Virgin" that he landed a recurring role on an English dialogue series, albeit one that satirizes the kind of work he'd done for well over a decade.
Camil played Rogelio De La Vega, a world-famous telenovela star, so it wasn't a stretch for the actor. He came onto the series as one of Xo's former loves, but more than that, he turned out to be Jane's father, and he spent the rest of the series making up for his absence in her life. Rogelio was an incredibly charismatic man the fans quickly fell in love with, as did Xo, leading to one of the series' best relationships.
"Jane the Virgin" opened up many doors for Camil, who was famous in many Spanish-speaking parts of the world before he took on the role of Rogelio. Since the show came to an end, he's found work providing his voice to a variety of animated characters, though this hasn't kept him from acting in front of the cameras. In 2022, he portrayed one of Mexico's greatest cultural icons, Vicente Fernandez, on "The Idol of the People," which was picked up for international streaming by Netflix.
Anthony Mendez has been sticking to narration
If you're wondering who Anthony Mendez is and how he relates to "Jane the Virgin," you probably think that you never saw his face on the show. Of course, you're correct because Mendez provided the narration that accompanied nearly every episode of the series. His narration was done in Third-person omniscient and helped frame the story through exposition, metafiction, and metanarrative.
At the series' conclusion, it's revealed that the narrator is none other than Mateo, all grown up and working as a voiceover artist narrating a telenovela, which is incredibly meta when you think about it. Mendez's career began with voiceover work, though he initially did more with video games, providing his talent to "Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2008" and "Grand Theft Auto V," where he played Rob's Liquor Store Clerk. He then began working in television, but it wasn't until "Jane the Virgin" that he got his big break.
When "Jane the Virgin" came to an end, Mendez continued doing what he does best: narration. He worked on "The Last Starship" as the Radio Announcer and landed the narration gig on "Foodtastic" in 2021. He's yet to land a role as prominent as the Narrator on "Jane the Virgin," but he doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon, so there's a good chance Mendez will pop up in something high profile in the future.
Brett Dier's girlfriend proposed to him in 2019
Brett Dier began acting in 2006 via an appearance in the television film, "Family in Hiding." He spent the next several years working in various small-profile film roles and various television appearances on all manner of series, including "V," "Smallville," "Supernatural," and "Mr. Young," among others. He gained widespread attention for playing Luke Matheson on "Pretty Little Liars," which resulted in a continuation of that character on the series' spinoff, "Ravenswood," which kept him busy until 2014.
That same year, he took on the role of Detective Michael Cordero Jr. on "Jane the Virgin," where he remained for much of the series run. His character was Jane's romantic partner, who was eventually killed. He later returns, revealing he has amnesia and an entirely new personality. Despite all the complications, they tried to make it work, but in the end, Michael moved on to other interests, leaving Jane to pursue the man of her dreams.
Dier continued working in television, transitioning from "Jane the Virgin" to the role of C.B. on "Schooled." He's also spent more time working in film, having released two movies since "Jane the Virgin" went off the air. Dier's personal life has been going well, as his longtime girlfriend, Haley Lu Richardson, explained to Cosmopolitan that she proposed to him in 2019. Unfortunately, since that revelation, the couple has kept their situation under wraps, so it's unclear if they've officially tied the knot as of late 2022.
Yara Martinez kept busy with Bull until 2022
Yara Martinez's acting career began in 2001 with an extra role in "Sex and the City." She's since appeared in all manner of shows, including "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," "ER," and "Law & Order: LA," to name a few. She gained widespread recognition for her first significant recurring role as Kelly on "Hollywood Heights." That role likely helped her land Dr. Luisa Alver on "Jane the Virgin," where she accidentally inseminated the wrong patient, creating the plotline that carries the series.
Martinez spoke with Mediaplanet about her role in the series, saying, "'Jane the Virgin' was my first job where the Latina that I am was Latina enough. I wasn't asked to 'Latina it up" (via Modern Wellness Guide). Martinez appeared in several episodes, and she became integrated into various plotlines throughout the series. Since she wasn't in every episode, Martinez managed to find work while appearing on "Jane the Virgin." She appeared in "True Detective," "The Tick," and "This Is Us" throughout her time on "Jane the Virgin."
Martinez's most significant role during this time was arguably Isabella "Izzy" Colón on "Bull," which kept her busy through 2022. After "Jane the Virgin" concluded, Martinez only appeared in one other series, playing Dr. Paula Reyes on "Deputy."
Priscilla Barnes transitioned to theater work
Priscilla Barnes began working in entertainment after stumbling into Bob Hope, who invited her to perform for veterans in 1973. She later posed for Penthouse (under a pseudonym) and had her big break when she was cast as Terri Alden on "Three's Company." She was instantly famous, as the series was insanely popular at the time. Barnes continued playing Terri until "Three's Company" went off the air in 1984, and while she continued to work, she never gained as high-profile a role as the one that made her a star.
Barnes racked up several notable television credits over the years, including appearances in "The Love Boat," "Murder, She Wrote," and "Highway to Heaven," among many others. She also worked in film throughout her career. Her most notable film roles include playing Della Churchill Leiter on "Licence to Kill" and Ivanna on "Mallrats." Fast-forward to 2014, Barnes lands the role of Magda Andel, her most significant credit since 1984.
As Magda, Barnes managed to present a genuinely unlikeable character, which was precisely what the script called for. She dominated the series whenever she snagged some screen time. Once "Jane the Virgin" went off the air, so too did Barnes (save for one TV movie), so it's likely she's retired or is waiting for another fantastic part to come her way. That said, she performed in "To Quiet the Quiet" at the Bloomington Playwrights Project in 2019, so she may continue working in theater.
Alfonso DiLuca continued working on TV projects
Alfonso DiLuca began working in television at the turn of the century, and he's remained there ever since. His first role was on "The Revenge" in 2000, and after paying his dues for a few years, he landed the role of Florentino "Tito" Cabello on "Prisionera," which kept him busy for a while. He continued appearing in various telenovelas over the years and eventually made the leap to English-language television in a role on "Burn Notice."
DiLuca continued working in television for years, going from one project to another before landing the role of Jorge on "Jane the Virgin." He played Alba's love interest and was a passionate and understanding man. Of course, it wouldn't be satirizing telenovelas if Alba and Jorge hit it off right away, so he had a girlfriend and a green card problem to sort out before the two characters could come together, which is arguably what the fans wanted.
After "Jane the Virgin" came to an end, DiLuca continued doing what he'd done for the past two decades. He continued working on television, appearing in one episode of "Chicago Med." Like many other stars, DiLuca's acting slowed down during the COVID-19 pandemic, but there's no reason to assume he won't return in full force as new roles open up to the veteran actor.
Bridget Regan played Poison Ivy in Batwoman
Bridget Regan got her start in the entertainment business doing what many young actors do: she worked in the theater. Beginning in 1999, Regan appeared in numerous productions, including several on Broadway. She made the transition to film and television in 2006, appearing in a short film, "Blinders." Regan continued working in both mediums, though she's spent most of her time on the small screen, appearing in "White Collar," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," and many other series.
In 2014, she was cast as Rose/Sin Rostro on "Jane the Virgin," playing the series' big bad. She started as Emilio Solano's wife-turned-widower and provided support for Luisa after she accidentally artificially inseminated the wrong woman (Jane). She was later proven to be an international criminal and the impetus for many of the tragic events that took place on the show. In the end, she's killed in a "Romeo & Juliet" level of trickery that you can only find in a fantastic telenovela!
Regan didn't slow her career down when her time on "Jane the Virgin" came to an end — quite the contrary. She landed leading roles in "The Last Ship" and "Paradise Lost." Regan also played Poison Ivy on "Batwoman," so she's kept herself busy, all while working in theater, too. In 2021, she co-produced "Camp Wanatachi" at La MaMa Experimental Theater Club.
Jenna Ortega's role in Scream made her an A-list star
Jenna Ortega was young when she joined the cast of "Jane the Virgin," and that was the point. At various times throughout the series, Ortega was called in to play a young Jane in various flashbacks, and she did this from the pilot episode onwards. "Jane the Virgin" wasn't Ortega's first acting role, though it was her first big break. Still, she appeared in numerous commercials and movies before spending more time on television. Her first film role was as the Vice President's daughter in "Iron Man 3."
Ortega has continued to appear in numerous films, including landing the role of Tara Carpenter on "Scream" and a subsequent follow-up, so her career has been doing well up to, during, and after ending her time on "Jane the Virgin." Like many others featured in this article, Ortega has lent her considerable talents to voice acting, providing the voice for numerous characters over the years. She's played Princess Isabel in the "Elena of Avalor" series and many others.
Ortega is one of those actors who always wanted to get into acting and never planned on anything else. Fortunately for her, she's been doing incredibly well, booking numerous jobs as a child, and now that she's older, she's transitioning into more adult roles. Initially, this was difficult for her, but "Scream" helped immensely in this regard. Now that she's in her 20s, she can focus on what she prefers: film.
Shelly Bhalla has been making personalized videos on Cameo
Shelly Bhalla began acting in 2007, but she didn't land any significant roles for nearly a decade. She had various walk-on spots on "2 Broke Girls," "General Hospital," and "Speechless," but it wasn't until she was cast as Krishna on "Jane the Virgin" that she earned a significant chunk of screen time. Krishna appeared in about one-third of the episodes, first playing Rafael's assistant before transitioning to become Petra's assistant in season four.
She has an interesting arc, where she appears to blackmail Petra. Ultimately, it turns out Krisna was the one being blackmailed, which made for a far more compelling subplot to the various events going on in the fourth season of "Jane the Virgin." It seems playing Krishna on "Jane the Virgin" was Bhalla's big break, but it hasn't yet paid off with roles in anything significant.
Since the show ended, she's only racked up one credit, playing Dr. Melody Etz on "The Rookie" in 2021. She was likely sidelined in finding more work due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, so there's a good chance she'll pop up in something soon. If you're interested in seeing her in something sooner, you can always check her out on Cameo, where she'll make a personalized video for $45 bucks!