‘Jane The Virgin’ Star Gina Rodriguez Shares Thoughts on Proposal Rejection

The latest episode of "Jane the Virgin" saw Jane declining Rafael's marriage proposal and him feeling utterly upset about it. Though this new storyline broke the hearts of the fictional couple's fans, the star of the popular CW series Gina Rodriguez thinks Jane's rejection was appropriate for the situation.

"I think it's fantastic that that's what they decided to have Jane do, because ultimately she isn't ready for that kind of step," Rodriguez, who portrays the titular character in the show, said in an interview with E! News. "Nothing should be done in a rush. Nothing should be done because of some other circumstance. I love her ability to take it slow and slow down and take it step by step."

Justin Baldoni, who plays Rafael, also weighed in on the episode. According to the actor, he wished it could have gone a different way.

"I wish it meant that it was smooth sailing," Baldoni shared with E! News. "But it's not. I wish I could tell you what happens, but I know that some real stuff is going to go down. It's not the beginning of the end, but it's the beginning of a lot of real stuff. We're going to see a lot of surprising stuff in this relationship."

Baldoni also confirmed to the news outlet that Michael (Brett Dier) is "definitely still in the picture" and that the love triangle between him, Jane, and Rafael is "very much alive."

Empowering the community

Rodriguez, 30, also took the opportunity at the PaleyFest panel of "Jane the Virgin" to inspire her fellow Latinos to come together as a united front. This call to action from the actress aims to explore more diversity for entertainers on television and film, Vulture reported.

"If we want to be considered and we want to show and use our power to the fullest, we need to unite ... They see us as one community and we need to be one community, because we all share the same struggle. That's what we do as human beings - we celebrate each other, we celebrate each other's culture, we celebrate each other's religion, but we also unite as human beings," Rodriguez said, as quoted by Vulture.

The actress added that representing other ethnicities is a "big subject to conquer," but she insisted that this could be solved by writers if they "write for human beings," which she claims was done by "Jane the Virgin" creator Jennie Snyder Urman. Rodriguez said casting the most appropriate actor or actress in the role works, too.

Ivonne Coll, who portrays Alba "Abuela" Villanueva in the series, said that she is proud to represent the hard-working immigrant population in the U.S., the news outlet noted.

"Jane the Virgin" airs every Monday, 9:00 PM, on CW.