Before she became known as the lead star of "Jane the Virgin," Gina Rodriguez had her fair share of ups and downs while struggling to make a name for herself in Hollywood.

In an interview with PEOPLE Magazine, the Latina actress shared snippets of her journey to fame, and how she conquered the stereotypes set upon her ethnic background.

"Growing up, I had these fierce women in my life who were kicking ass, but I never saw them represented onscreen," Rodriguez told PEOPLE. "The [role models I saw on TV] weren't ever the color of myself or my siblings. I realized: Changing that is my mission."

Her mother, Magali, is an interpreter in the Cook County Court, while her two older sisters, Ivelisse and Rebecca, are an investment banker and a doctor, respectively. The actress also added that her father Gino, a well-known representative for the Teamsters, was "always very honest" and that he prepared their family "for the crude game that is society."

The Golden Globe award winner, who is aware that she is "not some super sexy Latina," was a part of a dance troupe when she was younger, PEOPLE noted. When she was 13, she auditioned for a commercial without her parents' knowledge, who only knew about the matter when Rodriguez got the part and the organizers had to call her parents.

When she graduated from New York University, the 30-year-old actress starred as the lead star in 2012's "Filly Brown," a film which won critical acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival in the same year, PEOPLE noted. At first, Rodriguez expected that the movie's success would pave a more successful path for her.

"I thought I was going to be, like, the next Jennifer Lawrence. And then that didn't happen," she revealed to the news outlet. This, however, didn't deter the actress' patience in landing the "next perfect role."

"I got a lot of TV options after ['Filly Brown'] but they all continued to tell the same story. So I waited," Rodriguez explained, as reported by PEOPLE. "That was scary because they were offering me all this money that would have allowed me to not be a broke, struggling actor anymore. But I feel so lucky that at a very young age I was given so much motivation by my parents to try and stay the course and stand up for what I believe in."

She added, "And thank God I waited because then 'Jane' came along it was exactly what I wanted to say to the world. I feel like I need a year to go by because it is still so crazy. Everything leading up to this has just been quite the journey."

Aside from her commitment with "Jane the Virgin," The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Rodriguez is in talks to star in "Deepwater Horizon" opposite Mark Wahlberg. The Peter Berg-directed film will mark Rodriguez's biggest feature thus far.