Gina Rodriguez’s Diary Of A Future President co-star has insisted her ‘heart is in the right place’ following her use of the n-word in a video shared on social media last year.
Back in October, the Jane The Virgin actress posted a clip of herself using the slur as she rapped along to Ready Or Not by The Fugees. After being called out by furious fans, Gina issued an apology one day later.
Talking about the outrageous incident four months on, Jai Rodriguez explained that he believes that the incident isn’t reflective of Gina’s true self.
Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk, Jai told us: ‘I know Gina’s heart, since the time I’ve worked with her on set, and I know her heart is in the right place. I know that she is really about embracing all different kinds of people.
‘She apologised beautifully for what happened to her and we would be amiss to say we all haven’t done things we’ve later regretted.’
Jai continued: ‘For me, all I can speak to is the fact I was on a very inclusive set. I felt incredibly welcomed as a person of colour and a queer man. I felt that Gina saw me and respected me and I saw nothing but love and acceptance on the set.’
He added: ‘I think as humans, sometimes our actions don’t actually reflect our intentions and sometimes we do things that we later regret.
‘That’s part of growing and listening and when someone says, “Hey, that wasn’t okay,” wait a minute, pause, reflect on your behaviour and see if it aligns with your belief system.’
Jai and Gina currently star alongside each other in Disney+ series Diary Of A Future President, which launched last month.
‘On set, there were a lot of women behind the camera and behind-the-scenes,’ he told us. ‘There was so much diversity and inclusivity, that it really, for the first time, felt like a set resembled America.
‘I love that it’s a show that caters to the younger demographic and bleeds into the adult storylines because I would have loved to have seen myself reflected more on screen as a kid.
‘One day there could be a female president, and she could be brown, and that’s okay. People can dream bigger when they see it reflected in the media space.’
Metro.co.uk has contacted Gina’s rep for further comment.
Diary Of A Future President airs Fridays on Disney+.
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