Justin Baldoni’s breakout role in Jane the Virgin changed his life, but not entirely for the better. While fans adored him as Rafael, the reality behind the scenes wasn’t as glamorous. The role took a serious toll, leading to unexpected struggles that followed him long after the cameras stopped rolling.
Now, Baldoni’s opening up about the colossal negative impact of his time on the hit series, proving that even dream roles come with a cost. But what exactly went wrong?
Justin Baldoni admits his Jane the Virgin role took opportunities from Latino actors
Justin Baldoni’s breakout role as Rafael Solano in Jane the Virgin changed his life — but not entirely for the better. While the 2014 dramedy brought him fame, he later admitted it came with a hard truth (via LAtimes):
I can absolutely see how I took a role from a Latino actor.
Originally, Rafael was meant to be Latino, but the character was rewritten as Italian after Baldoni was cast. The CW dramedy, which ran from 2014 to 2019, was a satirical twist on telenovelas, following Jane Villanueva (Gina Rodriguez) after an accidental artificial insemination.
Baldoni’s Rafael, the hotel-owning biological father of Jane’s baby, evolved into her love interest, a role that made him a household name. But behind the scenes, Baldoni grappled with the privilege that helped him land the part. He wrote,
The system doesn’t benefit me just because I am a man; the system also benefits me because I am a white man (not to mention, an able-bodied heterosexual cis white man from a middle-class family).
Beyond Jane the Virgin, Baldoni used his fame to launch Wayfarer Studios, pushing socially conscious content (“choccoli” — his term for chocolate-covered broccoli). He also dabbled in tech, creating apps like Shout (promoting online positivity) and BellyBump (a pregnancy time-lapse tool), though neither took off.
A devout Bahai, Baldoni’s faith shapes his worldview. Mikey McManus, who described himself as Wayfarer’s first full-time employee, alluded:
He’s hardcore Bahai, right? And one of the major tenets, as I came to understand it from him, was, ‘Our work should be our service to mankind…He used to use this analogy in regards to the patriarchy and the role of women: our species is a two-winged bird and one of the wings has been injured.
But as his career expanded, so did his self-awareness — leading to one of the most personal revelations of his journey.
Brandon Sklenar shuts down speculation: Matching Justin Baldoni’s brooch was total happenstance
The It Ends With Us star caused a stir when he rocked the same pink floral pin at the Vanity Fair Oscars party that Baldoni had worn to the film’s New York premiere (via THR).
With Baldoni and Blake Lively locked in a legal battle, fans thought Sklenar’s fashion choice was a statement. But he insists it was pure coincidence. Sklenar admitted to People at SXSW, where he premiered The Drop:
Honestly, no. I wish I could say there was…That was a total happenstance. I woke up in the morning and saw an article and I was like, ‘Oh, damn.’ I literally had no idea. I had an idea I wanted to wear like a floral brooch of some kind and that was the color that I liked the best. And, lo and behold, someone also wore that prior to me wearing it.
Despite the off-screen drama, Sklenar hopes attention stays on It Ends With Us and its message about domestic violence. He previously voiced support for Lively and expressed pride in the film, calling it deeply personal. As for a sequel? He’s all in — if it ever happens.
Watch Jane the Virgin on Amazon Prime Video & Apple TV.
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