'Jane the Virgin' star Jaime Camil on Rogelio's big life and career decision
Call him #danny.
This week’s Jane the Virgin episode ended with Rogelio de la Vega (Jaime Camil) making a stunning decision: to take time off from acting to be a stay-at-home dad to his new infant daughter, Baby.
It’s almost incomprehensible; Rogelio’s identity is so wrapped up in his image as a telenovela star. And yet, after a breakthrough couples-counseling session with Xiomara (Andrea Navedo), Rogelio realizes just how big of an impact parents have on their children’s futures. And since he wasn’t around for Jane’s younger years, he decides to be there for Baby’s.
Yahoo Entertainment chatted with Camil about Rogelio’s role change and his upcoming arc with guest star Brooke Shields.
Yahoo Entertainment: So, Rogelio decides to quit acting for a while. But who is Rogelio if he’s not a telenovela star?
Jaime Camil: Nothing! He’s nothing! Let’s put it this way: It will not be the wisest work and personal decision that Rogelio will make.
Are you excited to explore this other side of Rogelio, that isn’t so career-focused?
Yes, definitely, though that has been touched on in other episodes. Maybe not as much as in these following episodes, where he’s known as a “danny” — a daddy/nanny. But of course, Rogelio is larger than life. He likes to be the center of attention, so being a “danny” will last a couple of hours! [Laughs]
How will he do as a stay-at-home dad?
Rogelio is a very loving father, and he loves his family and will do everything for them. But I want to mix in me as a dad — I love being a dad, and me and my wife have two beautiful children. I could be a stay-at-home dad, no problem. Rogelio could do that, but he’d need more training. I don’t doubt he’ll be very loving, but he’s not used to [childcare].
When you become a father for the first time, it can take time to get used to the dynamics of being a dad. Rogelio will struggle not because of lack of love, but because his life dynamic is so different from being a stay-at-home dad.
How will this affect his relationship with Xiomara?
She has told him many times that she doesn’t want to be sucked into the baby vortex, so yeah, that’s going to be difficult. I think what’s going to happen is that Xiomara will do her things, and Rogelio will do his things, and they might neglect each other’s presence, probably?
It’s very well-known that we’re not in the circle of trust with [showrunner] Jennie Urman [Laughs], so I genuinely don’t know what’s going to happen with our storylines.
What can you tell us about the next few episodes?
We have the amazing Brooke Shields coming on the show. Brooke Shields will be playing a major role in Rogelio’s life. Being a “danny” is already demanding enough, imagine having to deal with another nemesis the stature of Brooke Shields!
Rogelio struggles to be a “danny,” and he tweets, “I think I’m having postpartum depression.” And River [Shields’s character] attacks him on social media and calls him stupid, and they argue.
Rogelio’s therapy work had a lot to do with his mother, and we saw a flashback with Liliana. Will we see Rita Moreno again soon?
We love Rita, and it’s a great honor always to have her on the show. She’s amazing and such a professional and so beautiful and brilliant. She’s superbusy with [Netflix’s] One Day at a Time. And also Justina Machado, who plays Darcy Factor. It’s hard enough to have Justina, because we can only have her on the show when she’s free from One Day at a Time. The same thing with Rita — we have to work out the schedules.
But the dynamic between Rogelio and his mom is so powerful and incredible. The opportunity to share the screen again with Rita Moreno is just like a dream. Hopefully, it will happen again.
Jane the Virgin airs Fridays at 9 p.m. on the CW.
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