Gina Rodriquez talks Deepwater Horizon role with FOX 2

(WJBK) - Deepwater Horizon is the new film based on a true story but for one of its stars, it's an opportunity to go from the small screen to a big screen in a big way.

Fox 2's Lee Thomas sat down with Jane the Virgin star Gina Rodriguez to talk about her big jump.

Rodriguez, 32, puts in a dramatic performance in the true story of the world's largest man-made disaster in the new film Deepwater Horizon.

Even though this is the young TV star's first big movie role, she takes her public fame seriously and wants to be a good example.

"When people ask me, 'I want to be an actor, what's your advice?' Hard work. Persistence. Perseverance. Don't give up. Give it a lifetime. It's going to take a lifetime. And even when you get there, there’s more. You have to work harder and you have to stretch yourself more and go to places that you're vulnerable and exposed and raw. And now you're exposed to the public and other people's opinions. So you have to fight your own inner demons and that voice that can tell you you're not worthy or you're not strong or you're not pretty enough," she said.

In the film, Rodriguez plays deputy dynamic positioning officer in charge of keeping the rig afloat.

"It was a tribute to those that we had lost. It was a tribute to those that had survived. It was honoring Mike Williams," she said.

Rodriguez says she wasn't able to meet the real person she's playing in the movie, but has communicated with her.

"I respect her space. I respect her history and her desire to keep that her own, and I just hope that I played her with honor and respect and bravery and courage. Because from the outside looking in, that's all I can see," she said.

Deepwater Horizon is rated PG-13 and in theaters Friday.