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'It was terrifying': How 'Jane the Virgin' star got his role

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Shiela Reyes, ABS-CBN News

<p>Imagine this situation: You are in a relationship with a religious woman, who vowed to keep her virginity until her wedding night, but you found out that a doctor accidentally inseminated her with the sperm sample of another man.</p><p>This was basically the situation of detective Michael Cordero, portrayed by Canadian actor Brett Dier, in the first season of the acclaimed US comedy series &quot;Jane the Virgin.&quot;</p><p>Its Filipino-dubbed version has been a hit among the Philippine audience that its primetime performance led to the airing of its second season on ABS-CBN.</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:658px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:8px"><div style="background:#F8F8F8;line-height:0;margin-top:40px;padding:50% 0;text-align:center;width:100%"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC);display:block;height:44px;margin:0 auto -44px;position:relative;top:-22px;width:44px"> </div></div><p style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/wo6c18kmPq/" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A photo posted by Brett Dier (@brettdier)</a> on <time dateTime="2014-12-15T19:34:19+00:00" style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px">Dec 15, 2014 at 11:34am PST</time></p></div></blockquote><script async="" defer="" src="~//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js" type="text/javascript"></script><p>For an ordinary person, Michael&#x27;s situation would be very puzzling to the point where the man would possibly think of leaving his girlfriend and just calling it quits. But that was not the case for Dier&#x27;s character, who has been almost &quot;saintly&quot; in how he&#x27;s dealt with his relationship with Jane (Gina Rodriguez) following what happened.</p><p>In an exclusive interview with ABS-CBN News, Dier explained Michael&#x27;s actions and decisions, which likely endeared his character to the show&#x27;s avid followers.</p><p>&quot;Michael has made mistakes towards the beginning but he&#x27;s the kind of guy that learns from his mistakes. He works hard at being &#x27;saintly&#x27; and he works hard at being patient. You work hard when you&#x27;re in love. That&#x27;s what is so beautiful about love! It makes you a better person,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;I don&#x27;t know if I do keep track [of the twists and turns that the writers put my character through]. Michael has been through a lot, but he&#x27;s the type of person to try and push past it and not dwell on the past,&quot; he added.</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:658px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:8px"><div style="background:#F8F8F8;line-height:0;margin-top:40px;padding:62.4537037037% 0;text-align:center;width:100%"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC);display:block;height:44px;margin:0 auto -44px;position:relative;top:-22px;width:44px"> </div></div><p style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BEy5PfMEmBF/" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A photo posted by Brett Dier (@brettdier)</a> on <time dateTime="2016-04-29T19:04:02+00:00" style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px">Apr 29, 2016 at 12:04pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote><script async="" defer="" src="~//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js" type="text/javascript"></script><p>While saying that he and Michael are very different persons, Dier still went on to enumerate some of their similarities. &quot;He is a passionate dude and he works hard. He is definitely not lazy. So I understood how he takes his job seriously. He is also a loving human being!&quot;</p><p>As for those wondering how he got role, Dier shared that it wasn&#x27;t served to him on a silver platter.</p><p>&quot;I had to audition for the role! I taped myself doing 3 scenes from the pilot while I was in Arizona, and sent it off to casting. They liked it, so I flew in to meet Brad Silberling and Jennie Urman.</p><p>&quot;I then had to do a studio test, where people from the studio show up and you have to do those 3 scenes in front of around 10 people!</p><p>&quot;If you pass that round, you move onto a Network test where you now have to do those 3 scenes in front of 30 people while Gina Rodriguez is your reader! It&#x27;s always a terrifying process, but I passed all those rounds and got the role! It was a long process,&quot; he recalled.</p><p>In the US, the second season of the show has just concluded and it ended with a major cliffhanger involving Dier&#x27;s character.</p><p>Many are wondering what&#x27;s in store for Michael in the third season, but since the Filipino-dubbed version is only midway through the second season in the country, Dier did not want to spill the beans just yet.</p><p>&quot;I can&#x27;t reveal anything. You&#x27;re just going to have to wait!&quot; he said.</p><p>However, he admitted feeling scared for Michael even if he already had a feeling about what was going to happen to his character even before he had read the script.</p><p>&quot;I kind of had a feeling that would come, but seeing it on the page was pretty epic! I care about Michael. I know he is a fictional character, but when you put yourself in somebody else&#x27;s skin for two and a half years you start to care what happens to that person. It&#x27;s very strange. So for me, I did feel scared for him, and I hope he will be okay. If this is the end for Michael, then he had a pretty good run,&quot; he said.</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:658px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:8px"><div style="background:#F8F8F8;line-height:0;margin-top:40px;padding:50% 0;text-align:center;width:100%"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC);display:block;height:44px;margin:0 auto -44px;position:relative;top:-22px;width:44px"> </div></div><p style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ztl4fZkmH_/" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A photo posted by Brett Dier (@brettdier)</a> on <time dateTime="2015-03-02T04:44:58+00:00" style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px">Mar 1, 2015 at 8:44pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote><script async="" defer="" src="~//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js" type="text/javascript"></script><p>For Dier, it is important that he and the rest of the cast make it a point to engage with fans of the show on Twitter. He said it is important for him to keep in touch with their supporters &quot;because they are the reason the show keeps going!&quot;</p><p>&quot;Also, I put myself in their position...There are a lot of shows I love and watch, and if an actor from that show responded to me I&#x27;d be stoked! So it&#x27;s also good to get people happy,&quot; he continued.</p><p>Is there any chance that he would come over to meet his Filipino fans? &quot;I don&#x27;t have a plan right now to head over there, but if someone wants to fly me out there, I would totally go! It would be a blast,&quot; he said.</p><p>Ending the interview on a happy note, Dier has this to say to the Filipinos who watch &quot;Jane the Virgin:&quot; &quot;We all love your support and appreciate it. Keep watching and be happy!&quot;</p>

'It was terrifying': How 'Jane the Virgin' star got his role

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'It was terrifying': How 'Jane the Virgin' star got his role

Shiela Reyes,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jun 25, 2016 07:41 PM PHT

|

Updated Jun 26, 2016 11:05 AM PHT

Read More:

Brett Dier

Jane the Virgin

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