'On My Block' star Jessica Marie Garcia learned to embrace all of herself thanks to Jasmine
Netflix's 'On My Block' has been successful in many ways, from representing a complex community, that is oftentimes underrepresented, to maintaining a perfect balance of tragedy and comedy. However, it is in the way the show has developed its well-rounded, three-dimensional characters that could be considered the creators' and showrunners' biggest achievement.
The dynamite tomboy Monse (Sierra Capri), the math whiz with exceptional party planning skills Ruby (Jason Genao)and the reluctant gangster Cesar (Diego Tinoco), all add value to the exceptional plot and among them, Jessica Marie Garcia's Jasmine stands out as the loudest, brightest girl who is so unapologetically herself that you can't help but fall in love with her.
Despite being repeatedly shunned by the very people she considers her friends, and being avoided like the plague by those who think she is a "bit too much," she continues to shine bright, giving us all a lesson on embracing ourselves wholeheartedly.
Even the beautiful Garcia, who plays Jasmine to perfection, revealed to MEA WorldWide how her character has inspired her to be the same way. Saying Jasmine's fierce loyalty is among the best characteristics she wants to inherit from her character, Garcia added that she is also inspired by "how much she is - like how they say, just like a duck, just like slide of your back - which is kind of so easy to say, but difficult to do. But she kinda says what she's gonna do and she does it."
"She is who she is so unapologetically and doesn't allow other people to dull her shine, that's something that I've taken from her," said Gacia adding that it is pretty easy to let other people's opinions dictate how you feel and behave.
She elaborated, "Just the other day I was reading a tweet that really got to me, and I am like, why am I just seeing this one after a sea of such incredible complements... I see this bad one and I'm done for the night."
Jasmine has helped her deal with these situations in a better way, she said, and she is currently at a place where can say to herself, "Whatever, girl. You know, you're awesome!"
We can definitely get behind this sentiment because Jasmine inspired many of us to be proud of our whole selves, and we can't wait for her return when 'On My Block' returns with season 3 in 2020.