by Julio Martinez
Justina Machado is best known for her comedic roles as Penelope Alvarez on the Netflix and CBS sitcom One Day at a Time and Darci Factor in The CW dramedy Jane the Virgin. She takes a decidedly dramatic step forward in the Lifetime movie Switched Before Birth, portraying Anna Ramirez, a woman who wishes to become a mother but struggles to concieve. Directed by Elizabeth Rohm, the film premieres Oct. 23.
Switched Before Birth follows Olivia Crawford (Skyler Samuels) and her husband Brian (Bo Yokely), who stretch themselves to financial limits after multiple miscarriages and failed in vitro fertilization trials. While going through her latest round of IVF, Oliva meets and becomes fast friends with Anna Ramirez (Machado), who is struggling to have a child after years of focusing on her successful restaurants.
Interviewed with her friend and the film’s director, Elizabeth Rohm, Machado just smiles when asked about the role she is playing. “I really don’t have a formula for this,” she says “I’m always looking at the character. And I really could relate to what she had to offer. Anna Ramirez loved everything that was going on in her life. The only thing she couldn’t deal with is what she couldn’t have. We all know what that feels like.”
When Olivia and Anna both become pregnant the ladies celebrate and begin to prepare for their babies. But Anna suffers a devastating miscarriage and struggles to move forward while her marriage to restaurateur Gabe Ramirez (Yancey Arias) crumbles. When Olivia and Brian finally welcome their twins, Olivia feels her life is complete, but the couple’s world is turned upside down when they discover one of the babies is biologically the child of Anna and Gabe’s that had been implanted into Olivia by mistake. Now pitted against each other, Olivia will do anything to keep the baby that she carried, while Anna will stop at nothing to bring her son home.
“Justina just kills it as Anna,” says Rohm. “People don’t know how we have our miracle babies. IVF is still considered to be like pioneering in the wild west. I think this movie will do a lot to help people understand what is possible in this modern age.”
Machado points to her friend and adds, “And this powerhouse was also the director. I’ve acted with her. Elizabeth is a talented lady. As for me, I just dig into the script. It is so much fun to be able to be this character and truly show what she is going through.” The actor and director might work together on another project. Rohm hints that she and Machado may team up again for a reboot of the 1980s police drama Cagney & Lacey.
