Gina Rodriguez Says Justin Baldoni Is 'My Brother Forever' Nearly 10 Years after “Jane the Virgin”’s Premiere (Exclusive)
Baldoni is "hands down" the cast member she stays in touch with the most from the show, Rodriguez tells PEOPLE
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Gina Rodriguez and Justin Baldoni attend the Paley Center For Media's 2019 PaleyFest LAJane Villanueva and Rafael Solano aren't just endgame onscreen — they're like family in real life.
As the 10th anniversary of Jane the Virgin approaches (the CW series premiered on Oct. 13, 2014), Gina Rodriguez tells PEOPLE that she is as tight as ever with her former fictional baby daddy.
"Justin is a sweet, sweet soul. Man, he's a sweetie pie," she raves of Justin Baldoni, who played the Rafael to her Jane. "That guy is — that's my brother forever. Forever and ever."
Rodriguez, 40, says that "hands down" Baldoni, 40, is "the person I stay in touch with the most, for sure" out of the cast of Jane, though they're all pretty frequently in contact.
"I talk to Yael [Groblas] and Brett [Dier] a lot also." she adds, referring to the actress who played her enemy-turned-confidant, Petra, and the actor who played her character's first love, Michael. "But Justin is just my brother."
Patrick Wymore/The CW
Gina Rodriguez as Jane and Justin Baldoni as Rafael in 'Jane The Virgin'The actress, who is now co-hosting an all-new game show, ABC's Lucky 13, with Shaquille O'Neal, says that she feels "old" when she thinks back to the premiere of Jane The Virgin.
"I feel old. That's the first thing that comes to mind. The second thing that comes to mind is: I want to do a reunion," she admits. "I freaking loved that experience so much, and those people, and that show was so cool. That show was so different. That show was just so unique."
"Every moment was perfect," she continues of the show, for which she won a Golden Globe in 2015. "Even in the hardships, even in the difficulties, even when we were doing 16 hours a day, even when it was just bleeding me dry of energy and life, and I would miss birthday parties and Christmases and vacations with family, and I would miss everything... I just made sure that I appreciated why I was missing all those things, and I did."
Last month, Rodriguez and Baldoni both marked the five-year anniversary of the show's 2019 finale with Baldoni writing on Instagram that he "can't believe it's been five years," and Rodriguez then shared his post on her Stories, writing, "I miss this life."
"I'm still blown away by all the love and support we continue to receive," Baldoni continued in the caption. "It always brings me joy to hear how much this show has meant to so many. Thank you to everyone who made this show a part of their lives. And to my TV family who will always be family to me...I love you all."
In the comments section, Dier wrote in all caps, "Love you Justin" along with a string of rose emojis, while Jaime Camil, who played Jane's father Rogelio, commented, "????."
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Jane the Virgin can be streamed in full on Netflix, and Lucky 13 airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.
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