A dark-ish secret of the entertainment industry is that a major factor in big awards like the Oscars and Emmys is the advertising campaigns that try to get voters’ attention. The idea is that if a voter gets a huge stack of critically acclaimed TV show episodes with no guidance, they might be so crippled by the huge responsibility at their feet that they’ll be unable to truly pick the best thing. Because of that, TV shows or movies take out ads in Hollywood-type publications saying “our thing is best, pay attention to our thing” in hopes that it will convince voters to watch that thing first (or maybe only watch that thing). This year, Jane The Virgin star Gina Rodriguez has decided to skip all of that and do something better with the money that would normally be used to try and win her an Emmy.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Rodriguez will be using the money to fund a college scholarship for an undocumented high school student who will now be able to attend four years at Princeton University “without financial burden.” Rodriguez notes that it’s “taboo” to talk about spending money to get the attention of Emmy voters, but she hopes by going public with this plan she’ll convince others to do similar things and “not play in the confines of the game as it’s set up.”
Rodriguez will still be eligible for an Emmy, but it remains to be seen if this will really impact her chances.