Coming to a small screen near you: Rosemary Rodriguez ’83

Photo/JoJo Whilden

Rosemary Rodriguez '83 on set

If you happen to stream Netflix’s new series “Marvel’s Jessica Jones,” take a moment to watch the credits for episode 10, “AKA: 1,000 Cuts.” You may see a familiar name, Rosemary Rodriguez ’83, listed as the episode’s director.
 
“I absolutely loved working on this show, and I can’t wait for it to be released,” said Rodriguez, who has directed many episodes of  TV including “The Good Wife,” “Rescue Me,” “Manhattan” and “Castle” as well as two movies.
 
Produced by Marvel Productions, the series is based on the Marvel Comics of the same name and stars Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones, a private investigator with super powers and a dark, troubled past.
 
“Marvel was awesome to work with, they basically told me before shooting ‘one word: graphic,’ which was so great,” said Rodriguez, who majored in American Studies at Brandeis. “They really emphasized that they wanted the show to be graphic, but they let me just shoot and have fun with it.  The creator Melissa Rosenberg was collaborative as well.”
 
Before she experienced success directing, Rodriguez struggled with substance abuse and was homeless in New York City. The rocky parts of her life inspired Rodriguez to direct her first film, the critically acclaimed “Acts of Worship.” It also connected Rodriguez to Jessica Jones and her dark backstory.

“I love that this is something different for a female super hero ­­­— she’s really messed up and I can relate to her,” Rodriguez said. “It’s a really dark show and because of that, I can identify more with her than any other character I’ve ever encountered.
 
“This is a character that’s tormented by some degree, intellectually and emotionally. Both Jessica Jones and myself have been through serious trauma and we are both strong and vulnerable in the face of it, so I relate to that.”
 
Rodriguez is interested in working with Marvel again. Right now, however, she’s involved with a number of other projects, including working on the distribution of her second movie, “Silver Skies,” about a group of eccentric retirees who learn their apartment complex has been sold.  The film recently won the Audience Award at Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. 
 
Rodriguez also recently directed two episodes of WGN America’s “Outsiders,” a drama about a close-knit family living off the grid in Appalachia, and she has a pilot in development at Showtime,  “Florent,” a dark comedy series about a New York restaurateur starring Alan Cumming.

To read Brandeis Magazine's full profile on Rosemary Rodriguez, click here.

Categories: Alumni, Arts, General

Return to the BrandeisNOW homepage