Ginger Gonzaga is a lot of things: actress, director, and dog mom are all at the top of the list. She is also one half of the husband-wife duo in the upcoming remake of True Lies, the 1994 hit movie from James Cameron that stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as a spy and Jamie Lee Curtis as the woman he's married to, who might be having an affair with someone else.
The TV remake takes the skeleton of the film and adds a twist: when Ginger's character, Helen, finds out that her husband is really a spy, she joins him on his adventures.
LittleThings recently spoke with Ginger Gonzaga about her role on the show, her adorable dogs, and why she made a short film about death with dignity.
Before we jump into True Lies, it's important to discuss Ginger's short film Your Day. The premise of the movie isn't totally clear from the beginnig. A young man and woman are in a hotel room and appear ready to celebrate something, but as the two spend more time together, the vibe is off, and it starts to feel like the occasion they are celebrating isn't exactly a joyous one.
Ginger stars as the young woman, Jane, in Your Day. Jane and her boyfriend, played by Jason Ritter, have booked a hotel room for the night, ostensibly to celebrate, well, something. It's not exactly clear what the two are in the hotel for, until all of a sudden it becomes a little too clear and a little too real.
Ginger says she was inspired to make the movie by a documentary on the same subject. She explains, "I had seen a documentary about death with dignity, and in the documentary it's an elderly couple — when they say goodbye to each other, they're just of a certain age where they don't really say goodbye. I was tortured by their lack of holding each other. I needed, for my soul, to see a loving goodbye, and I wanted to show young people because it can happen."
She pauses and adds, "I love when film has the same effect of a really good documentary, and it's just showing the truth."
When it comes to True Lies, the CBS show she costars in with Steve Howey beginning in March 2023, Ginger didn't know exactly what she was getting into. After admitting that she hadn't seen the movie before taking the role, she quickly adds that she grew up without seeing a lot of movies (except, funnily, Mrs. Doubtfire).
Ginger says that not knowing much about the movie helped her create a character based on who she thought the character would be. While she hasn't had a chance to speak to Jamie Lee Curtis (who played Helen in the film), Ginger heaped praise on the actress. She says, "She's so iconic and wonderful — she's the coolest. When I saw Everything [Everywhere] All at Once … when I'm that age, I want to play those characters, with the weird, iconic outfit. It's an honor to even be accidentally in the same subject as her. She's such an awesome woman."
Taking the role of Helen was significant for Ginger in other ways, too. She continues, "I really wanted to protect a female lead. The character could have looked too naïve, and I wanted to make sure that I double-downed on the comedy on this, and that the comedy was coming from her anxiety … and how anyone can respond in high-stress situations, which is endlessly funny to me. I wanted to balance that."
Ginger didn't always plan to be an actress, but the role couldn't be more suited to her. She shares, "I had every intention of becoming an attorney. I wanted to work for the Hague. I studied international relations … I chose to be an actress because I wanted to be every job on the planet, and this allows me to. My grandmother, who just passed away a couple of days ago, loved [my job] the most."
When she isn't acting or advocating for mental health, Ginger is a dog mom to two adorable little mixes. Her first dog, Lumiere, is a bit of a celebrity on the internet and is known for bringing happiness to the faces of many.
"She was found in an alley when she was 4 weeks old; I've had her since then. She's this little, quirky angel and I love her so much. She's been able to come with me to set, and for her first birthday I got her a brother."
While Ginger's furry friends won't be on True Lies (we think!), you can definitely catch the actress when the show premieres on CBS on March 23, 2022, at 9 p.m. CST (it's also streaming on Paramount+).
