Chicago native Gina Rodriguez said she will play a Chicago paramedic "who happens to be a lesbian and an ex-addict" in the upcoming science-fiction drama "Annihilation."

Rodriguez, who grew up in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood on the Northwest Side, said "Annihilation" is about five women who are going into the Shimmer, an entity that's starting to destroy the world.

"So we're trying to stop it. We have guns, we're doing some (expletive) stunts and it's a brilliant storyline," said Rodriguez, who plays Anya Thorensen. Natalie Portman and Jennifer Jason Leigh also star. A release date has not yet been announced.

Rodriguez, 32, revealed the new details about her "Annihilation" role as part of her interview for the cover of the October issue of Latina magazine. Rodriguez shows off her shaved head, a controversial look she embraced for "Annihilation."

"I think it all plays into the idea of being your own hero and not feeling like you have to live up to other people's expectations. I am not my beauty. Who I am is not my (expletive) hair, and to be an actor is to transform," Rodriguez said.

"To represent a community is to commit, to give my entire all. So if I'm going to represent Latinos in the industry and in art, if I'm going to represent my little cousins in Chicago, they're going to know that I went full out. Who are we afraid of? What are we afraid of? The worst thing that can happen is we die. Anything else you can handle."

Rodriguez is on a roll for magazine covers. She was also the face of the September issue of Health magazine to promote her fall projects.

The third season of her CW series "Jane the Virgin" is set to premiere 8 p.m. Oct. 17. She also stars in "Deepwater Horizon," based on the 2010 Deepwater Horizon rig explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The film is due out Sept. 30.

RELATED STORIES:

Gina Rodriguez transforms into Lil Wayne for 'Lip Sync Battle'

Watch Gina Rodriguez teach Elmo ABC in Spanish

Check out the latest movie reviews from Michael Phillips and the Chicago Tribune.