Gina Rodriguez signed up to star in the oil rig disaster movie to honor those who lost their lives.

In April 2010 an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig killed 11 workers and caused an estimated 4.9 million barrels worth of oil to spill into the Gulf of Mexico.

With oil leaking from an underwater well for 87 days after the accident, headlines focused on the looming environmental catastrophe heading for the coastline.

However Gina decided to take the role of Andrea Fleytas, one of the few female crewmembers aboard the rig, as Peter Berg's film focuses on those who faced death in the aftermath of the explosion.

"We were well aware how devastating the catastrophe was but we didn't hear one story about the people actually on the rig during the incident," she told Total Film magazine. "What drew me (to the role) was the way we got to honor those who lost their lives, and hopefully their families have got something to hold on to."

The movie also stars Kurt Russell, Mark Wahlberg, and John Malkovich as hardened oil workers who were forced to fight for their lives after the vessel went up in flames after drilling an exploratory well.

And the Jane The Virgin actress, 32, says she got an acting masterclass from her co-stars during filming.

"It was exhilarating to watch monsters such as Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell and John Malkovich - it felt like taking a masterclass," she explained. "I love to grow and I grew on this set, not just as an artist but a human being."

The extent of the damage caused by the spill saw oil company BP agree to pay penalties and compensation running into the tens of billions of dollars.

However speaking on Good Morning America on Monday (26Sep16), Gina said she feels there should be more focus on those who lost their lives.

"We were very familiar with those images of the oils in the water and the animals covered, but we never talked about the lives that were lost, the 11 lives that were lost," she said.

Deepwater Horizon is released on 30 September (16).