Loyalty and Love: Behind This Lasting bond between Justin Baldoni and Gina Rodriguez’s,sticking by him amid it ends with us drama exclusive,what lies in…see more

Rodriguez talked to PEOPLE in September about her enduring bond with Baldoni, and the actor says that her comments “meant a lot”

Justin Baldoni and Gina Rodriguez continue to show up for each other.

In September, Rodriguez gushed about her former Jane the Virgin costar in an interview with PEOPLE, calling Baldoni “my brother forever” as she said he is “hands down the person I stay in touch with the most” from the show.

Rodriguez’s interview came as Baldoni’s headline-making It Ends With Us press cycle was winding down, which saw rumors of an alleged rift between him and costar Blake Lively emerge as well as reports circulating of creative differences behind the scenes.

“That was really sweet,” he says of the love Rodriguez shared. “She’s a sweetheart. She’s family forever.”

The interview reached Baldoni, 40, who tells PEOPLE, “You know what? That came at a very special time for me and that meant a lot.”

“She really showed up for me,” he says of Rodriguez, 40. “That was really sweet.”

The pair worked together on Jane the Virgin as on-again-off-again love interests Jane Villanueva and Rafael Solano, who were brought together when Jane was accidentally artificially inseminated with Rafael’s sperm, and Baldoni says they “for sure” will work together again sometime soon.

“I’d love to work with her. She’s so talented,” he says. “I hope it’s a movie that she directs. She’s a fantastic director, so I would love to act in something that she directs.”

“People don’t realize how gifted she really is also behind the scenes. She’s a real filmmaker,” Baldoni continues.

As for whether that might mean there’s hope of a Jane the Virgin reunion of sorts, he isn’t saying no. “We’ve got to do a reunion at some point.”

Rodriguez similarly expressed interest in returning to the characters, as she told PEOPLE last month, “I want to do a reunion. I freaking loved that experience so much, and those people, and that show was so cool. That show was so different. That show was just so unique.”

Baldoni spoke to PEOPLE on Oct. 23 as part of a partnership with Purina Dog Chow for this year’s NY Dog Film Festival. He selected the winner of the new “Service Dog Salute” category and is helping to spotlight powerful stories of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) service dogs and the positive impact they’ve made on veterans’ lives. Dog Chow will also donate $5 per view of the short film to the Association of Service Dog Providers, up to $75,000.

It’s a cause that’s dear to the actor’s heart, as he shares, “My grandfather was a veteran. My uncle left me his purple heart when he died, my Uncle Sid.”

“I just think we could do a better job [helping veterans] in general as a country,” Baldoni says.

“So when Purina reached out and they were specifically making a campaign to advocate for more service dogs for veterans with PTSD, at first I didn’t know all the stats, but then as I dug in and I learned more, I said, ‘This is a no-brainer. I want to do this.'”

Jane the Virgin can be streamed in full on Netflix.