“Why is Hollywood excluding us and stealing our story too?” Leguizamo lamented. Instagram post from last Friday“No (no problem) with Franco, but he’s not Latino!” he added.fernandez Said The deadline was for her to endorse the casting, and lead creative producer John Martinez O’Phelan told the publication that “convincing James Franco to play Castro” was “a fun and rewarding process” and that ” He gave the entire rank of actors “his Latin roots are in Hollywood” and noted that Franco “looks very much like the Cuban leader”.
Leguizamo draws attention to two distinct but related issues surrounding the representation of Hollywood Latinos in film and television. First, it has a long history and early 20th century greaser movies that is 50’s street gangster stereotypesa British-American producer, director, writer and actor, dominates stories about Latinos in the United States and Latinos abroad.
The second problem is what many call “brownface,” or the practice of portraying U.S.-born Latinos and Latinos with white actors. These include Natalie Wood as Maria in the original production of “West Side Story,” Charlton Heston as Detective Vargas in “Touch of Evil,” and Al Pacino as Tony Montana in “Scarface.”
Leguizamo also mentions growing up in a time when “a Latino couldn’t play a Latino in a movie.” However, the situation around the “Cuban Alina” is quite different today. Most of the cast, including Mia Maestro and Ana Villafane, who play Alina’s mother and Alina herself respectively, are of Latino descent. His two screenwriters, Pulitzer Prize-winning Cuban-American playwright Nilo Cruz and Puerto Rican playwright José Rivera (“The Motorcycle Diaries,” “On the Road”) Latino and director Miguel Bardem is Javier Bardem’s cousin. , is from Spain.
The main point of contention here is Franco’s casting in the lead role, a move clearly designed for box office potential and a rationale that has held back the development of Latino Hollywood stars. Many have a negative impact on the development of Latinos. Focused movies and TV series. When Leguizamo argues that Franco is “not Latino”, he argues that although Franco has partial Portuguese roots, many supporters believe that Portuguese and Spaniards are “Latino” roles. He claims that he is not fit to act. Spanish Javier Bardem He was cast as Cuban Desi Arnaz in last year’s Academy Award-nominated “Being the Ricardos.”
Leguizamo is also often cast in “white” roles, with the exception of Cuban-born Ana de Armas playing Marilyn Monroe in Neflix’s upcoming biopic “Blonde.” But there are limits to how light-skinned Latinos can be “seen” as white. Cuban-Spanish accent recognized by Almas.
Yet the lack of Latinx representation in the film remains a significant problem.A 2021 study by University of Southern California Annenberg Inclusion Initiative From 2007 to 2019, the percentage of Latino characters was stagnant at 5%, and over the same period, the percentage of leading Latino characters was 3.5%, with Afro-Latino leading/co-leading roles. There were only 6 in total. actor.a University of California, Los Angeles A report released last year claimed that despite the composition 18.9% of the populationLatino actors made up just 6.3% of roles in TV shows in 2019 and 2020.
Last week, there was an uproar over the cancellation of the movie “Batgirl,” which starred Dominican actress Leslie Grace (“In the Heights”). Even director Kevin Smith, a lesser-known Latino activist, said itincredibly bad faceFor Warner Bros. Studios (CNN is part of Warner Bros. Discovery). report The move was the result of a new corporate strategy to prioritize theatrical features (the film was to be released on HBO Max).Variety also cited another reason the studio pulled the $90 million film. reported that it is tax deductible. Mediocre scores from test screenings have also been criticized, but they don’t necessarily indicate the film’s ultimate success. , reflecting a strategic shift in our leadership as it relates to the DC Universe and HBO Max.)
March, Latinx Advocacy Group Unidos US expresses anger Pending Warner Bros. Discovery Merger completed earlier this year, does not include Latino members of the board of directors of the combined company. After meeting with Discovery leaders by the Latin American Citizens League and the National Cities Federation, the newly formed company Commitment to diversityAppoints Asif Sadik as Chief Global of the Company Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer.
This week, Puerto Rican pop-reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny (Benito Antonio Martinez-Ocasio) is on Bloomberg’s pop star power ranking Last month, he made his Hollywood debut in Brad Pitt’s ride-on movie Bullet Train, but his appearance was very brief. few linesBut he He will appear as “El Muerto”. A Marvel Universe movie based on the Mexican wrestler character from the Spider-Man stories. Bad Bunny becomes the first Latino actor to headline a Marvel movie.And just recently, a Mexican actor Tenoch Huerta will play Namor Wakanda Forever is the sequel to Black Panther.
Still, despite being someone who grew up reading Marvel comics, the constant parade of superhero movies is pretty daunting, with diminishing returns, with or without diversity. Massive box office projects effectively wiped out the world of independent filmmaking, which, dating back to the 1990s, represented a moment of hope that a Latino cinematic space would be created. movies likeRaising Victor Vargas” “I Like It Like That,” When “Mi FamiliaWe’ve created a vibrant portrait of urban Latinos that isn’t engulfed by endless explosions and choreographed battle scenes.
These were films that recalled the work of Spike Lee, who went to great lengths to create marketable African-American stars like Samuel L. Jackson, Wesley Snipes, and Halle Berry. Despite the brief success of directors like Gregory Nava, for some reason it never happened to Latinos, except Rosie Perez, Lee’s muse in “Do the Right Thing.” , Leon IcasoJoseph Vasquez’s film “hanging out with the homeboy” starred a young John Leguizamo.
It’s not counterproductive to see Latinos spend big budgets, but the key to maintaining visibility is to get a grip on the storytelling mechanics and establish narratives and star performances that can’t be erased by Hollywood’s bottom line. There is something to do.
Source: www.cnn.com
