John Leguizamois ready for representation.
While guest hostingThe Daily Showon Monday, theViolent Nightactor, 62, pointed out that he has always been a champion for Latinos in Hollywood, but that recent casting decisions have him contemplating taking on another role.
As a graphic from a USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative 2020 study flashed on the screen showing the demographics of Latinos in the county, theMenustar continued about the disconnect.
“I mean it’s crazy, Latinos are almost 20% of the country but we’re barely represented in film and television?” he said incredulously. “Especially since every movie last year took place in the Multiverse.”
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty, Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
He jokingly added, “C’mon, you’re telling me there ain’t one dimension that’s in The Heights? And then when there is a good Latino role it’s going to people likeJames Franco.”
It was announced last summer that Franco had reportedly been tapped to playFidel Castroin an upcoming biopic from director Miguel Bardem,Alina of Cuba: La Hija Rebelde(which translates toAlina of Cuba: The Rebel Daughter).
Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage
Speaking out about being visible on film has long been a Leguizamo rallying cry.
After struggling to land roles early in his career, the actor started writing his own material instead, resulting in critically acclaimed stage shows like 1990’sMambo Mouth, 1992’sSpic-O-Rama, 1998’sFreakand 2016’sLatin History for Morons. They all satirized Latino stereotypes through Leguizamo’s own life experiences and aimed to teach the audience more about his community.
In 2020, he boycotted theEmmy Awardswhen Latino talent and shows were almost completely left out of the major categories. The only Latin nomination was forThe Handmaid Tale’sAlexis Bledel, whose dad was born and raised in Argentina while her mom grew up in Mexico City.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“I just feel like it’s such a damage to kids not to see themselves reflected back in positive ways,” he told PEOPLE at the time.
source: people.com
