Hollywood consistently refuses to give Latines their due time in the spotlight.
When was the last time you turned on the TV or went to the videos and saw a Latina user on screen starring in a leading role?
For me, it was DC’s “Blue Beetle” (2023), a movie that I loved, but it performed worse at the box office than any other film in the DC Extended UniverseArray. The film was magnificent. It depicted the main character Jaime (Xolo Maridueña) in the same way that any comic book movie might depict a main character: an average user who becomes a superhero. However, Jaime is neither white nor a billionaire; He’s a Latino in his twenties fresh out of school looking to help his family make ends meet. His story doesn’t seem too far removed from mine or many of my friends, unless it’s because of his superhuman abilities, of course.
So why did “Blue Beetle” perform so poorly?I attribute it to bad marketing. I mean, none of my non-Latino friends knew about the film’s release. It’s very difficult to create media with a positive representation of Latinos, and when this happens, the marketing is poor.
Two of my favorite shows on Netflix are the reboots of “One Day at a Time” and “Gentefied” in 2017. These shows aren’t much different from other shows that stick to family life; They stick to much of the same format as exhibits aimed at white families. What sets them apart is that they are attached to Latino families and are willing to take on the problems that affect them most. Unfortunately, they were canceled after only a few seasons on the platform, which would never have happened to a show like “Fuller House,” which stuck to the white circle of relatives that was highlighted in “Full House. “
Following the cancellation of “One Day at a Time,” Netflix vice president Cindy Holland said, “The fundamental math is: How many insights do we get for what it charges?We also took a look at “Are You Reaching Other Audiences?”. Was it critically acclaimed?”” Does it do anything for us as a company we love?”she said. ” We would have revamped this factor based on the view rate. “
What this argument overlooks is the undeniable fact that the series was not well publicized. Although he had a small and engaged fan base, Netflix never gave him the time to shine or the marketing budget to make it happen. Maybe if they had announced it like they do with each and every Noah Centineo’s cult films, it would have produced the numbers Netflix wanted.
Instead, studios are happy to greenlight shows and movies that have no Latine representation or with Latine characters that are thinly veiled caricatures of what a Latine person is. Networks often like to portray Latine people as eccentric and with heavy accents. They also tend to be portrayed as overly sexual and exotic.
Rita Moreno, the most productive Puerto Rican actress known for her role as Anita in “West Side Story” (1961), has remained stuck in that role, one way or another, her career. Like Anita, she was described as a woman. with a strong accessory, although she didn’t have one in real life. Even in “One Day at a Time”–as much as I love that show–she played a grandmother with a strong accessory and an eccentric personality.
Let’s take Sofia Vergara’s Gloria in “Modern Family” as another example. This series won one Emmy after another, and Vergara received four consecutive nominations for her portrayal of Gloria. The problem, however, is that the series portrays Gloria as an oversexualized stereotype. On this, Vergara asked, “What about being a stereotype?I don’t blame Vergara at all for having this mentality; He received awards and cash for the role, which allowed him to gain even greater notoriety than before the series.
The real challenge is in the writers’ room. How can we expect to be well represented if Latinos are excluded from the room?One of the most contentious episodes of “Modern Family,” “Fulgencio,” an episode that involved many members of Gloria’s family. family, each with a personality as exuberant as Gloria’s. Who wrote the episode, you ask? Three white men.
When there are Latino creatives like actress and editor Cristela Alonzo; Gloria Calderón Kellett, editor and author of Latinocentric texts such as “One Day at a Time” and “With Love”; and actress, producer, and USC alumna America Ferrera: Why do we allow white men to tell our stories and how do we look and what do we communicate about?
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