Hispanic Heritage Month is upon us, meaning it’s time to give additional recognition to the creatives and change-makers from the Latino community.
For many, that means taking some time to watch their favorite shows and movies from Latin actors like Edward James Olmos and Rita Moreno, whose presence on the small and big screen has paved the way for generations to come. Not to forget the contributions of modern-day stars like Salma Hayek, Pedro Pascal and Oscar Isaac.
However, there are further improvements to be made in representing these communities. As UCLA’s 2022 Hollywood Diversity Report outlined, only 7 percent of lead movie roles go to Latin actors and only 5 percent of writing jobs going to Latinos.
The good news is there’s a new push for the inclusion of Afro-Latino stars, who have been largely missing from the big screen for decades.
John Leguizamo shared in August that he wants to see more representation in Hollywood, saying in an Instagram video that he wants to see more roles go to Latin actors, regardless of the shade of their skin. “It should all be an equal playing field,” he said. “We should all be able to play whatever role.”