La Palabra: As Oscar Season Approaches, Latino Actors Continue to Look In From the Outside

The best content from around the web, told with a Latin perspective.

Author:
Luis Miguel Echegaray
Publish date:
Jan 24, 2018

Mi gente! Welcome to La Palabra, SI's weekly column delivering the web's best content with a Latino perspective. Sports, pop culture, movies, TV, music, food, travel...you name it. Send tips to luis.echegaray@simail.com or mándame un Tweet.

Oscar Nominees are in. Where are all the Latino actors?

I love the Oscars. I was an actor for many years and my infatuation with the art of movie-making will never leave me. Whether it's Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront or Natalie Portman in Black Swan, I'm a sucker for a good performance.

However, when it comes to our community and celebrating Hispanic/Latino actors, the sad reality is that we are non-existent. A recent article from the New York Times highlighted this fact.

Did you know that in the last 20 years, only THREE Hispanic actors have won an Academy Award? Ever worse is the fact that Latinos make up 18 percent of the U.S population and 23 percent of the "frequent moviegoer" (at least once a month) but only about three percent of speaking film roles in the last decade were Latino. This information comes via a 2017 study by Stacy L. Smith, an associate professor at the University of Southern California.

It's bad enough are we not winning but we are not even invited to ball in the first place!

Naturally, people are speaking out. Carolina Moreno's article in the Huffington Post, in which she stresses the fact that the Academy is just part of the problem, is a must-read. This great thread by Remezcla's Vanessa Erazo is also worth your time. Also deserving credit is actress Gina Rodriguez, who spoke out during the SAG Awards' red carpet in an interview with E!.

She also discussed the issue on Twitter, specifically focusing on the Oscars.

Another major issue is the lack of diversity in the writing and production room, where the important casting decisions are made. Latino roles are so narrow that even when they do exist, it is the stereotypical role of drug criminal or house maid.

A little story: When I used to go on auditions for pilots or new film projects, almost every single character I would read for was either a thief, drug dealer or immigrant with a troubled past. It's why I wrote this piece for The Guardian a few years ago asking when will we see more diversity within our stories. Time will tell. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this new Lifetime movie about Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco.

Oh, and she's played by WELSH ACTRESS Catherine Zeta-Jones.

[insert rolling eyes emoji here]

Modern Family's Gloria

I've always had a love-hate relationship with Sofia Vergara's character on Modern Family. On one hand, she basically plays a Telenovela character who constantly pokes fun at her native Colombia. On the other hand, Vergara is so talented as a comic actress and brings so much warmth and clarity to Gloria-Delgado Pritchett that it's impossible not to love her.

The show is nowhere near as good as it used to be, but Vergara's Gloria brings it every time.

Via Mitú, here are some of the best Gloria moments, and why (aside from Phil) she's the best character on the show.

Sunday Night Baseball is Latinizin'

A-Rod is officially the third member of ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball, alongside play-by-play man Matt Vasgersian and Jessica Mendoza.

“I’m looking forward to this new chapter in my broadcasting career,” Rodriguez said. “It’s an exciting time in baseball and now I get that front row seat to tell that story every Sunday night on ESPN as well as calling my fourth post season on Fox where I started this journey.”

MLS focus on South American talent

Major League Soccer is changing. On the latest Planet Fútbol episode, Grant Wahl and I discuss the recent transfer signings from Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay and why it's a great thing for the league.

Here's the real reason why DREAMers are at risk

Spoiler alert: It's not Chuck Schumer.

Give me more Vicente Fox

The former president of Mexico is currently on a book tour and recently appeared on Comedy Central's The Opposition with Jordan Klepper. Needless to say, it was golden.