Why arent there more Latinos in Hollywood movies and TV?
Melinna Bobadilla identifies as an active actor who has had a fairly successful start to her career. In 2017, she landed the role of Bertha in Luis Valdezs cover of Zoot Suit at the Mark Taper Forum. Then she got a recurring role in the final season of Orange Is the New Black (playing an indigenous migrant stranded in detention at an immigration and customs control center) and appeared in a key episode of the series. of Apple + Little America immigrant anthologies. She also has a role in the upcoming second season of Netflixs sweetheart Gentefied. And she starred in the short film For Rosa, portraying one of the real women sterilized without full consent at Los Angeles County General Hospital in the 1970s. Its now airing on HBO Max. But there are some roles the LA native with degrees from UC Berkeley and New York University struggles to land. These are the neutral roles with no identified race or ethnicity. When I audition for these roles, I end up watching the show or movie, and by default hes white, says Bobadilla. So I wonder if there is only lip service to fairness and diversity in the cast. Its really easy to hide behind. Well, hes just the best person for the job. There is not enough representation when it comes to black actors and black executives. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)  It is up to the creators of color to make room for actors like Bobadilla. Little America co-creator Kumail Nanjiani set out to tell original immigrant stories by hiring writers, directors and actors of color. The episode Bobadillas, directed by Aurora Guerrero, is about a high school student whose immigration status affects her educational prospects. The Boyle Heights drama Gentefied, directed by co-creators Marvin Lemus and Linda Yvette Chvez, was praised for showcasing a rainbow of up-and-coming artists from Chicano, Central America and California who are part of a generation that pushes for a richer representation. in studios and media companies. Increasingly and also posing new challenges, actors and audiences of the Bobadillas generation tend to want their entertainment to reflect or match their values. Bobadilla, who describes herself as Chicana, says she chooses roles being aware of her position. She said she was struggling with decide to play the character of Orange Is the New Black identified as Maya Kiche because she is not a member of that specific indigenous group. I would always say there isnt enough representation when it comes to black actors and black executives, Bobadilla said. Again, this is erasure. I am interested in disenfranchising white supremacy in all its facets. For this, she is inspired by two pioneering models: Viola Davis and Sandra Oh. I look up to them and feel a connection, and I feel empowered in a way that I dont feel when I see a white Latin American person just because they have a Spanish last name, Bobadilla said. It is not enough for me. Longoria stressed that even with the diversity of races and origins that count as Latino, unity is necessary. I am not Cuban; I dont want to watch this show. I am not Mexican; I dont want to watch this show, Longoria said, echoing some reaction to the shows among viewers. Our community also has a responsibility to show up. We need everyone to keep their foot on the gas. Shed would like to see more recruiting of executives, agents, producers, casting directors, Latino technicians of all kinds: you want someone in the DNA of these companies, and in these rooms, who understands the community. . Eva Longoria: I dont need another statistic. I understand. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)  We all want diversity; the industry wants it too, but they also spend a lot of money, so they want the product to generate income, said director and screenwriter Michael D. Olmos, a son of Edward James Olmos. Its all of those things. Its a horse or buggy thing. Co-director of the 2012 hit Filly Brown with Gina Rodriguez and the late Jenni Rivera, the young Olmos said that the industry he has pursued can often be a meritocracy, but it is also a benchmark industry, in which relationships matter most. And making those connections can be difficult. This is in part why the elder Olmos founded the Youth Cinema Project, which teaches fourth grade students how to make their own films. He wants to tackle the pipeline problem as soon as possible. Flavio Morales, executive vice president of distribution and production company Endemol Shine Latino, argues that a flood of Latin American content is a response to the idea that if more people of color are working as handles, costume designers , camera operators, editors or assistant production, the pool of future directors and pioneers of cinema is growing naturally. Watch the Blaxploitation movement, he said of the often rejected films. We have executive producers, writers, directors. We need our Blaxploitation movement, and we need our Roger Corman. We just need more things on the screen. More more more. Others express their admiration for how black creatives like Girls Trip producer Will Packer have leveraged decades of collective organizing and pressure to break old molds in the industry. We have to start projecting that light, said producer George Salinas, from south Los Angeles. There was a certain stereotype for African Americans before Tyler Perry, before the Will Packers out there, and all those guys who just elevated storytelling for African Americans. Now you see them portrayed as important doctors and lawyers, and thats fantastic. And thats what I was trying to do. Its up to us to tell our own stories, Olmos said in his testimony to Congress. And we go.