Congressman Joaquin Castro Urges Hollywood to Give Latino Films a ‘Fair Chance’ (Guest Column)
variety.comJoaquin Castro Dear Hollywood, As the Thanksgiving holiday dawns, I urge you to include Latino films and performances on your winter watch list and give Hollywood Latinos and their projects a fair chance to be seen.
While Latinos are a growing and essential part of the cultural and social fabric of America, based on the dismal numbers from the recent USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative Report on major Hollywood films released between 2007-2022, it’s clear that Hollywood — America’s narrative-creating and image-defining institution — is broadly failing to acknowledge or include the Latino community.
The Annenberg report notes slow progress over the years. In 2007, no Hispanic/Latino actor held a lead or co-lead role in major Hollywood films.
In 2021 and 2022, there were marginal gains, with 10 films where Hispanic/Latino actors held lead or co-lead roles, out of a total of 109 and 118 leading roles, respectively.
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