The Emergence of Latino Actors in Film

Once you hear it, you are able to recognize Sofia Vergara's accent from Modern Family anywhere you go. With her thickly rolled r’s and heavily pronounced vowels, characters like Vergara’s have become the stereotype of Latino culture in America for decades. As rare as it was in the past, Latino representation in Hollywood today has improved massively to provide an accurate representation of Latino culture. Latino actors are no longer typecast to play melodramatic to reach the media’s diversity quota.

Using Latino actors in stories that are not focused on Latino culture opens doors for them to appear in more roles and expand their talent.

Famously known Pedro Pascal has earned roles in Narcos which was based on his Chilean ethnicity, yet with roles in The Mandalorian and The Last of Us, he’s become the proof that Latino actors are able to fulfill the roles of originally white characters without having to focus on their race for the story. With his charisma in and out of the silver screen, Pascal has brought attention to his own culture and has caused fans to be interested in his rise to fame.

A modern example of the increasing Latino representation in media was in the sequel to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The sequel also features Latino actors representing Mexican culture alongside Tenoch Huerta, who plays the demi-god Namor. They display a refreshing look at the culture while integrating it into the modern context, with no mention of discrimination or emphasis on the actors’ ethnicities for the role. 

Another notable example is Ana de Armas’ interpretation of the iconic Marylin Monroe. The half-Cuban half-Spanish actress surpassed the ethnic limitations to embody such an emblematic and timeless pop culture idol. 

With success stories like these, the audience can be expecting the launch of more Latino actors’ careers in Hollywood.