John Leguizamo, who stars in Prime Video’s “The Power,” guest-hosted “The Daily Show” and took the opportunity to shed light on the underrepresentation of Latinos in Hollywood. In a recent episode, Leguizamo pointed out the phenomenon of white actors playing Latino roles, such as James Franco’s portrayal of Fidel Castro in “Alina of Cuba.”
He then jokingly suggested that he would take a white actor’s role and play Gwyneth Paltrow in a movie about her ski-accident trial.
Latino actor John Leguizamo pokes fun at Hollywood’s white-washing practices and jokes about playing Gwyneth Paltrow in a movie.
The trial, which took place in Utah, ended with a jury finding that Paltrow was not at fault in the accident involving Terry Sanderson, a retired optometrist. Sanderson claimed that Paltrow ran into him while distracted, resulting in a traumatic brain injury and four broken ribs. Paltrow disputed Sanderson’s account and countersued, alleging that Sanderson ran into her. The jury found Sanderson at fault and ordered him to pay $1 in damages.
Actor John Leguizamo’s Bold Stand Against Hollywood’s Latino Underrepresentation
Leguizamo has been vocal about the lack of Latino representation in Hollywood, stating in an open letter to the industry in the Los Angeles Times in 2022 that there are millions of Latinos who are not given the opportunity to break into the industry. He cited a study by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, which found that only 3.5% of leads and co-leads in the top-grossing films from 2007 to 2019 were Hispanic or Latino, despite the group composing 18.7% of the US population.
Leguizamo has experienced first-hand the effects of the industry’s “Latin quota,” recounting his experiences of being told at auditions that he was either “too Latino” or “not Latino enough.” He also shared an instance where he was denied a role because the film already had “two Latin people in the movie.”
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Leguizamo’s comments on “The Daily Show” highlight the ongoing issue of Hollywood’s white-washing practices, and his playful suggestion of playing Gwyneth Paltrow in a movie about her trial adds a touch of humor to an otherwise serious topic.