Gina Rodriguez Fights for the Underrepresentation of Latinos in Hollywood
It’s always inspiring when celebrities take the time to fight for causes that are very important to them. Gina Rodriguez is leading the way to fight against the underrepresentation of Latinos in Hollywood.
A University of Southern California study reported that only 3% of speaking characters in 2016′s top 100 films were Latinos. A Latino actor or actress has not won an Oscar since Penelope Cruz in 2009 for her role in Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Unfortunately, most roles Hispanics get in movies are roles of drug dealers, rapists, and criminals. This obviously does not help the overall representation of Hispanics in the United States. Who can forget Donald Trump’s appalling remarks on Mexicans and (still) wanting to build a wall between the United States and Mexico.
Hollywood has always struggled to represent African Americans and women before but have made a significant effort in including them in this year’s Oscar nominations. Unfortunately, Latinos have not been so lucky. The hashtag #LatinosLeftOut has sparked a new debate on the inadequate representation of one of the biggest demographic groups in the United States of America. There are more than 56 million Hispanics in the United States which means they account for more than 17% of the population of the country but as mentioned above, only 3% of speaking roles in Hollywood films are for Hispanics.
Rodriguez has also gotten involved in many charities and philanthropic work for Hispanics living in the United States. In 2015, she became a member of the HSF’s (Hispanic Scholarship Fund) Board of Directors. This fund helps Hispanics attain higher education.
Rodriguez will star in Sony’s new movie Miss Bala, a remake of the 2011 movie of the same name that was nominated for an Oscar for ‘Best Foreign Film’. It was shot in Mexico and the movie crew consists of 95% Latinos.
Sources:
http://www.pewhispanic.org/2017/09/18/facts-on-u-s-latinos/
http://variety.com/2018/film/opinion/gina-rodriguez-latin-representation-1202675338/
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/jan/27/hollywood-film-latinos-representation-diversity-oscars
