“It's A Form Of Erasure”

LATINX MOVIEGOERS make up 24 percent of the audience in theaters all over the country. So why are only 6 percent of speaking roles going to ACTORS AND ACTRESSES who look like them? Monica Castillo investigates.

- Monica Castillo

In the “America” scene from the 1961 film version of West Side Story, Anita, played by Rita Moreno, sings the merits of her adopted homeland, while her costar George Chakiris (as Bernardo) makes the argument that life was better in Puerto Rico. It’s a catchy song in a crowded, colorful scene, and only the most observant viewer might notice that Chakiris is wearing brown paint on his face, or that in the balcony scene right before, Maria, played by Natalie Wood, is struggling with her accent. In fact, Moreno is the only actual Puerto Rican lead in the movie—and the first Latina ever to win an Oscar, for her portrayal of Anita. It’s too soon to tell whether Steven Spielberg’s upcoming remake of the musical about a turf war between white and Puerto Rican teenagers will right some of its predecessor’s wrongs, though the fact that Moreno signed on in late November to appear in the film and will also serve as executive producer will likely help. But what is certain is that while Hollywood has been racing to fix its diversity problem since #OscarsSoWhite, it still falls far behind when it comes to Latinx representation.