John Leguizamo avoided sun ‘for years’ to stay light skinned for Hollywood roles

John Leguizamo revealed in a dialog with the Academy of Movement Image Arts and Sciences that he made a deliberate selection in his profession to remain out of the solar to be able to proceed reserving roles as a light-skinned Latino actor. The actor stated he has lengthy “benefitted from being light-skinned” in Hollywood and addressed problems with colorism inside Hollywood and inside Latin tradition.

“I stayed out of the solar so I may work,” Leguizamo stated. “I undoubtedly wouldn’t go within the solar for years. It was a acutely aware factor as a result of I may work. And all of the Latinos that made it thus far, plenty of them have been all light-skinned. What occurred to all of the Afro-Latinos and the vast majority of Indigenous Latinos? They don’t get a shot, you recognize. So, there’s plenty of issues we received to cope with in Hollywood, and we received to repair, and we received to talk out and we received to talk up.”

Leguizamo additionally reacted to final 12 months’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, which regarded on the 1,300 top-grossing movies from 2007 to 2019 and located that solely 7% of movies from 2019 featured a lead/co-lead Hispanic/Latino actor.

“Not solely are we invisible, however after we are seen, it’s a unfavourable portrayal,” Leguizamo stated. “Issues are bettering. I believe Covid made us actually have a look at ourselves in America. Black Lives Matter was an enormous awakening for America, a reboot for America to have a look at themselves and see what’s happening. I believe all people’s attempting to do the best factor and rent many extra folks of shade. What I need to see, I need to see 20% of the roles in entrance of the digicam and the crew. I’m not asking for additional. I simply need what’s as a result of us.”

Leguizamo was talking to the Academy as a part of the group’s “Seen” interview collection. The actor revealed that he’s going to run for Governor of the Academy to be able to higher implement change within the trade.

“It’s important to step up and make a change and alter it from inside,” Leguizamo stated. “I really feel like in case you’ve achieved a specific amount of success, it’s your obligation to offer again.”

Leguizamo most not too long ago starred in Disney’s animated musical “Encanto.” He reprises his voice position of Sid in “Ice Age: Adventures of Buck Wild,” streaming January 28 on Disney Plus, and in addition stars reverse Anya Taylor-Pleasure and Nicholas Hoult in Searchlight Photos’ upcoming black comedy “The Menu.”

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