James Franco has reportedly been cast as Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro, and many Latino actors aren’t happy.
Most notably, the prolific John Leguizamo, who recently voiced Bruno in Disney’s “Encanto,” blasted Franco’s casting on Instagram. Leguizamo argued that the role should have gone to a Latino actor instead.
“How is this still going on?” Leguizamo asked on Friday. “How is Hollywood excluding us but stealing our narratives as well? No more appropriation Hollywood and streamers! Boycott! This F’d up! Plus seriously difficult story to tell without aggrandizement, which would (be) wrong! I don’t got a (problem) with Franco but he ain’t Latino!”
Franco is set to star as Castro in the upcoming “Alina of Cuba,” with production set to start later this year, per reports. The movie follows the life of Alina Fernandez, Castro’s daughter.
Leguizamo isn’t the only Latino star angered by the casting.
“Wtf is this….” wrote actress Jess Darrow, who voiced Luisa Madrigal in “Encanto,” in response to Leguizamo’s post.
“I’m sorry but what in the actual f**k?” wrote actor Raúl Castillo in an Instagram story.
“Not me reading that James Franco will have to ‘build’ an accent for Castro, when my entire life I’ve been made fun of for not speaking English like an American and been told countless times to work hard to get rid of it…” wrote actress Sol Rodriguez.
“I’m auditioning for another generic Latin-American drug dealer and James Franco is dead a** playing Fidel Castro,” wrote actor Jeff Torres on Twitter. “Latinos gettin’ done dirty af out here and everywhere. Damn lol.”
Latino representation has long lagged in Hollywood. Despite making up 18% of the US population, only 5% of the speaking roles in 2019’s top 100 movies went to Latino actors, according to a 2020 study by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative.
Franco also faced allegations of inappropriate and sexually exploitive behavior in 2018 from five women, several of whom were his students. In 2021, in the wake of settling a class-action lawsuit, he admitted to sleeping with students from the acting school he co-owned.
OVERVIEW
OnMyWay Is The #1 Distracted Driving Mobile App In The Nation!
OnMyWay, based in Charleston, SC, The Only Mobile App That Pays its Users Not to Text and Drive.
The #1 cause of death among young adults ages 16-27 is Car Accidents, with the majority related to Distracted Driving.
OnMyWay’s mission is to reverse this epidemic through positive rewards. Users get paid for every mile they do not text and drive and can refer their friends to get compensated for them as well.
The money earned can then be used for Cash Cards, Gift Cards, Travel Deals and Much, Much More….
The company also makes it a point to let users know that OnMyWay does NOT sell users data and only tracks them for purposes of providing a better experience while using the app.
The OnMyWay app is free to download and is currently available on both the App Store for iPhones and Google Play for Android @ OnMyWay; Drive Safe, Get Paid.
Download App Now – https://r.onmyway.com
Sponsors and advertisers can contact the company directly through their website @ www.onmyway.com.