John Leguizamo was one of the first Latino actors to have huge, mainstream success in the modern entertainment industry. His stand-up shows sold out, he got roles in award-winning prestige films, he got to do offbeat art films and mainstream crowd-pleasers. Of course, his journey was full of roadblocks, glass ceilings and outright prejudice and racism. John talked about all of that more in the Academy Awards’ Seen series. He even talked about his own privilege as a light-skinned Latino actor and how he internalized the colorism of the industry:
He admits that he “stayed out of the sun” so he could land roles. “I definitely would not go in the sun for years. It was a conscious thing because I could work… And all the Latinos that made it so far, a lot of them were all light-skinned. What happened to all the Afro-Latinos and the majority of indigenous Latinos? They don’t get a shot, you know. So, there’s a lot of things we got to deal with in Hollywood, and we got to fix, and we got to speak out and we got to speak up.”
The overwhelmingly negative portrayals of Latinos onscreen. “How do you create a Latin star in America when the roles are one-dimensional and not worthy of awards? The ugly question is, why are Latin people not succeeding? What’s the ugly question? Are we not smart enough? Not talented enough? Not good-looking enough? Not hardworking enough? No, none of those stereotypes and racist ideas because nobody tries harder with less access. So not only are we invisible, but when we are seen, it’s a negative portrayal. Things are improving. I think COVID made us really look at ourselves in America. Black Lives Matter was a huge awakening for America, a reboot for America to look at themselves and see what’s going on. I think everybody’s trying to do the right thing and hire many more people of color. What I want to see, I want to see 20 percent of the roles in front of the camera and the crew. I’m not asking for extra. I just want what’s due to us.”
The industry stereotypes the Latin audience too: Leguizamo, who acknowledged that he “benefited from being light-skinned” in the industry, also recalled being told by studio executives, “Latin people don’t want to see Latin people.” And when he directed and starred in 2020’s Critical Thinking — based on the true story of a Miami high school chess team that became the first inner city team to win the U.S. National Chess Championship — someone told him, “Latin people don’t want to see feel-good movies.”
He made me think about Sofia Vergara, and how Modern Family made her a household name and one of the highest-paid women in the history of television. It’s what John says – she was playing a positive, joyful character and the writers did subvert the stereotypes of a “young Latina golddigger trophy wife.” My point is that John’s right, there is absolutely a hunger for positive, stereotype-breaking Latin characters. He’s also right about colorism within the industry for light-skinned Latinos. I can’t believe he stayed out of the sun, wow.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- Television Academy Honors Emmy Nominated Performers,Image: 387037000, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: John Leguizamo,Justine Maurer, Credit line: FayesVision / Wenn / Avalon
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- Actor John Leguizamo arrives at the 25th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards held at the Barker Hangar on January 12, 2020 in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 562953104, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289 – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- John Leguizamo at the 25th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. Los Angeles, California – Monday January 12, 2020.Photograph: © Joe Sutter/PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com,Image: 562968237, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com, Model Release: no, Credit line: Joe Sutter / Avalon
As a POC , staying out of the sun is ingrained into my psyche from an early age. I think this is true for the majority of what would be considered “darker skinned” POC. You are taught from an early age that “fairer” is better. It’s sad, but when there is so much money invested into supporting this myth , the movement to change it does not get very far.
In the Brooklyn I grew up in, Black Brownstone Brooklyn, we were brown and got blacker playing in the sun. Light skinned folks got that golden summer glow, so the majority of people in my immediate environment did not hate blackness like that (which is not to say colorism was not at play at the same time).
I was truly shocked at the stay-out-of-the-sun shenanigans I encountered when I moved to another state. Black & brown melanated people NEED some sun for vitamin D. The darker the skin, the less vitamin D produced & low vitamin is correlated with bad health outcomes. Of course D can come from diet too. Moderation is key.
I’m a white woman with two white/Latino kids. When we visited the Latino family recently, every older aunt went on and on about how wonderful it is that my kids skin is so light, especially my daughter. They said she’s so light that she’s a princess, and they were all over me about sun protection.
First of all, I’m of Irish heritage so yeah my kids are covered in sunscreen, even though they don’t burn like me it’s just ingrained. But also, do you think that me telling the kids to ignore these skin-color opinions will help?
I don’t want to directly counter older ladies on their opinions, especially being a white woman I try to just not judge their culture and beliefs. But I also don’t want my kids to think any of their worth comes from how light their skin is, or to ever see themselves or others as less worthy if they spend a summer in the sun a get a little darker. Not sure how to even handle it… my husband says just ignore it but kids are so impressionable.
Yes, it’ll help. Appreciate your sensitivity about the older ladies and not wanting to judge. You don’t want to rebuke them or counter them directly.
But when alone with your kids it’s important to tell them princesses come in all shades, lighter doesn’t equal better, etc. Reading kids books about multi ethnic families, watching movies will help.
I’m a darker PoC from a colonized country. So yeah, the aunties were brainwashed into praising lighter skin and it sucked. It’s like a reflex for them. My son with a white person looks so white that I was mistaken for the nanny often (northern states, looking at you. Didn’t get this in the south fyi). I’ve had to tackle the issue from the opposite perspective – to tell him the history of how darker skin was perceived and how it wasn’t fair and it’s up to him to make sure these biases aren’t carried forward.
You’ll know you’ve done well if you kids correct the older ladies themselves in time 🙂
It is a weird combo, In my country it is weird mix of non racist i the sense you see, for example, in the US. Everybody is called the same, by our nationality, unless they step out with the particular name of their ethnicity if they belong to a particular group, not in my state, there are hardly people of a particular ethnicity. At the same time , we have colorist. Lighter people= more opportunities. Akin of a pretty woman having more/better job opportunities than a less pretty one.
My husband is way lighter than me and he say that he sees how he gets better treatment from some people, which he attributes to his coloring. He has a coworker who is a darker skin very intelligent woman. They have commented how he, being a man and lighter, gets more chances, it has open his eyes more to the circumstances of women in the job environment. There is also the personality factor, etc. It is not a rule every time, tho. And we are not taking about the entertainment industry.
SJ, you are right on. My own grandmother hated me because I was too dark (I’m a basic black person with a caramel/medium brown color). My West Indian family on both sides didn’t understand why I liked to play in the sun so much and get so dark.
I see this frequently when printing wedding photos. Many Indian brides lighten themselves a lot for the wedding day, I don’t even recognize them because their skin is so much lighter in the photos. I always feel so bad that they believe having lighter skin will make them look more beautiful.
Agree with his comments. As a POC, with lighter siblings, I was scolded if I went into the sun. Called horrible names that I wont repeat by my own family. I avoided the sun for years. I remember being in college and being invited to go to an all-inclusive with some friends. It stressed me out that I would be in the sun. This is all unlearning that I have had to do.
I’m so sorry you went through that. I’m so glad that he’s addressing colorism on his platform.
This is fascinating to me on so many levels.
First of all, I was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina (South America). My ancestry is European and I am very pale. I was kept from the sun the moment I turned 6 months old. To this day I avoid the sun like the plague. However, the beauty standard has always been “tanned”. Pale people like me are not considered beautiful and encouraged to tan. Someone like John would have been encouraged to “get more colour in you!” even though he wouldn’t be considered white enough.
Second of all, unless the studio heads talking to John were latin, their analysis is moot. They can’t speak for a community they don’t belong to. Of course latins want to see themselves portrayed in a positive way. We are a very diverse community, not just in terms of ethnicity, but also in terms of culture and traditions. This is why I loved Encanto and what it did for Colombia. Colombia isn’t just FARCs and drugs and crime, it is so much more. We are heroes, we are criminals, we are scientists, we are football players, we are war veterans, we are corrupted, we are poor, we are educated, we are brilliant, etc We are everything white people are.
Third of all, Sofia Vergara still had to fake that stupid accent of hers and darken her hair in order to fit into a stereotype. She did that in order to get work and I hope one day she gets a role that allows her to speak in her own natural accent.
Fourth of all, Anya Taylor Joy is a prime example of what John Leguizamo did in order to get roles. Anya is half argentine and even though she identifies as a white latina, she is not considered one by the general public. That opens up a world of opportunities people like John did not have (or John Cho, my forever platonic love).
Lastly, we need more diversity both in front and behind the camera. But I don’t think Hollywood will provide it. There is more freedom in streaming and that’s why streaming companies are producing the most relevant content. Hollywood will die out if they don’t adapt.
Anya is not half Argentinian, she LIVED here but she’s has European ascendancy (British and Spanish) and in Argentina being white/pale gets Gets you more opportunities
Her father is argentine of european descent. That would imply anyone born from an argentine is not argentine, too. Considering half my friends’ children were born abroad and have argentine citizenship, it is so.
Also – in the US it doesn’t matter what ancestry you have if one of your parents is latin (like Anya’s father) then so are you. And that’s the point I was making and why people like John (american) and Anya (also american but WHITE) are treated so differently even though both are latin.
As fares know, native population in Argentina is now huge, and it is concentrated more in some regions. A lot, a lot of people is practically all of European descent , some more recent than others. Anya being “mixed” with European , is mostly not meaningful ethnically, but more culturally, as in her family culture is not 100% Argentinian per se. Ethnically, physically it won’t make such a difference.
Studio heads shouldn’t speak for a community they don’t belong to, but they make up stereotypical BS anyway and have been the ones with the power over content. Their “analysis” (probably not based on anything real) has been driving so many of the issues he’s talking about.
He is speaking the truth! Last month on Twitter, I wrote a thread about representation and even more specifically, Mexican and Mexican-American representation. It’s my pinned tweet and I have the same user name as here.
The sun thing! Man that shit is too damn real. I’m brown with a family of all shades. I was made fun of too. Some of it was especially painful.
Oh this is so true. My husband is Latino, his two brothers are darker than he is. The brothers have faced so much more stereotyping, getting pulled over constantly, and general racism than he has due to a few shades of difference. It’s insane! And undeniable.
John unfortunately has contributed to colorism himself. One year he and another Hispanic actor were outraged that no Hispanic actors were nominated. He completely looked over the fact that a dark skinned actor of Dominican decent was nominated and won in Jharrel Jerome. He should have know this and acknowledged the win. His overlooking Jerome says a lot to me.
Ok but for him to overlook an actor, probably mistakenly, while talking about a very real discrimination problem in the industry does not amount to a “history of colorism”. That’s a pretty harsh assessment.
The man has had to literally alter how much time he spends in the sun in order to advance his career. And he’s being brave to talk about that. He may have made a mistake in the past as far as acknowledging an actor, or he may not have known the man was Dominican at all, but he is here speaking against colorism right now.
I think he should have known about Jharrel, especially because he was nominated for the Central Park Five Ava DuVernay vehicle. Especially because it was in NYC and it was so polarizing. It was a huge win for Jharrel, the mini-series, Ava, and for the Hispanic community.
I had not heard about this factor at all. Good for pointing him out. his name does not give much away.
This. I’ve been side eyeing him and Dasha over that bullshit last year. How did he forget Jharrel when they were in the same Emmy winning series?!
Yup. I expected it from Dasha because she is problematic and unapologetic about it. But I expected a little more from John, I’ve always admired him and enjoyed his work.
Thank-you GIRL_NINJA! This needed to be said. He’s problematic because his previous comments spoke of Latino inclusion as a zero sums game where there needs to be more of his type of Latinos at the expense of Black people. In the past he’s made comments like where there are Black actors doing x,y, and x so Latinos should get the same opportunities ( the year there was a record number of Black people nominated for Emmys). He is trying to clean it up because of the backlash he got from the Black community. It was heavy on the well if Blacks got these opportunities then we damn sure should get them too, which was and is rooted in colorism. As you mentioned the fact that he overlooked a dark-skinned Latino being nominated in that same year he ranted about the lack of opportunities being given to Latinos spoke volumes. He’s arguing for a certain type of Latino inclusion (or why overlook Jharrell given they were both in the Central Park Five), which makes his well we all need a seat at the table narrative so disingenuous.
His comments merely reinforce that he thinks the way he does because colorism. For far too long, he wasn’t comfortable critiquing the BS racism and colorism standards ingrained in Latino representation, because as he acknowledged he benefited from them. He only changed when he was rightfully called out for hypocrisy. Without an acknowledgement of how problematic he was, this is disingenuous. Does there need to be more Latino representation? Absolutely! But in a way that doesn’t reinforce colorism (we’re looking at you In the Heights) or it’s simply repackaged racism. With that being said, I am hopeful he has learned and grown from his previous comments.
That’s really not fair. I know what you mean, but I’ve seen Jharrel Jerome since Moonlight and I had no idea that he was Dominican until he won his Emmy. Just because you’re part of a community doesn’t mean you know EVERYONE your community, or you can spot people “on sight”. There are people in my husbands family that if you didn’t tell me , I would have thought they were white without questions asked. So he thought he was black, mistake but that doesn’t make him guilty of colorism.
His Latin History for Morons is great. He’s such an amazing talent.
That show is so funny it’s brutal. I would like to see more of him.
He discussed how he screwed up once and got super tanned and it affected the role they were going to give him – in Miami Vice I think. It’s in that show he did that was a kind of all over biography of his life.
I’ve always loved him. Saw him in a one-man show on Broadway or off-Broadway back in the ’90s. Love, love, love him!
I can totally see what he’s saying, but it’s funny – I grew up in a Jewish and Italian neighborhood in suburban NY and I’m of Irish descent – crazy pale. I was told to get some color and that I was “practically albino”. Among white people where I lived, tan was in, and being as I only burn, I was 10 shades lighter than people in the winter and 20 shades in the summer! It wasn’t until I went away to college that I met other pale people like me (well, not quite as pale, but close enough) and my skin color wasn’t a big deal. Thankfully, my pale skin only impacted my dating options and not my career options. That just sucks. Glad he’s speaking out about this.
People get so confused by us and want to put us into a narrow box, I’m Mexican with Korean ancestry and this shocks people, I got a DNA test and I’m almost equal parts Native, white and Asian.
I’ve been told by Black and white people get some color, come on you’re Mexican. Which I honestly find disgusting, I literally have unfriended acquaintances who have said that.
I stay out of the Sun because I hate wrinkles but when I was little I remember laying out in the sun as I wanted some color, now I fake tan as I don’t want wrinkles or cancer.
I can relate to this, from a young age I felt pressure to stay out of the sun to avoid a deep brown tan and dark freckles. My mom always emphasized sunscreen so I slathering myself in it all summer. Living in a majority white area made me self-conscious about my skin tone. Even when the white kids around me became darker than I was, I never stopped with the sun hats, long pants etc. I’m still to this day trying to shake that mindset but it’s hard!
My dil is from Vietnam and there’s similar thing over there about fair skin is better. Dil has gorgeous golden brown complexion that her family makes rude remarks about. Even the N word. When we were in Vietnam I noticed her paler sisters would be bundled up in long jeans and long sleeved turtleneck tops in 40+c heat. All to keep their skin as light as possible. And beauty shops are prevalent with potentially dangerous creams to bleach skin. It’s crazy.
And it’s not just skin color, it’s all “ethnic” markers. In east Asia (Korea, Japan), it is common to give plastic surgery as a graduation present. The kids can have their flat noses “fixed” to look more caucasian, and surgery to create double eye lids. For other races, it could be straightening hair that looks too ethnic because of curls, or rhinoplasty to slim the nose, skin whitening cream, etc. On one hand, I think the prevalence of plastic surgery means people *generally* have higher standards of living and more disposable income that they can spend it on something like that. But it’s disturbing that stereotypical caucasian features are still the beauty “standard.”
I’ve been so disappointed in him. I was a huge fan growing up. To Wong Foo is one of my favorite movies.
In México, even when your nuclear family doesnt care, there’s always aunts pointing the lighter skinned nephew as the cutest. Cruel names are called to the darker ones, and you’re supossed to take it with a smile because in every case “it’s just a joke”.
As a little child, I remember dreaming/hoping about being in a tale story where I got awarded for being good, with white skin and blonde hair.
As a child, taking sh*t from another child is horrible. But taking it from adults is heartbreaking.