Latino actors face hurdles

Diversity in the media is a widely discussed topic these days; just as the face of America is changing, the faces we see on television and in movies are slowly changing as well. That adjustment is slow, and even now we see a surprising lack of diversity coming out of Hollywood, despite the fact that Latinos make up almost half of Los Angeles’ population. But according to some students, USC’s master of fine arts acting program is ahead of the game in representing America’s new generation.

“There’s a line in this Superman film, ‘I was born in Kansas — it doesn’t get more American than that,’” said Christopher Ramirez, a second-year actor in the M.F.A. program. “And you know, I’m all-American, yet people wouldn’t think of that by looking at me.”

Ramirez, who grew up in Kansas City, started acting just over three years ago. “The USC M.F.A program is the best because they teach you to be who you are. It’s not about breaking you down and building you up. There’s not an M.F.A. program in the United States that has so many Latino actors in it,” claimed Ramirez.

Gabriella Garcia, also a second-year actor in the M.F.A. program, discussed the ups and downs of breaking into the industry, and the particular challenges Latino actors face, with Ramirez.

“We want good stories. That’s what any actor wants — they want something that’s going to stretch them, something they can relate to. They don’t want to be what people perceive them to be,” Ramirez said.

Garcia, who was raised in Lancaster, California, moved to Los Angeles during high school to pursue acting and attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy for her B.F.A.

“Growing up, my idols were Natalie Portman, Winona Ryder, Audrey Hepburn. … Those movies have always really related to me, but you don’t see Latina actresses in those kinds of movies at all. Those are the kinds of movies that my soul really connects to. It’s less of a stretch for me to do that than some stereotypical Latin thing.”

Typecasting is a common problem for Latino actors, who find themselves placed again and again in the same stereotypical roles. Ramirez and Garcia, however, aren’t discouraged. Garcia shared her experience of being typecasted into what she called “chola” roles.

“It’s a double-edged sword because my job is to play something truthfully, and for someone on this planet, that’s their story. But when it happens over and over and you see talented actors missing opportunities, that’s when it becomes frustrating,” Garcia said.

According to Ramirez, typecasting doesn’t necessarily need to result in a negative experience. He talked about a recent documentary in which he played the role of a Latino MC.

“I just happened to fit how he kind of looked,” Ramirez said. “It was a tragic story because he had so much talent, but he was phased by the environment he grew up in and the pressure that was on him. He ends up finding his way to drugs and he blew his talent, but the world was on his shoulders, and that’s why I related to him — because he had a point of view, he had something to say.”

Ramirez and Garcia agree on the importance of the acting community in shaping mentalities.

“We can’t cast judgements upon our characters because we have to live truthfully under those imaginary circumstances. I think the actor has to have a really open mentality and perspective of the world we live in,” said Garcia.

“Unfortunately, the business we work in, they don’t see the same openness we do,” added Ramirez.

Within the M.F.A. program, though, Ramirez and Garcia feel that they’re being given the roles they deserve.

“That’s what’s special about the M.F.A. acting program. No matter how diverse the individual ensemble is, that isn’t going to steer them away from material that doesn’t fit their physical appearances,” said Garcia. “They’re going to take each individual ensemble, and they’ll pick what’s going to challenge them. Last semester we worked on Sam Shepard, and it’s typically portrayed with an all-American, Southwestern, all-Caucasian cast, but our group is Shepard. It’s totally all-American. We’re the contemporary all-American.”