Hispanic and Latinos are still being marginalized in popular movies. To coincide with Hispanc Heritage Month, the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative released a new study that analyzed leading and co-leading Hispanic and Latino actors across 1,300 top-grossing films from 2007 to 2019. According to the report, Hispanics/Latinos spend $1.7 trillion as consumers, and account for 25% of movie ticket sales, but the absence of Hispanic and Latino actors and characters is “noticeable.” The research reveals that only 7% of Hispanic/Latino actors filled leading roles—only a slight increase from the 3.5% across the 13-year time frame. While more than half of leading or co-leading actors were girls and women, they still represented only 1.9% of the films. Meanwhile, only 5% percent of leads and co-leads were Latinx, as were 2.2% of all protagonists—and only six Afro-Latinos worked across the 13-year time frame, with three having leading or co-leading roles. Only 5.9% of speaking or named characters were Latino/Hispanic of any race, which showed no change from previous years. The findings were “even more dismal” for Hispanic and Latino LGBTQ+ and characters with disabilities, who were “almost completely absent in films,” with only one film depicting a Hispanic/Latino character who was both gay and had a disability. YPulse’s Representation in Action trend data found that 72% of 13-39-year-old Hispanic consumers wish they saw more people of their race in TV shows and movies. (Variety, Deadline)
