No tener pelos en la lengua.

It’s “National Hispanic Heritage” month so let’s tell it like it is.

When it comes to Latino actors starring in films, the numbers say it all. Latinos make up approximately 20% of the country but get less than 5% of starring roles. And, when starring roles are filled by Latino actors, they are often characters that are (a) criminals, (b) poverty-stricken, (c) uneducated immigrants, (d) unwed and pregnant teens or (e) all of the above. This of course is not true in the real world; it is simply true in Hollywood’s portrayal of it.

Why is this still going on? Well, let’s be honest. Most of the people who are writing scripts in Hollywood are still white males who were raised in a society run mostly by white males who taught these white male writers what to think in terms of messaging.

Then, you add to this headlines that exaggerate “Latino gangs infiltrating the country pretending to be poor, helpless immigrants.” and minimize the accomplishments of Latinos both in terms of jobs they hold and level of degrees and you get a really messed up and skewed picture. In fact, many immigrants coming to this country have degrees in fields like law and medicine. Many immigrants are more educated than a large swath of U.S. citizens.

And, because of all these misconceptions that have been perpetrated and inherited by writers who write from the perspective of white males living in a society where white reigns supreme, you have generations of people watching films that drive home that Latinos are stupid, criminal immigrants with their only claim to fame being Menudo. (Honestly, if you are going to talk about Latino music, PLEASE speak of Esquivel and Perez “Prez” Prado. Menudo boys were cute when I was eight, but really…)

Media educates people even when it’s not “educational” media. I wish Hollywood would get this into their heads and understand that the industry has a role to play in ending racist stereotypes. I don’t want to see any more scar-faced Latinos running on screen with crowbars beating people up or worse shooting at them with machine guns while a pregnant teen gives birth in the back seat of a van from which gang members are selling weapons.

Can we just try a little? Or is this industry saying it doesn’t want to try? Is it just easier to typecast people just like it’s easier to typecast actors? Is it easier to play to people’s fears and misconceptions than to work against the grain to be fair an equitable? I’m sure the answer is sadly yes to all of this.

I really don’t have any answers. It’s all an uphill battle on so many levels, but we are in this battle together as indie filmmakers. Let’s not forget that.

If you want to understand the numbers better, read the article here.