John Leguizamo took to his Instagram page to slam the recent casting of James Franco as Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro. Franco is set to play him in the upcoming independent film Alina of Cuba, and Leguizamo is against the casting because Franco isn’t Latino.
In his post to his Instagram followers, Leguizamo said, “How is this still going on?” 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!” You can check out the Instagram post below!
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Alina of Cuba is slated to begin production on August 15, with the crew shooting in Colombia. Franco will star opposite Ana Villafañe, who portrays the titular character Alina Fernandez, Castro’s daughter. The script follows Alina’s life as Castro’s illegitimate daughter and a critic of his reign in Cuba before she left the country and defected to Spain in 1993. Franco’s casting as Fidel Castro was supported by the real-life Fernandez, who is participating in the film as an on-set creative and biographical consultant.
John Leguizamo is no stranger to speaking out about these issues. He told People magazine in 2020, “We’re less than 1% of the stories told by Hollywood and streaming media and networks when we’re almost 20% of the population, 25% of the U.S. box office. I just feel like it’s such a damage to kids not to see themselves reflected back in positive ways.”
Do YOU agree with John Leguizamo?
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