Black and brown people have to work extra hard to get ahead in life, especially in the United States, and this statement still rings true today, with Hollywood being a great example. It’s 2024, and there’s still a lack of consistent, accurate, and positive Latinx representation in media and entertainment.
Shows that truly tell stories in Latin, like Gloria Calderon’s “One Day at a Time,” Netflix’s “Gentefied,” Hulu’s “This Fool” and Paramount’s “De La Calle” continue to be canceled, This is despite Latino programming representing more than 19% of Americans. Our purchasing power exceeds $1.7 trillion, and we are avid consumers of entertainment, with consistently high box office receipts. Despite Hollywood’s apparent claims that there is a lack of Latino talent in the country, Nuyorican director Ramon Pesante’s feature film Playing Sam (now streaming on Roku) illuminates the real problem: Latinx actors constantly cast as non-stereotypically Latinx The role of archetypes is ignored.
Pesante, the child of a struggling Afro-Boriqua actress from the Bronx, had a story in particular he wanted to tell. The New York-based filmmaker, Emmy and Webby-nominated writer, director, producer and Silver Award winner created Playing Sam, a “semi-autobiographical” film inspired by his mother. The struggle to break into Hollywood. The film tells the story of Samantha (played by Jenny Ruza of the HBO series Fantasia), a non-Spanish-speaking Puerto Rican actress from the Bronx. When her boyfriend’s acting career takes off and he leaves her, Sam leaves her to comfort her broken heart while being constantly rejected for not fitting into Hollywood’s narrow stereotypes. Her accent isn’t “Latin” enough. Her appearance is not “Latin” enough. And her aura is not “hot” enough. Playing Sam highlights the lack of diverse representation that sadly remains an issue today.
“What struck me was the comparison between my mother’s experience and Jenny’s experience. My first exposure to the world of acting and production and Latinas on screen or in theater was my mother’s experience,” Pesante told PS. “She was a young aspiring actress in her 20s and 30s, and I saw firsthand the pain of being an Afro-Latina, non-Hispanic actor, struggling to be seen for who she was, and Not what she is not.
Pesante’s recognition of the same struggles his mother faced years ago as a Latina actress influences many of his Latina actor friends today.
“Thirty years later, nothing has changed,” Pesante said. “[Some] Things have changed but I noticed there are still some similarities [Latine actors are] Still going through it. When I remember hearing my mom practice her accent, I had a lightbulb moment and I said, “That’s not you, Mom.” That’s not you. She had to emphasize the accent [and] This one is spicy.
There is a scene in the movie where Sam is asked if she is an actress and what she does. “What did I do?” she asked herself aloud before speaking: “A few stages and a lot of auditions.” Sam’s Latin actor friends all found themselves in the same situation, auditioning for roles only to find out that the casting director thought their Latina style Not good enough for the role.
“I know it’s easy to compare white actors to Latino actors, but a Latino actor has to be really good to be considered for this role,” Pesante said. “They can’t be ‘too Latino,’ though. They have to be white. They have to have certain characteristics [casting directors] Say, ‘Okay, we’ll take this guy and they can play other roles because they fit us in a bunch of different ways and we can take advantage of that.
Pesant was an actor in her own right before pursuing a multi-faceted career as a director, producer, writer and filmmaker.
“It scared me. I didn’t want to be an actor. My mom made me audition and stuff like that,” he shared. “As a kid, I did a little bit on Guiding Light and a couple of extra characters, but I started to find myself falling into this pattern of, ‘Hey, can you do the drug dealer thing? Can you do the drug dealer thing? Something about child abuse?
Rather than rising in the industry as an actor, Pesante was interested in being a changemaker to tell the stories of his community. “I thought, how about I figure out how to do this myself, create and portray characters that are normal to me? It makes people feel relatable and makes the audience feel seen. That’s what drives me instinctively thing,” he said.
Growing up in a family where everyone expected him to do a service job, whether it was serving in the military or working as a garbage truck driver, it took Pesant a long time to figure out how to get into filmmaking. In his thirties, he worked at media companies such as BET and later on “The Wendy Williams Show,” where he learned a lot about producing and scriptwriting. At the same time, he began to dabble in writing and created his own short films that appeared in several film festivals. Instead of waiting for Hollywood to greenlight his projects, Pesant realized that the only way to realize his dreams was to execute them himself.
“[I realized] I still had to do something to keep my career going as a filmmaker and director, and I would never get the opportunity from anyone,” Pesante revealed. “I’ve always been so stubborn. I [became] Tired of people telling me to apply for this scholarship or find a coach to get this scholarship. I’m sure if I keep doing this I’ll eventually gain access. But if I had waited that long, I wouldn’t have developed the skills I have now because I did it myself.
When we look at today’s Latinx actresses, it’s hard not to notice a worrying lack. We have icons like Rita Moreno and Salma Hayek. We have Latina actresses like Melissa Barrera, Aubrey Plaza, and Jenna Ortega who are having success and working with Fight stereotypes. But considering that Latinos are a minority group in this country, go to the movies the most per capita at 3.3 times per year, and we are the group that continues to drive box office success – it makes no sense that we don’t have adequate representation in front of the cameras. and behind. According to research from UCLA, only 7.2% of all film roles in 2023 will be filled by Latinos, and only 3.7% of Latino directors will be directed.
Actor John Leguizamo has built a platform on the lack of Latinx roles that continue to hurt Hollywood. His latest project, VOCES American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos, highlights the significant impact the Latino community has had on American culture and how these contributions are forever overlooked.
Therefore, Pesante is on a mission to continue creating films like Playing Sam that show that we are far beyond the stereotypes that the industry still uses to belittle us.
“We’re normal. We’re not typical. We’re still typical of the industry, but we’re more than just typical,” he said. “I don’t want us to be archetypes: cholas, drug addicts, prostitutes, drug dealers, maids, angry moms in batas and flip-flops… I want to show people that as Latinas we can be social workers , instead of being the ones with the drug problem, why can’t Latinos be the ones trying to help with the drug problem?
“Playing Sam” premiered at the 2023 American Black Film Festival and the New York Latino Film Festival. It won Best Director and Screenplay awards at the Oscar Michaud Film Festival and the International Puerto Rican Heritage Film Festival. The cast also includes Mark Ryan (NBC’s “Law & Order: Organized Crime”), William Demerit (“Our Sons”), Alanna Johnson (Starz’s “Power 2”), Victor Almanza (“On the River”), Phyllis Saraberrios (“On the River”). Jasmin Ruiz.
Even though “Playing Sam” aired on Roku this September 15 at the start of Latin Heritage Month, it didn’t get the attention it deserved — despite its powerful message and Pesante’s effort to capture a man who defied Hollywood conventions. Story continues. This film is proof of what can be accomplished when Latinx creators take control of their own narratives rather than waiting for Hollywood’s approval. If we truly want more authentic representation of Latinx in film and television, we must create and support programs like Playing Sam that reflect our diverse experiences.
Johanna Ferreira is Content Director at PS Juntos. Johanna has over 10 years of experience focusing on how intersectional identities are a core part of Latinx culture. Prior to that, she served as associate editor at HipLatina for nearly three years and freelanced for various outlets, including Refinery29, Oprah Magazine, Allure, InStyle and Well+Good. She also serves as a moderator and speaks on numerous panels about Latinx identity.
