On Friday, August 5, John Wick star John Leguizamo took to Instagram to express his displeasure with the recent casting of American actor James Franco as Cuban leader Fidel Castro. The Instagram post included a screenshot of the Variety story confirming the news. Leguizamo commented in the post’s title:
“I have nothing against Franco, but he is not Latino!”
However, Leguizamo’s article drew a lot of backlash due to his thoughts on casting James Franco as Fidel Castro. Some have pointed out that when he played Mario’s brother, the Italian legend Luigi, in Super Mario Bros. from 1993, had no objections to the ethnic validity of the performers and their roles. Brandon (@coffeeaisle) noted in a tweet:
“Isn’t John Leguizamo in ‘Super Mario Bros.’ shoot an Italian plumber?”
What does John Leguizamo have to say about James Franco’s upcoming appearance as Fidel Castro?
After it was announced that 127 Hours star James Franco would play former Cuban president Fidel Castro, John Leguizamo said that Hollywood has stolen Latino roles and given them to white actors. Franco, who was born in Palo Alto, California, was cast as the Cuban Castro in Miguel Bardem’s Alina of Cuba. Leguizamo’s Instagram post contained a lengthy diatribe on the subject. He even called on his supporters to boycott the next film. The Colombian native, 62, wrote:
“How is this still happening? How does Hollywood not only exclude us, but steal our stories? There will be no more Hollywood and streamer co-opting! Boycott! This is tricky! Furthermore, it is very difficult to convey a narrative without embellishment, which would be incorrect!”
The Internet is divided over John Leguizamo’s remark about James Franco’s casting as Fidel Castro
As previously noted, a significant portion of the Twitter reaction emphasized that John Leguizamo did not raise similar concerns when he was cast as the fictional Italian plumber, Luigi, in the 1993 film Super Mario Bros. In the highly acclaimed film, the Bogota-born Colombian portrayed the Italian plumber. Other netizens, on the other hand, mocked the script and expressed their support for Leguizamo because the role of Luigi was fictional. In contrast, as a revolutionary in Cuba, Fidel Castro remains one of the most powerful figures in world politics.
Don’t get old. It’s not 1950 anymore. We have a lot of amazing Latino actors who deserve to play this rapist.
— KD (@Kskroob) August 5, 2022
This is also all the more frustrating because there has been discrimination against Cubans in American cinema for decades. Now a biopic about the most famous Cuban ever and I can’t find anyone from all of Latin America
— cooldude (@cooldudettv) August 5, 2022
Celebrities agree with John Leguizamo’s criticism of James Franco’s casting as Fidel Castro.
Leguizamo’s Instagram post received more than 16,000 likes, many of which were from Latino celebrities. This included actress Aubrey Plaza, who agreed with Leguizamo. Meanwhile, The View co-host Ana Navarro-Cárdenas agreed with the Ice Age actor, writing:
“I would like to believe that no Latino actor worth his salt would agree to portray and glorify a murderous tyrant who oppressed the people of Cuba for six decades… I join you in the boycott for the reasons you have stated.”
Since 2014, when a then 17-year-old girl accused him of sending her allegedly inappropriate Instagram messages, James Franco has been involved in a number of other scandals. According to the claims, Franco wanted to see the girl in a New York hotel, especially when she stated her age. Although not legally a criminal, with the minimum age of consent in New York being 17, the actor was widely condemned at the time.
Later, starting in 2018, many women claimed that he forced them into sexual acts. The New York Times reported in January 2018 that five women had accused Franco of sexual misconduct. Last year, it was reported that Franco paid $2.2 million to settle with two women who claimed he sexually assaulted them.
Categories: Entertaintment
Source: HIS Education