Last year, a study came out revealing that Latinx actors in Hollywood only made up three percent of main roles in movies between 2007 and 2018. What’s more, the study also found that even when they were offered roles, they played criminals 25% of the time and as low-income citizens 17% of the time. These parts do not accurately portray the Latinx experience, and in 2020, the next wave of Latinx stars are making sure they shed light on who we really are: ambitious and successful citizens.
In Disney +’s new series Diary of a Future President, a 13-year-old Latina plays a middle schooler who eventually becomes the President of the United States. In Netflix’s new comedy series The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia, 17-year-old Paulina Chávez plays the youngest person to ever get a PhD. The roles, along with Hollywood, are changing for the better.
Below, we highlight young Latinx rising stars who are creating new narratives and changing the Hollywood landscape.
Isabela Merced
At just 18, Isabela already has a stacked resume–she starred as Dora the Explorer in the live-action flick, has starred in Netflix’s romantic comedy Let It Snow and even has time to leave her mark music industry with her latest Spnglish single Papi.
Paulina Chávez
The 17-year-old actress plays a kid genius in The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia. “The cool thing about this role is she is Latina,” she told San Antonio Express News. “It’s been an honor playing Ashley. By representing a young Latina who is a genius, it will provide young girls and young Latinos in general with a vision of what is possible.” The series is also co-created by Mario Lopez and fellow Latina Eva Longoria has directed a few episodes.
Tess Romero
In Diary of a Future President, Tess Romero plays a middle-schooler who eventually becomes the President of the United States (played by another Latina Gina Rodriguez).
Jharrel Jerome
Jharrel, who is of Dominican descent, starred in Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us, which earned him his first Emmy award in 2019. Next up, the actor is slated to star in Concrete Cowboys alongside Idris Elba.
Camila Morrone
The Argentinian model and actress (and Leonardo DiCaprio’s girlfriend!) not only has a budding career in Hollywood, she has also dipped into the fashion industry and launched her very own capsule collection with clothing brand Naked Cashmere.
Mauricio Lara
The young star has had several stints on TV, including Young Sheldon and The Conners. Now, he he landed a permanent role in Netflix’s family comedy The Healing Powers of Dude. You can expect to see more of his comedy this year.
Party of Five cast
Every member of the new Party of Five reboot on Freeform are stars in their own right, but together, Brandon Larracuente, Niko Guardado, Emily Tosta, and Elle Paris Legaspi, form a powerful ensemble.
Rachel Zegler
The 17-year-old landed the role of Maria in Steven Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story. Rachel will be starring opposite Ansel Elgort, and will show the world her singing, which before getting this part, was only heard in her high school theater productions.
Izabella Alvarez
The 15-year-old has had stints on Westworld and Shameless. And most recently, she voices the main character in Nickelodeon’s The Casagrandes.
Madison Taylor Baez
Madison’s next big gig will be playing a young Selena Quintanilla in the upcoming Netflix biopic starring Christian Serratos.
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