Characters Matter

characters-3

If you’re a young Hispanic interested in a career in acting, seeing a Hispanic actor on the screen could validate your professional interest.

If you’re a young Hispanic, seeing a Hispanic character on the screen could validate your very existence.

Hispanics represent 19 nations as well as dozens upon dozens of cultures.

The only way to harness this massive potential, in terms of both creativity and audiences, is to create characters that represent these cultures.

Put differently: “cast more Hispanics” is asking employers to stop discriminating against Hispanic actors. It’s asking for an end to destructive, illegal behavior; i.e., stop doing this bad thing.

“Create more Hispanic characters” is asking media companies to exploit the wealth of Hispanic cultures. It’s asking for innovative, pro-growth behavior; i.e., start doing this good thing.

Elsewhere, otherwise

In What If the X-Men Were Black?

Image: Luke Cage, Jane Villanueva, Jessica Huang

update FEB 18, 2018

Black Panther becomes Disney’s highest grossing open.