Commentary By Bel Hernandez Castillo
The Emmy nominations were announced this morning, and while the 75th Emmy nominations are being touted by industry trades as record breaking, especially for Black women who garnered four Emmy nominations in just the supporting comedy actress category, nominations for Latino/as as a whole were down. Even though Latinos are the largest minority in the U.S. at 18% of the population, the Asian Pacific community (7% of the US population) had one more nominations, with four to only 3 for Latino performers. Black Americans are 13.6% of the U.S. population.
The three Latinos nominated for the coveted television acting categories, Pedro Pascal, Jenna Ortega and Aubrey Plaza represent less than 3% of the total number of actors (102) nominated for an Emmy this year.
Pedro Pascal is top of the list with two Emmy nominations, one for HBO’s The Last of Us and the other for Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his appearance on Saturday Night Live. Jenna Ortega has received her very first Emmy nomination as Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance in the title role in Netflix’s Wednesday, which was the second-most watched English-language Netflix series last year. Aubrey Plaza received her nomination for her role in HBO’s social satire The White Lotus as Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
Once again, the underrepresentation of Latinos at the Emmys is glaring. However, Ortega’s nomination makes her only the third Latina to ever be nominated in this category. Jenna Ortega is a favorite to take the Emmy for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, and if this happens it will be a big win for our community. and this nomination
In the interest of not being redundant, citing stats (as we do year after year on these occasions and nothing ever changes) that prove the lack of Latino representation in Hollywood, let me just say, aqui estamos y no nos vamos! We are here to stay, we are not going away anytime soon. With a U.S. Latino economic power of $1.9 trillion annual GDP, is it time to leverage our community’s buying power for equal representation? For now our voice is our power, and we need to speak up.
Selena Gomez, snubbed again? There are three leads in Only Murders in the Building. Martin Short, Steve Martin and Selena Gomez. Both Short and Martin were both nominated last year in the Best Lead Actor category, but the third lead, Gomez was overlooked. Why? Some would say (like her 426 Million instagram followers) that her acting chops are on par with her co-stars. This year Martin gets a 2nd Emmy nomination and Gomez is once again overlooked. Something is just not making sense. Her Mabel Mora character is the linchpin in the whole dang series!
We are grateful to the writers and producers who write the kind of roles that merit the attention of the Television Academy members. We are grateful for the showrunners that cast a wide diversity net and think “out of the box”. Thank you to the casting director of Wednesday Florina Fernandes and director Tim Burton for casting Ortega.
But what about the Latino writers who have created and cast Latinos in some of the most lauded shows on TV? Where is the recognition for them? For one, I am talking about Gloria Calderon Kellett who created and was the showrunner on the Netflix TV show, One Day at a Time (2017 – 2020). The critics raved about it. Lead actress Justina Machado was even named as one of the most “Most Dynamic Actresses on TV” by Harper’s Bazaar. But where was Kellett’s writing Emmy nomination or Justina Machado’s Best Lead in a Comedy Series Emmy nomination?
We will keep asking the questions, as we celebrate Pascal, Plaza and Ortega on their Emmy nominations, and acknowledge the behind the camera Latino Emmy nominees for 2023:
Outstanding Production Design For A Variety Special
The Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show Starring Rihanna / FOX – Maria Garcia, Art Director
Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes
Hocus Pocus 2 / Disney+ / Walt Disney Pictures – Salvador Perez, Costume Designer
The Mandalorian / Chapter 22: Guns For Hire / Disney+ / Lucasfilm Ltd. – Elissa Alcala, Assistant Costume Designer
What we do in the Shadows / The Wedding / FX / FX Productions – Barbara Cardoso, Assistant Costume Designer
Outstanding Contemporary Costumes For A Series – Only Murders In The Building / Framed / Hulu / 20th Television / Dana Covarrubias, Costume Designer
Outstanding Contemporary Hairstyling – Only Murders in the Building / Fabian Gonzalez, Hair Stylist
@belscoolist @latinheatmag
