By Bel Hernandez
Ariana DeBose is no longer a star in the making…she is a star!
The breakout star of the very large and talented cast of Steven Speilberg’s re-imaging of West Side Story. DeBose has already amassed 56 nominations for her supporting role as Anita in WSS and of those has won a Golden Globe and a Hollywood Critics Association Award. And just this past weekend she became the first Latina to ever win a Screen Actors Guild Award. Add these to 16 other awards she has also received for this role.
I would venture to say DeBose is going all the way to an Oscar win. But even if she does not get it, she has already proven her talent will carry her to superstardom. It would be sweet for her to take home that Oscar and be the 2nd Latina in cinematic history to win for the same role that gave Rita Moreno her first and only Oscar.
But her career is on a fast track. This week Sony Pictures announced that DeBose will be starring alongside Russel Crowe and Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the new Marvel movie Kraven The Hunter in the role of Calypso. The film which will be directed by J.C. Chandor is already in pre-production with a release date slated for January 13, 2023.
Meanwhile her latest film on track for release in 2022 is the Apple Films spy-thriller Argylle in which she stars alongside Henry Cavill with Samuel L Jackson, Dua Lipa, and Bryan Cranston. Also, coming is her work in Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s space thriller I.S.S. where she worked with Chris Messina and Pilou Asbaek.
For DeBose the most important thing is to be seen and represented, as this L.A. Times article points out:
“In her first audition for the role of Anita in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story,” Ariana DeBose stressed the importance of having her identity represented. “If you aren’t interested in reflecting that in the context of your script,” she told the acclaimed director, “I don’t think that you should hire me.”
L.A. Times
DeBose is the first Afro Latina and queer woman of color to be nominated for an acting Oscar.
She paid her dues on Broadway where she appeared in a multitude of shows including Hamilton, Bring it On: The Musical, and Disco Donna, as the teen version of Donna Summer in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. But it was her performance in West Side Story that got Saturday Night Live calling. Her talent got their attention and she made a multitude of new fans when she nailed her appearance on SNL.
LATINOS SHINE IN ANIMATION AND OSCAR KNOWS IT
Raya and the Last Dragon is one of three Disney films nominated for an Oscar in the Best Animated Feature category and Carlos Lopez Estrada is one of them!
Born in Mexico, Carlos is a music video director, commercial director, theater director and actor. He moved to the United States when he was 12 and later enrolled at Chapman University [lots of wonderful talent comes from that college!] In 2018 he made his feature film directorial debut with crime/comedy Blindspotting.
Also nominated in this category are Lin-Manuel Miranda with his second Academy Award nomination in the Best Original song “Ormiguitas”. Should he win, that would catapult Miranda into the EGOT status. That would be for winning an Emmy (Hamilton TV), a Grammy (Hamilton ) and a Tony (In The Heights Best Original Score ) he just needs that “O” for an Oscar.
This year Miranda has a chance of completing the EGOT with a Oscar for his song “Ormiguitas”.
That would make him only the 3rd Latino to be in the EGOT stature (Rita Moreno and songwriter Robert Lopez are the two Latinos who have that honor now. All total there are only 14 other individuals that hold that honor: Richard Rodgers, Helen Hayes, John Gielgud, Audrey Hepburn, Marvin Hamlisch, Jonathan Tunick, Mel Brooks, Mike Nichols, Whoopi Goldberg, Scott Rudin, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice, John Legend and Alan Menken.
Animated Ladies
And of course how can we forget the Three Latinas from Disney’s Encanto. Writer Charise Castro Smith, producer Yvett Merino and Composer Germaine Franco. They continue to bask in the glory and honor of their Oscar nominated work in the amazing film Encanto.
“I think Disney animation is onto some kind of magic formula. Involve Latinos, get Oscar nominations.
And Presenting at the Oscars
Rosie Perez (Birds of Prey) who was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1994 for her role in Fearless will be presenting at the 2022 Oscars. In an interview with Variety in 2021 she revealed that she had not been invited to the Oscars since her nomination. “Not even to sit in the audience, not to present, nothing — and I’m a member. I love the Academy Awards, she said. “I cheer on my peers, but it hurts.” Well it is about time the Oscars correct their misstep but should not stop at just Perez. She joins Kevin Costner, Zoë Kravitz, Lady Gaga, Chris Rock and Yuh-Jung Youn as a presenter.
On March 27 be watching the Academy Awards to see how many of the 14 Latino nominees will go home with the Golden Man in their hands!
Latino Oscar Trivia:
We all know that Hilary Swank has two Oscars for Best Actress, one for Boys Don’t Cry (2000) and one for Million Dollar Baby (2005), but did you know that her maternal grandmother, Frances Martha Clough (née Dominguez), was born in El Centro, California, and was of Spanish and Native American descent?
And speaking of Oscars, who caught Oscar Isaac’s performance on SNL. A must see for his sword fighting scenes!
CASTING NEWS!
Kevin Alejandro Cast In CBS’S Cal Fire
Actor Kevin Alejandro (Lucilfer, True Blood) is a talent that always works because he is that dang good!!
Last week it was announced that Alejandro was cast as one of the leads alongside Max Thieriot in CBS’ drama pilot Cal Fire, a Jerry Bruckheimer Television and CBS Studios series. Alejandro plays Manny, a proud father and the fire captain in charge of prison inmates when they are on the fire line.
For six seasons, Alejandro starred as Dan Espinoza in the hit series Lucifer, which ran on Fox and Netflix. His major series credits also include True Blood and Southland.
Alejandro is also a filmmaker, in this clip he talks to TheTrendTalk Show about the movie he directed and produced with his wife.
Alejandro is repped by Gersh Agency, Main Title Entertainment and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller.