In the film industry, Hollywood has a soft spot for actors who are famous or have enough charisma to be capable of guaranteeing a box-office success, simply by being in the movie — no matter if it’s a leading role or a cameo.
According to Blake Harris, a media consultant, “A bankable star has to meet one of 3 minimum requirements to any film package. The other two is being able to sign on a successful director and a script or a strong story idea.” The idea of a star in a film gives investors confidence that they will achieve a return on their investments by ensuring that the film is widely distributed and that at least some people will pay to see it, most especially during the film’s opening weekend.
The following are Latinx are part of the exclusive Bankable Star status:
Jennifer Lopez
Since the movie Selena catapulted Jennifer Lopez on a trajectory to superstardom, the multifaceted actress, singer, producer, business entrepreneur, has become a role model for millions of young girls and women all over the planet. Lopez will be starring next in Hustlers, a new movie about female strippers who turn the tables on their Wall Street clients. This fall, she is also starting production on a new romantic comedy Marry Me, starring opposite Owen Wilson and Maluma. Her most recent big-screen outing Second Act grossed over $72 million worldwide. On TV, Lopez starred for two seasons on the hit NBC-TV series Shades of Blue and produced the Freeform cable series The Fosters.
Eugenio Derbez
This Mexican born comedian, writer, director-producer, achieved enormous popularity on Mexican Television and brought his homegrown audience and expanded it across the border to the US. Derbez translated and transformed that popularity into theatrical film box-office success with his debut feature, Instructions Not Included which he co-wrote and directed. At $100 million dollars in box-office ticket sales, it became the highest-grossing Spanish language film ever released in the U. S.! This led to another hit comedy, How to Be a Latin Lover with Salma Hayek and Raquel Welch. Derbez’ most recent success was co-starring with Anna Faris in MGM’s/Lionsgate remake of the comedy Overboard that resulted in a $95 million worldwide box-office gross. Derbez now runs his own production company 3 Pas Studios and is currently seen in the family film Dora The Explorer and The Lost City of Gold in which he also serves as executive producer.
Zoe Saldana
This remarkable young actress of Dominican-Puerto Rican descent made her film debut almost twenty years ago. In 2009, she sealed her stardom power in two blockbuster films– Star Trek, with her role as Lt. Uhura, a character originally portrayed in the TV series by Nichelle Nichols, and in James Cameron‘s innovative and groundbreaking Avatar in which she played Neytiri. Since then she became part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with her portrayal of Gamora in Guardians Of The Galaxy ($773MM worldwide) and in 2018, Avengers: Infinity Wars ($258MM opening weekend). Other memorable films include Luc Besson’s Colombiana and Pirates of The Caribbean: The Curse of The Black Pearl. Saldana is now working reprising her role as Neytiri in the forthcoming Avatar sequels.
Andy Garcia
One of the most respected leading actors, Garcia has had an extraordinary acting year in 2018 with important roles in three feature motion pictures. He played Mitchell, a suave airline pilot who romances Diane Keaton in The Book Club. In Mama Mia: Here We Go Again he portrays Fernando Cienfuegos, a hotel manager with a mysterious past who romances Cher. Garcia co-starred in Clint Eastwood’s The Mule in which he played a drug cartel leader who takes a liking to the old drug runner played by Eastwood. For HBO films’ My Dinner with Hervé, Garcia portrayed the legendary actor Ricardo Montalban to David Dinks as Hervé Villachaize, the diminutive Tattoo in scenes recreating the classic TV series Fantasy Island in which Montalban and Villachaize starred. Garcia won a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role in Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather 3. He is also known for his roles in Ocean’s Eleven, a 2001 film whose worldwide gross is $450MM and Ocean’s Twelve, a 2004 film whose worldwide gross is $363MM.
Salma Hayek
Her Oscar nomination as Best Actress for her powerful portrayal of the renown Mexican painter Frida Kahlo in the film Frida, which Hayek also produced, brought her new recognition as a dramatic actress after years as a reigning Latina sex symbol in such films as Desperado and From Dusk Till Dawn. She recently received critical acclaim for her bare-bones portrayal of Beatriz in the social satire Beatriz at Dinner, written and directed by Miguel Arteta. Hayek joins Angelina Jolie in Marvels’ 2020 production of The Eternals, and just wrapped the action-comedy The Hitman’s Wife Bodyguard with Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson. For the newly formed Amazon Studios, she plays Isabel in the Sci-Fi adventure film, Bliss opposite Owen Wilson.
Michael Peña
Chicago born actor is on the cusp of major stardom even though he has been working steadily in leading and supporting roles for most of his career in such films as Crash ($98MM worldwide), American Hustle ($252MM worldwide), End of Watch ($49MM worldwide… not bad for a $7M film budget), Chavez, Fury, Ant-Man ($520MM worldwide), and The Wasp. He is featured in Dora The Explorer as Dora’s father. He is also set to portray the mysterious Mr. Roarke in Blumhouse’s film version of the classic TV series Fantasy Island.
Penelope Cruz
She is the only Spanish-born actress to win an Oscar by taking the Best Supporting Actress award for her role as the tempestuous artist Maria Elena in Woody Allen’s romantic comedy Vicky Christina Barcelona in 2000. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in 2009 for Nine and as Best Actress for Volver in 2006. This past year she was nominated for television’s coveted Emmy award for Best Supporting Actress in the mini-series The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. Cruz and her husband Javier Bardem will be seen starring together in the film Loving Pablo due out this fall. Cruz first came to fame in her native Spain. Aside from her amazing acting career, she is also a successful product spokesmodel for companies such as L’Oreal, receiving millions for her endorsements.
Javier Bardem
Is a Spanish born actor who won an Academy Award in the Best supporting actor category for his role as the deranged killer in No Country for Old Men ($172MM worldwide), and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales ($795MM worldwide). Bardem who slides from character actor to leading man will soon be seen in the new film version of the Sci-Fi novel Dune and will play King Triton in Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. His other films include Skyfall, The Sea Inside, and Vicky Cristina Barcelona, who he co-starred with his wife, Penelope Cruz.
Benicio Del Toro
Since he first emerged in the mid-1990s, Del Toro is considered one of the most watchable and charismatic actors in Hollywood. This Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a Mexican border cop in Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic (2000, $208MM worldwide), and more recently, he was nominated for television’s coveted Emmy award for Leading Actor in a Limited Series for his portrayal of an escaped convict in Escape from Danemmora. Del Toro also starred in the critically acclaimed hit film Sicario ($85MM worldwide) and its sequel Sicario: Day of the Soldado. Currently, his golden voice is heard on Dora and the Lost City of Gold as Swiper.
Edward James Olmos
The award-winning and Oscar-nominated Olmos, is an actor, director, producer, and activist who leads a busy life. He’s either acting or directing, beginning with his current role as family patriarch Felipe Reyes on FX‘s Mayan’s MC., now entering its second season. Olmos voiced the character of Axel in the family feature A Dog’s Life and also stars along with Ryan Guzman and Julie Carmen in the 9/11 film Windows on the World. He directed the upcoming indie feature The Devil Has a Name. In 2017, Olmos voiced Chicharrón in the blockbuster animation, Coco ($808MM so far!). Olmos was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Actor for his brilliant performance as math teacher Jaime Escalante in Stand and Deliver, and won a television Emmy award as Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the iconic Lt. Castillo on the long-running police Television series Miami Vice. Olmos is also best known for his work on TV series Battlestar Galactica, and films Blade Runner, and Selena.
Oscar Isaac
This Juilliard School alumn has been dazzling audiences with his exceptional and unforgettable performances on stage, TV and now the big screen. Isaac was born in Guatemala and at 5 months old, his family immigrated to the U.S.A. and raised in Miami. He is widely known for performances in films including X-Men: Apocalypse ($544MM Worldwide), Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($2B Worldwide) and Inside Llewyn Davis, for which he received a Golden Globe Award nomination. Isaac was seen earlier this year with Ben Affleck and Charlie Hunnam in the Netflix action-adventure Triple Frontier and will next be seen in his role as X-wing pilot Poe Dameron in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker due out in theaters this Christmas.
Jimmy Smits
Known for the film Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith, and the TV series NYPD Blue and The West Wing. The Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor returns to feature films for his role as Kevin Rosario a proud hardworking businessman and father in Lin Manuel Miranda’s In The Heights after a succession of acclaimed television portrayals in TV series: How To Get Away With Murder, Sons Of Anarchy, and Dexter. Smits will be starring in a new series in September as Memphis lawyer Elijah Strait in NBC’s Bay City Law. Among Smits, many feature film credits are Price of Glory, My Family and Old Gringo.