Oscar-nominated actress and Emmy-winning filmmaker Salma Hayek is getting her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in honor of a career of nearly three decades in the world’s movie mecca. The actress of Frida, Eternals and the upcoming film House of Gucci will get her star in the category of motion pictures Friday, Nov. 19. 

“Salma Hayek Pinault is hailed as one of the entertainment world’s most respected and sought-after actresses,” stated Ana Martinez, Walk of Fame producer. “It is our pleasure to honor this talented actress with her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.” 

Born in Coatzacoalcos, in the Mexican state of Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico, Hayek started her acting in telenovelas in the late 1980s, including Nuevo Amanecer and Teresa. A few years later, she moved to Los Angeles to try to make it in Hollywood but also continued working in Mexico. 

Initially, with limited English, she secured minor roles in various American TV series like Nurses and films like Mi Vida Loca. She starred in the 1994 Mexican film El Callejón de los Milagros, an adaptation of the novel Midaq Alley by Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz which earned Hayek a nomination to the Ariel Awards, Mexico’s equivalent of the Oscars. The same year she broke into the U.S. film market with Robert Rodriguez’s Desperado and Antonio Banderas, followed by two other collaborations with the Mexican-American director and the Spanish actor–the horror flick From Dusk Til Dawn and the action drama Once Upon a Time in Mexico. 

Other films would follow, including Showtime’s In the Time of the Butterflies, Fools Rush In, Dogma, Wild Wild West and Traffic.

Under her own production company Ventanarosa, Hayek starred in and produced Frida, the biopic about renowned Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. She secured an all-star cast that featured Alfred Molina, Geoffrey Roy and Ashley Judd and acclaimed theater director Julie Taymor, as well as permission to film in Kahlo’s former studio. The film received six Academy Award nominations, including a Best Actress nod for Hayek. Her role as Kahlo also earned the Mexican actress best actress nominations for other coveted prizes such as the BAFTA Awards, Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards. Her portrayal of the famous painter also won Hayek Germany’s Golden Camera for Best International Actress.

In addition to Frida, Hayek produced ABC’s Golden Globe and Emmy-winning comedy Ugly Betty–which also earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress, and Showtime’s In The Time Of The Butterflies, for which she received a nomination for a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award. Other projects include the Netflix series Monarca and Showtime’s The Maldonado Miracle, marking her directorial debut and for which she won a Best Director Emmy.

She was also featured in the acclaimed NBC comedy series 30 Rock and has starred in several other films in recent years, including Puss in Boots, Savages, Beatriz at Dinner, How to Be a Latin Lover, Bliss and Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard.

Currently, Hayek can be seen on the big screen in Eternals, the Marvel Comics superhero feature in which she plays Ajak, the leader of a group of genetically-engineered extraterrestrials who came to Earth. She also stars in the upcoming fashion drama House of Gucci, opposite Al Pacino, Jared Leto, Adam Driver, Lady Gaga and Jeremy Irons. Her role in this film as clairvoyant Pina Auriemma earned her an Independent Spirit Award nomination. 

The Mexican actress has supported many causes throughout her career, such as women’s rights, children and immigrants. She lobbied the U.S. Congress to extend the Violence Against Women Act and later co-founded, with her husband Francois-Henri Pinault, The Kering Foundation, to help liberate women around the world from sexual, physical and emotional abuse. Hayek partnered with Gucci to create Chime for Change, a program advancing education, health and justice of girls and which launched the #StandWithWomen campaign to combat domestic violence against women during the coronavirus lockdowns. 

In 2015, Hayek visited Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon alongside UNICEF and mounted the Chime for Education campaign to raise money to educate refugee children. Hayek is of Lebanese descent. Two years later, she spearheaded fundraising efforts for earthquake victims in Mexico and helped raise nearly a million dollars for UNICEF. During the disaster-relief effort, she also partnered with the Pepsico Foundation and Habitat for Humanity to deliver 180 houses for displaced victims of the quake. She is also a longtime supporter of various leading nonprofits like Girl Effect, which advocates for empowering girls worldwide, and Fondo Semillas, a nonprofit aiming to improve the lives of women and trans people in Mexico. 

Hayek will get star number 2,709 on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in front of the legendary Chinese Theatre Box Office, located at 6901 Hollywood Boulevard. The Nov. 19 ceremony is slated to start at 6 p.m. (PST). Joining the Eternals star in the unveiling of her star will be actor Adam Sandler, with whom she co-starred in the buddy comedy Grown Ups, and Marvel’s Eternals Academy Award winning Director Chloe Zhao.

The star unveiling ceremony can be watched on www.walkoffame.com

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In the 2017 American action comedy film The Hitman’s Bodyguard, Salma Hayek played the minor role of Sonia, the volatile, over-the-top wife of a relentlessly reckless hired gun. Starring Ryan Reynolds and Samuel Jackson, the feature was a moderate success at the box office, bringing in $176 million worldwide but left Hayek somewhat dissatisfied. “I wished I could be her much longer,” she recalls. “I remember thinking, I hope there’s a sequel because I love Sonia so much.” 

Salma Hayek got her wish. The film’s sequel, The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, is now playing nationwide. “She is back and now I have a very, very big role,” Hayek exclaims. “You are going to get a lot of Sonia in this one.” Also helmed by the original’s director Patrick Hughes, the film reprises the roles played by Reynolds as the bodyguard, Jackson and Hayek, with Frank Grillo, Tom Hopper, Antonio Banderas and Morgan Freeman joining the cast. 

Getting to see a lot of Hayek has been a rewarding experience since she made her U.S. debut in the film 1995 Desperado. The Mexican-American actress and producer began her career in Mexico, starring in the telenovela Teresa. She moved to Hollywood in 1991 and also worked in other films such as From Dusk till Dawn in 1996 and Dogma and Wild Wild West, both in 1999. That same year Hayek formed her own production company, Vetanarosa, to ensure she would always find good projects for herself. 

But at the 2001 Television Critics Association press tour, she said jokingly, “If I was only concerned about roles for myself, I wouldn’t have co-produced a film that is going to feature three of the most beautiful women on earth.” Hayek is referring to Mia Maestro, Lumi Cavazos and Pilar Padillo, who co-starred with her in the tragic Showtime film In the Time of the Butterflies, the true story of the Mirabal sisters, political dissidents who were assassinated by the Dominican Republic dictator Rafael Trujillo, portrayed by Edward James Olmos.    

Hayek’s breakthrough role was in the 2002 film Frida as Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, co-starring Alfred Molina as legendary muralist Diego Rivera. She was also a producer on the film and was nominated for best actress at the Oscars. 

Hayek went on to get more praise. She picked up a Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding directing of the family special for The Maldonado Miracle in 2004. Three years later she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for outstanding guest starring actress in the ABC comedy-drama series Ugly Betty, which she also produced. “That was pretty funny,” says Hayek. “On Ugly Betty, I played a telenovela star who goes through some pretty intense physical comedy while shooting her show.” She also appeared on the NBC comedy series 30 Rock. In 2017 she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her role in Beatriz at Dinner. 

Other Hayek films include Grown Ups, Puss in Boots with Banderas, Grown Ups 2, Tale of Tales, Sausage Party and the more recent Like a Boss, which came out last year. 

At the moment, Hayek is ecstatic to be back in the Hitman franchise. “Sonia is a female action lead and she steals most of the movie,” she says. The actress exudes great satisfaction to be playing such a role at age 52. “She is definitely a kick-ass,” Hayek adds. “It proves that strong women can be very enchanting at any age for the audience.”  

Hayek credits her success in the film to the working relationship she has with her director Hughes, who has given her a lot of room to explore her character. “What I am proudest about creating this character is that she’s crazy but not grandly crazy,” she says. “I was very specific about the choices. She’s full of contradictions but I have my own ideas about how she thinks.” Hayek was impressed that she was encouraged to improvise on the set with her fellow castmates. “I love (that) freedom,” she says. “I am very grateful to Patrick for trusting me that way.”  

Utilizing improvisation is an ideal way for the characters to move through the fast-moving plot structure of this film. The bodyguard Michael Bryce (Reynolds) is set on leaving the bodyguard business until Sonia asks for his help to recover her hitman husband, Jackson’s Darius, when he is taken hostage by mobsters. After managing to get him back, Sonia and Michael are interrupted by Interpol agent Bobby O’Neill (Grillo), who needs their help in locating a terrorist mastermind Banderas’ Aristotle Papadopoulos. 

“I think Sam and I immediately clicked,” said Hayek. “We have great chemistry and energy together. This is an action movie but it also tells a story of being in love.” Hayek was happy that Darius and Sonia were able to stay in love through all the conflict and the messiness of the action. “I found that refreshing,” she adds. 

Hayek is equally ecstatic about her other co-stars. “In the first movie, I didn’t get to have any scenes with Ryan,” she recalls. “In this film, it has been such a delight. We improvised a lot together. And it was such a great reunion to be with Banderas again.” Hayek says she woke each day enthused about the adventure of finding out what she was going to do on set each day, delighted and grateful to be working with such a great cast. “I learned so much from all of them,” she says. “And I learned so much about me from working with them that I will forever have a great memory of this movie.”

Featured Photo: Ryan Reynolds, Salma Hayek and Samuel Jackson in ‘The Hitman’s Bodyguard’s Wife (Credit: Lionsgate)

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Offered right before Halloween, the deal almost sounds like a treat. It certainly is another tool to keep middle grade children entertained for a few days during the pandemic.  

“So many families with kids are facing hard times, and I’d love ‘Toro’ to bring them some hope, inspiration, joy, and amusement,” says Avner. “Offering the free eBook for four days is a simple way to help and give back.”

“Toro” is set in the colorful backdrop of Pamplona, Spain during the fiesta of San Fermín and the running of the bulls, famed as one of the most exhilarating, dangerous, and spectacular events around the world. Ultimately, it’s a heartfelt, coming-of-age fable told from the cattle’s point of view. Like Charlotte’s Web, The Jungle Book, and Fantastic Mr. Fox, anthropomorphic talking animals drive the narrative.

Alicía Catalina Cortés is a fast and fiery Spanish cow who desperately wants to run with the bulls in Pamplona—but since she’s a cow, tradition forbids her to partake in the fiesta of San Fermín. Through her journey, Alicía learns that to be noble and brave, she must follow her dream and her heart, even if it means defying tradition.

FROM FILM CONCEPT TO BOOK PROJECT
The book marks Avner’s debut as an author. Initially a film concept, the book took over twenty years to arrive on the shelves and the digital market.

A filmmaker by trade with experience and relations in Hollywood, Avner first conceived “Toro” as an animated feature told from the animals’ perspective. The inspiration came from watching the best of Disney and Pixar, according to the author, who holds a fine arts degree in film and television from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.  

Major animation studios, award-winning directors, and internationally renowned actors loved the idea of a “Toro” film—with Antonio Banderas circling the project and Jennifer Lopez attached to voice the lead role and produce the movie with Avner at one point. Yet, the stars never seemed to align to make the film a reality. “Countless times a “Toro” movie was almost made,” recalls Avner. However, after over a decade of frustration on the film front, Avner decided to go a different route and wrote “Toro” as a middle grade novel instead.

MORE CHALLENGES
Similar to his experience trying to get a film made, the literary endeavor also proved to be somewhat of a challenge for the first-time author. Shortly after completing the manuscript, he says he lost his book agent and was left without any prospects for new representation or publication.

Undaunted, the then-aspiring author decided to take the bull by the horns in true indie spirit. With the help of voice actor friends, Avner produced the audiobook version of “Toro,” recording it entirely in the kitchen of his West Hollywood apartment with virtually no budget other than a $79 software plugin and even voicing a few main characters himself, according to the author. By April 2020 “Toro” the full-cast audiobook was complete with narration by Brad Raider and performances by George Spielvogel, Malili Dib, Leila Cohen, and Yolanda Corrales, plus post-production by Jacob Morgan.

Just a few months later, the effort paid off. Avner secured a publishing deal with independent publisher Black Rose Writing who agreed to release the audiobook along with e-book and paperback editions.

INSPIRING CHILDREN
“The story behind the story is one of faith and self-reliance, to pursue a vision or dream in the face of impossible odds, to defy immeasurable rejection and succeed. My personal story as an artist and the narrative of my book are the same—hopeful and uplifting,” remarks Avner about his determination to bring “Toro” to fruition.

On the heels of its release, the accolades for “Toro” began rolling in. Positive reviews were followed by a recent NYC Big Book Award for best audiobook and distinguished favorite in the juvenile fiction category. Currently, “Toro” is nominated for a Cybils Award in the elementary/middle grade speculative fiction category and is being considered for the Odyssey Award, Newbery Medal, and National Book Award, according to its author.

Having discovered a passion for writing novels, Avner seems now vested in Alicía’s story for the long run. “Toro” is only the first in a projected three-book series, reveals the filmmaker-turned-author, who has not given up on an animated film or even a live-action virtual production in the vein of Disney’s The Jungle Book (2016), whereby photorealistic talking animals appear alongside real actors. In the meantime, it appears the sequel to the book may likely be set in Fort Worth, Texas.

The “Toro” Kindle and paperback editions are available now via Amazon and all major book retailers. Its audiobook is available via Audible, Amazon, and Apple Books.

To listen to an excerpt from the the audiobook, click here  

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The announcement of the 92^ed Oscar nominations left many disappointed in the lack of ethnic talent being recognized. For Latinos and Latinas, there were sadly no nominations in front of the screen, other than a nomination for Antonio Banderas in the lead actor category. However, an array of Latino talent were nominated in a variety of categories behind the camera.

It was encouraging to see more Latino talent featured in major films of 2019, which includes: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (America Ferrera); Us (Lupita Nyong’o); Alita Battle Angel (Rosa Salazar); Terminator: Dark Fate (Gabriel Luna, Natalia Reyes & Diego Boneta); and The Adams Family (Oscar Isaac). Along with Latino oriented films including, Miss Bala (Gina Rodriguez), Dora and The Lost City of Gold (Isabela Merced (Moner), Michael Pena, Eva Longoria, Eugenio Derbez, Benicio del Toro); and Red 11 (Carlos Gallardo, Ulysses Montoya). Nevertheless these few films are just a drop in the bucket of Latino representation among the over 230 American films released in 2019.

When Latino in Hollywood are only 3% of all the lead roles in Hollywood and only 4.5% of the more than 47,000 speaking roles in the 100 top-grossing U.S. films (according to the USC Annenberg Inclusion report released last year) the likelihood of Latinos getting an Oscar nominations is unlikely if the roles are not there. Therefore, when the few Latinos who did land a lead role are overlooked for an Oscar nomination, it is even more glaring and frustrating.

Latino Oscar Nominees:

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:

Antonio Banderas in Pain and Glory

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year:

Klaus – Sergio Pablos and Marisa Roman

Toy Story 4 – Jonas Rivera

Achievement in Cinematography:

The Irishman – Rodrigo Prieto

Achievement in Costume Design Nominees:

 Jojo Rabbit – Mayers C. Rubeo

Best Documentary Feature:

The Edge of Democracy – Petra Costa and Tiago Pavan

Best International Feature Film:

Pain and Glory – Pedro Almodóvar (Spain)

Overlooked talent worthy of Oscar nominations:

Best Actress in a Leading Role:

Lupita Nyong’o in Us

Best Actress in a supporting Role:

Ana de Armas in Knives Out & Jennifer Lopez for Hustlers

Achievement in Cinematography:

César Charlone – The Two Popes

Checco Varese – It Chapter Two

Achievement in Directing:

Fernando Meirelles – The Two Popes

Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling:

Mike Elizalde – Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

While it’s easy to view the Oscars and its academy as the main culprit for the lack of diverse nominations, its merely a side effect of a bigger issue, lack of opportunity.  The obstacle reinforces the struggle ethnic actors, including major ethnic actors face in being limited in access to roles, typically because of stereotypes put on cultures, ethnicities, race, etc.

As director Luis Valdez pointed out, “Hollywood deals in stereotypes in every movie that it makes”. For example, the high school films feature the stereotypical roles of the nerd, jock, outcast, popular girl and bad boy (The Breakfast Club); while Latino stereotypes in film are usually negative like gangbangers, drug dealer, or overly sexualized.

Adding to the stereotyping problem, which also takes screen representation away from Latinos is the continued practice of “brown facing”. Brown facing is when white actors are given Latino roles written as Latino, often perpetuating stereotypes. Or worse, when a white actor completely washing out the ethnicity of characters based on real-life Latinos, such as Ben Affleck in Argo portraying Mexican-American technical operations officer for the Central Intelligence Agency, Tony Mendez, or Jeffrey Hunter in Hell to Eternity portraying WWII Mexican-American war hero Guy Gabaldon. These roles lead audiences to believe these real life heroes where white, not Latinos.

Since the beginning of Hollywood, the majority of the stories in film have mainly focused on the White American social experiences and cultural perceptions. As for ethnic talent, they have either faced more obstacles to get an opportunity for a role in Hollywood, or had to establish themselves outside of Hollywood in order to be recognized i.e. Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth).

Despite recent ethnic themed and cast films like Coco, Crazy Rich Asians, and Black Panther becoming highly successful, major studios are still reluctant to make room for ethnic talent and stories to thrive the same way white talent and stories have and still do.

With the recent announcement of the initiative LA COLLAB backed my Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, whose mission is to accelerates Latino visibility and authentic representation, Latinos are now being more proactive about seeking parity. it is hoped that this will help increase Latino participation in Hollywood. And begin the dismantling of institutionalized stereotyping within the industry.

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You read it here first last week in Latin Heat, as was predicted, Jennifer Lopez, Antonio Banderas and Ana de Armas have been nominated for the Hollywood Foreign Press Golden Globe Awards in the major acting categories it was announced yesterday Monday Dec 9^th.

Jennifer Lopez, who is on her way to an Oscar nomination, following her Independent Spirit award nomination, has received a Golden Globe nomination in the Best performance by an actress in a supporting role in any motion picture category for Hustlers, The multi talented Lopez’s portrayal of hard edged Bronx born stripper Ramona Vega has impressed critics and public alike. Since its release in September, Hustlers has become Lopez’s biggest hit film to date with a worldwide box office gross of more than $150 million dollars

Antonio Banderas takes the Golden Globe nomination for Best performance in a Motion Picture for his role as an aging film director in crisis in Pedro Almodovar’s Pain and Glory, which is also nominated for Best Foreign language film.

Ana de Armas who is on a rising star trajectory was nominated for a Golden globe for Best performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy for her work in Knives Out. Her performance as nurse Cabrera was singled out amongst a stellar ensemble of veteran actors including Christopher Plummer, Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis and Don Johnson

Director Sam Mendes who is English of Peruvian/ Trinidadian descent was also nominated as Best director as was his film 1917 in the Best picture drama category. 

The Golden Globes will be handed out in a star studded televised ceremony on Sunday January 5^th on NBC.

Perhaps, this year will be the year Latinos will for once have more nominations as we make our way to having a not so White or Black an Oscars 2020, more inclusive with a few shades of Brown.

In my previous article on awards season, in writing about the film Queen and Slim, an impressive first feature directorial debut by Cuban born, naturalized US citizen Melina Matsoukas, I failed to mention the memorable portrayal of Benito Martinez (TV’s The Shield) as the kindly Kentucky Sheriff who unknowingly aids the fleeing couple on the run.  A modern day Bonnie and Clyde and Thelma and Louise, Queen and Slim is a reflection on modern race relations, law enforcement, gun violence and internet relationship issues in America.

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Variety and PBS SoCal, Southern California’s home for the premieres of new PBS programs, announced today the schedule for the 11^th season of the Emmy® Award-winning series Variety Studio: Actors on Actors. Co-produced by PBS SoCal, the new season of half-hour specials take you inside the biggest movies of the year through candid conversations between some of today’s most acclaimed actors. All four episodes of the new season will premiere back-to-back on PBS SoCal on Thurs., Jan. 2 at 8 p.m. on PBS SoCal. All episodes will stream on pbssocal.org following their premieres on the free PBS Video app.

Variety’s Actors on Actors issue hit newsstands on November 12^th with clips appearing on Variety.com.

This new season of the broadcast series features the following conversations and will broadcast as follows (subject to change): 

Thurs., Jan. 2 at 8 p.m.

This episode features Tom Hanks (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood)with Renée Zellweger (Judy), Brad Pitt (Once Upon A Time in Hollywood) with Adam Sandler (Uncut Gems)and Awkwafina (The Farewell) with Taron Egerton (Rocketman).

Thurs., Jan. 2 at 8:30 p.m.

This episode features Antonio Banderas (Pain and Glory)with Eddie Murphy (Dolemite is My Name), Chris Evans (Knives Out) with Scarlett Johansson (Marriage Story) and Mindy Kaling (Late Night) with Constance Wu (Hustlers).

Thurs., Jan. 2 at 9:00 p.m.

This episode features Adam Driver (Marriage Story) with Charlize Theron (Bombshell), Cynthia Erivo (Harriet) with Alfre Woodard (Clemency), Shia LaBeouf (Honey Boy) with Kristen Stewart (Seberg).

Thurs., Jan. 2 at 9:30 p.m.

This episode features Jennifer Lopez (Hustlers) with Robert Pattinson (The Lighthouse), Laura Dern (Marriage Story) with Sterling K. Brown (Waves), Beanie Feldstein (Booksmart) with Florence Pugh (Little Women).

Variety Studio: Actors on Actors  will be airing on PBS stations across the nation starting in January (check local listings).

Variety is one of the entertainment trade publications in Hollywood. Variety’s multi-platform content coverage expands across digital, mobile, social, print and branded events and summits.

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The Movie Award Season will officially kick into gear with the announcement of the Golden Globe nominations on Dec 9^th followed by the Academy Award nominations on January 13th.  It is becoming apparent that Jennifer Lopez and Antonio Banderas are the two Latino front runners in the acting categories.

Lopez generated buzz and critical acclaim at the Toronto film festival in September, when she was singled out for her gritty portrayal of Ramona Vega, in Hustlers where she played a Bronx-bred, single mother stripper at clubs frequented by Wall Street clients; a movie she also produced. Lopez is being talked about to be nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category for this role for both a Golden Globe and an Oscar. She has already nabbed a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award in the same category.  

The announcement of the Oscar nominees is scheduled for January 13th.  Should Lopez pick up the nomination that has so far eluded her, it would be her first Oscar nomination after making her debut 25 years ago in her star-making titular role in Selena in 1995.

The campaign for Lopez’s Best Supporting Oscar nomination went into full swing as voting members of the Academy Of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences began receiving their DVD’s of Hustlers.  With special private screenings and not to mention the hefty priced “For Your Consideration” advertisements in the Hollywood trade publications, this campaign is definitely going full out.

Although a long shot, given the competition this year, if Lopez were to win, she would be only the second Latina to win an Oscar in the Supporting Actress category. Rita Moreno won her Oscar in 1961, so it is overdue for another Latina to win.

Antonio Banderas Up for Best Actor Oscar

Antonio Banderas is a solid contender for his incredible multi- layered portrayal of Salvador Mello, an aging film director going through a personal life crisis in Pedro Almodovar’s Pain and Glory. His performance has already won Banderas the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival this past May in France. 

This role is the eighth collaboration between actor Banderas and director Almodovar, in a career span that began in the early  1980’s in their native Spain. At that time, the young international screen heartthrob caught the attention of singer Madonna who featured Banderas in her documentary Truth or Dare and with whom she later co-starred within the film version of Evita. He came to the US to do his first U.S. starring role in 1992’s The Mambo Kings. Since then he has appeared in numerous motion pictures as a leading man and his best-known movies include Desperado, Spy Kids, Philadelphia, The Mask of Zorro and as the voice of the swashbuckling pussycat in the animated Shrek film franchise. 

Pedro Almodovar’s Pain and Glory, since it is a Spanish language film may receive an Oscar nomination as Best International film, the category in which Roma won last year. 

Ana de Armas Stars in Possible Oscar-Nominated Film

The beautiful and talented Ana de Armas is featured in Rian Johnson’s delightfully inventive murder mystery Knives Out. A stand out performance in her role as nurse Marta Cabrera among an ensemble cast of screen veterans including Christopher Plummer, Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, and Chris Evans. The dark comedy has been well received by both critics and audiences and may well be nominated in the Best Picture category for the Oscars and Golden Globes, as well as the Screen Actors Guild Awards. 

For de Armas to be associated with a popular award-winning movie such as Knives Out will certainly boost and add prestige to her fast-rising career track beginning with her co-starring roles in Hands of Stone (2016) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

De Armas also has the distinction of co-starring as a “Bond girl” opposite Daniel Craig again as Paloma, in the upcoming James Bond 007 adventure No Time To Die, set for release in April 2020.  

Possible Latinos Directors Nominees?

Though there have been several major films starring Latinos, Dora The Explorer, Terminator: Dark Fate, and Ms. Bala, (La Llorona being the exception), few have been helmed by Latino directors. Fernando Mirelles of The Two Popes is Brazilian and Sam Mendes of the visually stunning world war I drama 1917 is London born of Portuguese and Trinadian descent. The only stateside Latina director in possible consideration would be Melina Matsoukas, of Cuban descent whose recently released feature film Queenie and Slim deals with an African-American couple on the run to Cuba after a violent encounter with a police officer. 

Other Possibilities

With no entries this year from the Mexican directors (Alfonso Cuaron, Alejandro Iñárritu, & Guillermo del Toro) who have dominated the awards for the past five years, the Oscar race will be strictly American. Two films will be leading the awards, Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in which Latinos were featured nominally (Ramon Franco Raul Cardoza, Gilbert Saldivar, Marco Rodriguez and Clifton Collins Jr.) and Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman (Bobby Cannavale and a cameo by Dascha Polanco).  

Let’s hope this Award season is a little more diverse and a little more inclusive, with a touch of brown, so to speak.  A bit more diverse than just Black and White.

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