Written by Judi Jordan

The Imagen Awards was co-founded by legendary television producer and writer Norman Lear, who lived to the ripe age of 101, and passed in 2023. A deeply curious and humane person, Mr. Lear’s awareness of the void of positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment industry gave weight to the importance of positive Latino images. 

Norman Lear would be so proud of the 2025 nominees. His quest to see Latinos portrayed with respect and creativity is met in the ten categories including Drama, Comedy, Docs, Shorts and more. Helen Hernandez is the President & Founder of the Imagen Foundation who produces the Imagen Awards.

LATIN HEAT + IMAGEN  – Part One

The suave Latin devils of old Hollywood TV cliches have been replaced by a crop of intriguing, grown men with callings, consciences and inner conflicts. 

These new Drama Kings are dyslexic, intuitive, vulnerable (Will Trent/ Ramón Rodriguez) caring, conflicted, educated (The Cleaning Lady/Santiago Cabrera) regretful, emotive and resolute, (The Last of Us/Pedro Pascal) evolved, affable and effective, (Lincoln Lawyer/Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) and lonely, wary, idealistic (Andor/Diego Luna) These roles played to the talent’s dramatic strengths while offering exciting nuances that kept audiences tuning in weekly or binging – streamer contingent.  

Drama Kings – modern Latin Lovers are vulnerable, aspirational, responsible and gainfully-if sometimes painfully-employed. These seasoned IMAGEN-nominated men defy the tired one-dimensional stereotypes of heartless seducers, skeezy scammers and gun-happy cholos.

Established TV and film stars in uncommen roles wowed their fans with new facets of their talent and audiences approved. With resumes, personas and ‘chops’ that TV networks and streamer execs respect, TV showrunners craft episodes that highlight and challenge their characters’ strengths. 

Three seasons of Will Trent blew up the long, steady career of Ramón Rodriguez! Who knew he had 20+ film roles on his resume including G-20, Gang Related, Transformers? His memorable early TV work on The Wire 2002-2008 laid the foundation. By the time Will Trent arrived, Ramón Rodriguez, in the title role, was more than ready. His heartfelt, eccentric Southern detective is fascinating, never parodied. Will Trent, broken and brave feels embedded in his soul, but joy has crept into the series with dance numbers that lighten the storyline and a thoughtful, romantic storyline with Gina Rodriguez that fans loved.

An executive producer on the show, Rodriguez directed the exceptional Season 3 premiere episode and will direct again in Season 4. Deadline broke the story that Rodriguez recently signed a multi-year deal with 20^th Television, to develop and produce series and films for Disney, a fitting outcome for the gifted, dedicated multi-hyphenate. 

Santiago Cabrera is nominated for his dark turn as Jorge Sanchez, the highly-reluctant Harvard-educated drug cartel leader of the Sin Cara Cartel, in the gritty Fox/Hulu series The Cleaning Lady. Chilean-born Cabrera joined the show in seasons 3 and 4. Typically cast as the hero, female fans still swoon over his pitch-perfect portrayal of dashing, soulful Aramis in the 3-season BBC hit show Musketeers, now airing on Hulu. His 20-year working streak of good guy supporting and leads in Picard, Heroes, Merlin, Salvation, and prestige series romantic roles in Big Little Lies, Flight Attendant, Land of Women, and a kindly ghost Richard Deetz in Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice called for a change. 

Cabrera had resisted drug lord roles for years; but tempted by the premise, he used his discomfort – his very conflicted Jorge feels real. He admits, “It was fun to play the bad guy.” Audiences witnessed a very different Cabrera with a gun in his hand wading through cartel carnage as the ambiguous yet ambitious man with a plan that goes south by the hour. Not to mention a fraudulent marriage with Thony, a fearless Cambodian female doctor (played by Elodie Yung), who dissects bodies of cartel enemies in exchange for his protection. Plagued at every step by his obsessed sociopath sister Ramona (Kate de Castillo) for control of Sin Cara, Santiago’s Jorge is an idealist, out of his depth in the blood-soaked world.  

STAY TUNED.  NEXT UP: Sci-Fi Nominees

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Ramon Rodriguez returns to broadcast television in the title role in ABC’s upcoming crime / drama series, Will Trent, as a Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) special agent. The series premieres on January 3 on ABC.

Rodriguez got his star on television with his first series regular in ABC’s Day Break. From there he went on to make to short live series Charlie’s Angels and Fox’s Gang Related.  Meanwhile on film fans followed his trajectory in films such as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, The Taking of Pelham 123 and Battle Los Angeles. 

As Rodríguez embarks on his latest television series, which he also produces, he eloquently and enthusiastically spoke to Latin Heat about his artistic journey and emotional investment in creating a unique character for the TV series. 

Discovering Will Trent

Rodríguez recalls he did not initially seek out the role of Will Trent:

“I had just done a project with Hulu. I know some of the executives and have a history with them and they wanted to do something else with me and they presented me with Will Trent.”

The TV show, Will Trent, is based on author Karen Slaughter’s popular series of novels on the Atlanta-based special agent. Will Trent, who was abandoned as a child, grew up in the Atlanta foster care system, has dyslexia but overcame those obstacles to attain the highest clearance rate in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Rodríguez admits he was not familiar with slaughter’s books but immersed himself in them and found Will Trent to be an attractive and appealing character.

He recalls, “I met with the showrunners, Liz Heldens and Daniel Thomsen, and we had several creative dialogs on how to approach the material, where we want to take the show, how to portray Will Trent and how to best develop a compelling character,” 

“A big part of it for me,” adds Rodríguez, “is the chance to produce and be a part of the early on dialogs about the show.”

The Puzzle Master

There were several factors that drew Rodríguez to the character of Will Trent:

“I found Will Trent to be a most interesting character,” says Rodríguez, “He had a difficult childhood growing up an abandoned orphan in the Atlanta foster care system. He experienced a lot of traumas and carries a lot of scars.  He’s dyslexic. But despite all that, Will manages to rise to the highest levels in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation earning  its highest clearance rate”

Rodríguez refers to Trent as a Puzzle Master because, despite his dyslexia, he can come onto a crime scene and see things others miss. Trent takes the puzzle pieces and creates a collage or story  to solve the hidden mystery  of a crime.

“We have created a visual language,” says Rodríguez, “to portray to the audience how Will sees things.”

Unlike Sherlock Holmes, Columbo and Hercule Poirot, who employ linear, logical geometrical deductive reasoning to solve crimes, Trent uses an unconventional, asymmetrical approach to reconstruct and deconstruct a crime scene.

Vulnerabilities

People with dyslexia are often wrongly characterized as being not very intelligent because they often have great difficulty reading. Will Trent has suffered with this all his life, but has developed coping methods to deal with it; visual aids, colors, color coded files, etc. But sometimes his dyslexia completely betrays him.

“We sometimes show Will really struggling with his dyslexia,” says Rodríguez. “There are times when he simply cannot read, and we show his frustration. Will is ashamed of his visual liability and works hard to keep it from being revealed.”

A Three-Dimensional Character in a Three-Piece Suit

According to Rodríguez, “Will is the kind of guy who loves working a crime scene. He lives for this stuff, and it sometimes creates tension between himself and the Atlanta Police Force.”

To present himself as a guy in charge and in control of the situation, he always shows up wearing a natty three-piece suit that gives him the aura of respectability, authority and being on top of things.

“I love Will’s outlook on life, his point of view and how he sees things differently than others do,” says Rodríguez. “Here’s a guy who grew up alone. Nobody helped him and yet because of his tragic childhood he is someone who cares and wants to help others in need.”

Rodríguez shares, “in the pilot we demonstrate this quality when will adopts a chihuahua dog he doesn’t like or want but can’t stand the idea of it being left alone and helpless like he was. This immediately shows the heart and I love that. This guy has a lot of heart.

Atlanta As A Character

Will Trent is shot on location in Atlanta, Georgia because as Rodríguez points out, “The novels take place in Atlanta. We shoot on location here in Atlanta, so the city is a real character. We want to capture that energy, heat and vibe,” explains Rodríguez. “Our stories are mostly Atlanta-based stories. In one episode we tell a story that takes place at a lake here that has a history that we mine for a story.”

Atlanta is rapidly becoming a center of entertainment production. Rodríguez indicates that the show is surrounded by so much talent. In addition to Rodríguez, the cast of Will Trent features Erika Christensen, Iantha Richardson, Jake McLaughlin and Sonja Sohn .

Executive producers are Liz Heldens, Daniel Thomsen, Karin Slaughter and Oly Obst. Ramón Rodríguez is a producer and the star of Will Trent. His tireless dedication and commitment to the character of Will Trent results in a relatable special agent who is resilient in the face of his adversities and liabilities, a relentless unorthodox crime solver but ultimately tempered and defined by his innate sense of decency and genuine humanity.

In the pilot episode of Will Trent premieres on ABC on January 3, Special Agent Will Trent relies on his keen instincts and unique experience to uncover the truth when a murder investigation reveals there’s more to the story than meets the eye.

The post Ramón Rodríguez Brings Special Agent Will Trent to Life in New ABC Series first appeared on .

By Ana Perez

Eiza González to Star in Maria Felix Biopic

Eiza González is bringing legendary Mexican actress Maria Felix’s story to life on the big screen. The Baby Driver actress and director Matthew Heineman have partnered with the iconic Mexican film star’s estate for the project, the team is looking for a Latin American writer to adapt Felix’s life for the screen.

González will portray Felix and also produce the film alongside Dana Harris and Nicole King for Linden Entertainment. Walter Rivera will exec-produce the film on behalf of Felix’s estate.

“Maria’s tenacity and fierce way of living through some of the hardest adversity I’ve witnessed have inspired me and many more,” González told Deadline. “I’m incredibly honored to be playing her and to be bringing her voice and story to the world.” She added, “Maria constantly pushed boundaries and lived by her own rules, while the world tried to tear her down. I’ve always believed her life needs to be seen around the world, for people to learn more about how society depicts successful and driven women.”

Felix was one of the most successful Mexican stars of all time as well as one of the biggest stars of Latin American cinema in the 1940s and 1950s. The actress starred in 47 movies in Mexico, France, Italy and Argentina and was the queen of the silver screen in Mexico, becoming known as “La Doña.” Her story will explore love, loss and Mexican culture.

“We have long been searching for the right partner to tell Maria’s story, and we are proud to be partnering with Eiza González as she embodies so much of Maria’s strength, intelligence, passion, character and beauty,” Rivera said. “We know Eiza and this film have the power to influence change, much like Maria Felix did, and we know in Eiza’s hands, Maria Felix’s legacy will be portrayed in the most authentic light.”

González’s feature credits include Baby Driver, Hobbs & Shaw, Netflix’s Golden Globe-winning I Care a Lot, Godzilla vs. Kong, Michael Bay’s upcoming Ambulance and the TV series From Dusk till Dawn.

González is also in talks to join the cast of the Netflix sci-fi series Three-Body Problem. The creative duo David Benioff and D.B. Weiss of Game of Thrones are adapting the series.

González is represented by Linden Entertainment, WME and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.

Cierra Ramirez Joins Cast of Indie Film The Re-Education of Molly Singer

Cierra Ramirez (Good Trouble, The Fosters) is set in the leading role in the indie filmThe Re-Education of Molly Singer. Ramirez will play Lindsay, a college student caught in a love triangle. 

The Good Trouble star joins a cast featuring Britt Robertson, Ty Simpkin, Nico Santos, Holland Roden, Jaime Pressly and Wendie Malick.

Robertson will take the titular role of Molly, a former college party girl who later becomes an attorney. Molly has just botched her biggest case due to her inability to let go of her hard-partying lifestyle, but instead of getting fired she is tasked by her overbearing and controlling boss Brenda (Pressly) to re-enroll at her old alma mater, to befriend her socially awkward son Elliot (Simpkins) and guide him through an already tumultuous freshman year. Elliot and Ramirez’s Lindsay attend the same school.

Todd Friedman and Kevin Haskin penned the script. Producers are Warner Davis and Friedman. The Warner Davis Company and Hemlock Circle Productions are producing.

Ramirez, who is of Columbian and Mexican descent, is currently a co-lead and producer on Freeform’s Good Trouble, a continuation of her earlier series The Fosters. She received an Alma Award and an Imagen Award in 2012 for her work in the Patricia Riggen-directed drama Girl In Progress.

Aubrey Plaza & Ramón Rodríguez to Headline in Olga Dies Dreaming Hulu Pilot

Aubrey Plaza (Parks & Recreation) is set to star as the title character in Olga Dies Dreaming, with Ramón Rodríguez (Gang Related) as the male lead in Hulu’s drama pilot based on the novel by Xochitl Gonzalez. Both Rodriguez and Plaza will also serve as producers on the project.

Written by Gonzalez and to be directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl), Olga Dies Dreaming is the story of a Nuyorican brother and sister from a gentrifying Sunset Park in Brooklyn who are dealing with an absentee, politically radical mother and their glittering careers among New York City’s elite in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

Plaza’s Olga Acevedo is a renowned wedding planner with a dark interior. For Olga, the pursuit of perfection has become a “compulsive survival mechanism as she tries to climb as far from her past as she can.” Despite her success, Olga feels that the important people around her don’t deem her as an equal and is always wanting more. 

Rodríguez’s Prieto is Olga’s (Plaza) older brother and is a popular congressman who wears his Puerto Rican pride like a badge of honor. He grew up playing a part: the cheerful, overachieving, involuntary patriarch of a broken home. He’s lonely and tired but wakes up every morning wholly prepared to be the fixer, continuing to present this facade to his constituents and his opponents alike.

Gomez-Rejon partnered with Gonzalez after reading her novel in manuscript form. Together, they developed the series from the ground up and will exec-produce the pilot. 20th Television is the studio.

Plaza will be seen starring in Guy Ritchie’s untitled thriller opposite Jason Statham and Best Sellers opposite Michael Caine. On TV, Plaza most recently starred in Noah Hawley’s FX series Legion. She is repped by MGMT, CAA and Schreck Rose Dapello.

Rodríguez recently wrapped filming the horror pic Lullaby from Annabelle director John R. Leonetti. He starred in Disney’s The One and Only Ivan alongside Bryan Cranston. Rodríguez is repped by Silver Lining Entertainment and UTA.

Aaron Diaz & Ana Brenda Contreras to Star in Series Toda La Sangre for Pantaya

Aaron Diaz (Quantico) and Ana Brenda Contreras (Dynasty) are set to star in the Mexican crime thriller series Toda La Sangre for Pantaya, Starzplay, Spiral International and Fremantle Mexico.

Produced by Fremantle Mexico and directed by Luis Prieto and Hari Sama, the series is based on the best-selling novels by Mexican author Bernardo Esquinca.

Diaz will play the role of Eugenio Casasola, a journalist who joins forces with Lieutenant Edith Mondragon, played by Contreras, in a quest to uncover the truth behind a series of murders that resemble Aztec sacrifices in modern-day Mexico City.

Prieto’s previous work includes Kidnap, White Lines and Pusher while Sama is best known for the movie This Is Not Berlin.

The ten-episode series is developed and produced by showrunner and exec-producer Zasha Robles from Spiral International, the creator behind the Emmy-winning series Falco.

“We are extremely lucky to be working with such talented creators, Luis Prieto, Hari Sama, Aaron Diaz and Ana Brenda Contreras, as well as the production team behind Fremantle Mexico, who together are the dream team in the creation of our Aztec thriller – Toda la Sangre,” Robles stated.

“Toda La Sangre is an atmospheric premium series that explores Mexico’s complex cultural heritage through unforgettable images and characters,” added Mario Almeida, head of content for Pantaya. “We are extremely proud of the team Zasha has assembled to bring Toda La Sangre to life, with A-list talent both behind and in front of the camera.”

Coty Cagliolo, Head of Production, Fremantle Mexico, added: “Bernardo Esquinca’s work is loved and admired all over the world, so we are excited to bring Toda La Sangre to life, a truly gripping series with a stellar cast both in front and behind the camera. Set against the iconic backdrop of Mexico City, Toda La Sangre is a crime thriller like no other, a race to catch a serial killer before they strike again, and where ancient worlds and present-day collide with devastating consequences.” 

Diaz is represented by Innovative Artists Agency and the Make Good Group. Ana Brenda Contreras is represented by 3 Management.

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