“Arrive at the Gates” Column By Judi Jordan for Latin Heat

This year two of the IMAGEN Awards Best Actor in a TV Drama nominees, Pedro Pascal and Diego Luna, exemplify the IMAGEN Awards mission by portraying Latinos as layered, emotionally resonant figures at the heart of the global sci-fi phenomena. Pascal, as the grieving father tasked with protecting humanity’s last hope, and Luna, as the revolutionary mind behind a galaxy’s fight for freedom. Both prove beyond doubt their ability to anchor entire fictional universes with vulnerability and moral complexity —roles long reserved for others.

Despite their very different career paths, both have become the emotional core of massive franchises, bringing audiences around the world deeply nuanced and fully realized characters. They are themselves extensions of the best of their characters. Luna’s mantra “Cinema is a mirror that can change the world”; and Pedro’s consistent message to fans, “I Love You” emanate authentically from the personal journeys of these very different, gifted artists. 

Two of the most magnetic Latino talents in cinema now stand at the center of entertainment’s most passionate fandoms—sci-fi enthusiasts and gamers alike. Pascal and Luna’s paths to genre stardom reveal strikingly different trajectories that converge in their mastery of complex, morally ambiguous characters in beloved franchises.

Pascal’s journey embodies the classic late-bloomer narrative. Born in Chile and raised in California, he spent over two decades grinding through small television roles and theater work, always struggling financially while honing his craft. His breakthrough didn’t arrive until his mid-forties, when an introduction from steadfast friend Sarah Paulsen to David Benioff EP/Creator Game of Thrones landed him in his career-defining role as Oberyn Martell in this series. That explosive performance and dramatic death opened doors to Narcos, where he portrayed DEA agent Javier Peña, and eventually to the career-transforming role of Din Djarin in The Mandalorian. His latest TV triumph as Joel Miller in The Last of Us showcases an actor who learned patience and persistence, drawing on weathered authenticity for every role.

Luna’s path followed a more traditional arc of early success and sustained excellence. The Mexican actor burst onto the international scene at just twenty with Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Amores Perros, establishing himself as a formidable talent. His career has been marked by deliberate choices spanning Mexican cinema and Hollywood projects, from Y Tu Mamá También to Rogue One. In the title role of Andor, Luna brings gravitas and political complexity to Cassian Andor, crafting a revolutionary whose quiet intensity anchors Disney’s grittiest Star Wars series.

The contrast extends to their on-screen personas. Pascal’s Joel is a surrogate father figure hardened by apocalyptic loss, while Luna’s Cassian represents an idealistic rebellion gradually tempered by harsh realities. Pascal excels at emotional vulnerability beneath gruff exteriors; Luna masters contained intensity and moral ambiguity.

Both actors now navigate the uniquely demanding landscape of sci-fi and gaming fandoms—audiences notorious for their encyclopedic knowledge, fierce loyalties, and unforgiving standards for authenticity and character consistency. These hard-core fans scrutinize every detail, from source material fidelity to character motivations, making successful genre work both career-defining and career-threatening.

Yet their approaches to sci-fi stardom couldn’t be more different. Pascal has fully embraced his ascension to leading man status, particularly with his casting as Reed Richards in Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps. 

Initially skeptical about portraying the brilliant astrophysicist, Pascal has since thrown himself gleefully into promoting the MCU blockbuster with his characteristic warmth for fans and vulnerability with the media. Behind the confident, flirty, dancing persona lies profound vulnerability. 

In a revealing Vanity Fair interview, Pascal opened up about the heartbreak that has shaped him: his mother’s suicide when he was 24, which left him unable to celebrate birthdays for 25 years until he finally reclaimed his 50th with a multi-day celebration. “Fifty felt more vulnerable—much more vulnerable,” he admitted, describing the paradox of achieving maximum success while feeling most exposed.

Luna, by contrast, remains deliberately low-key despite his Andor acclaim. Even as executive producer of the series, he focuses on the craft rather than celebrity, consistently steering interviews toward storytelling and social issues rather than personal fame. He prefers characters with contradictions, explaining “I don’t like the moral approach of good and bad”. Luna maintains his commitment to Mexican cinema via his production company and carefully chosen international projects.

Their future trajectories reflect these contrasting philosophies. Pascal’s Marvel contract extends through Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, cementing his place in Hollywood’s biggest franchise. 

Meanwhile, Luna continues balancing intimate directorial projects like Ceniza en la Boca with thriller Eleven Days, maintaining the artistic integrity that has defined his career since Y Tu Mamá También.  However, as Andor ends its two season run, Luna will be very busy promoting the much anticipated premiere of The Kiss of the Spider Woman in which Luna stars as Valentin a political prisoner alongside Tonatiuh (as Molina) and Jennifer Lopez (as Hollywood Diva) due to premiere October 10, 2025.

Pascal and Luna have not merely survived sci-fi scrutiny, they’ve earned reverence by bringing psychological depth to characters that could easily become one-dimensional. Their contrasting approaches—Pascal’s embrace of blockbuster stardom versus Luna’s measured artistic choices—prove that great genre acting requires the same commitment to truth and complexity as any dramatic role, perhaps more so given the passionate, discerning audiences watching every move.

The Imagen Awards will take place on August 22, 2025 at The Beverly Hilton. Tickets are still available HERE

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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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By Bel Hernandez Castillo

As Superman opens in theaters today, audiences will see the arrival of a new generation of DC heroes—and among them, Isabela Merced is stepping into the spotlight. The 23-year-old actress makes her debut as Kendra Saunders, a.k.a. Hawkgirl, in the latest installment of the franchise, marking her first foray into the superhero genre.

Born Isabela Yolanda Moner in Cleveland, Ohio, to a Peruvian mother and American father, Merced grew up speaking Spanish as her first language and often spent summers in Peru. Her stage name, Merced, honors her late grandmother and her family’s heritage—a gesture that reflects how deeply her culture influences her identity. She made her Broadway debut at 10 in Evita, performing alongside Ricky Martin. Shortly after, she found success on Nickelodeon, starring in 100 Things to Do Before High School.

She transitioned to feature films with roles in Transformers: The Last Knight (2017), Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018), and Instant Family (2018). Her breakout role came in 2019 when she played the title character in Dora and the Lost City of Gold. Since then Merced has been quite busy.  In the past two years, Merced has expanded her portfolio, appearing in projects such as Madame Web, Turtles All the Way Down, and Alien: Romulus (all released in 2024).

The casting of Merced is a significant moment for representation in comic book adaptations. She becomes one of only a handful of Latina actresses to take on a major superhero role in a live-action film, joining names like Zoe Saldaña (Guardians of the Galaxy), Salma Hayek (Eternals), and Xochitl Gomez (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness).

Hawkgirl is part of director James Gunn’s new “Gods and Monsters” slate for the DC Universe, with Merced set to reprise the role in future projects. The character Hawkgirl is part of the Justice Gang, a group of corporate-sponsored heroes that don’t exactly share Superman’s morals. Hawkgirl makes the first major big-screen appearance and the buzz is that there will be more of Hawkgirl in future sequels.

Earlier this year, she joined HBO’s hit series The Last of Us as Dina, a key character introduced in Season 2. Her performance has been widely praised and is expected to continue in future seasons.

Taking Flight as Hawkgirl

In Superman, Merced’s Hawkgirl is a winged warrior and archaeologist, reimagined with organic, feathered wings and a strong physical presence. The actress underwent extensive stunt and wire work to bring the character to life and has hinted at Hawkgirl’s larger role in the DC Universe moving forward.

Merced has expressed joy about exploring the character further, including potential storylines involving Green Lantern, with whom Hawkgirl has had romantic ties in the comics.

Merced’s trajectory is poised to become a fixture in both blockbuster franchises and prestige television. In addition to her ongoing work in The Last of Us, she is expected to appear in upcoming DC films as part of Gunn’s connected universe. With a growing list of credits across genres and platforms, Merced’s transition from child star to leading actress marks her as one of Hollywood’s rising talents.

DC Studios’ Superman is a A James Gunn Film.  A Troll Court Entertainment/The Safran Company Production, which will be in theaters and IMAX® nationwide on July 11, 2025, and internationally beginning 9 July 2025, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.

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