Hollywood, Love us Back: Latinos Need Representation on the Screen

There was a time when Latinas thought they were finally getting their own superheroine. She would fight crime and sport a purple leather suit with a cape, but best of all, she would be played by Dominican American actress, Leslie Grace.

That dream was recently cut short as an array of cancellations were announced by some of the major players in Hollywood.

The cancelations not only included Grace's Batgirl, but also Eva Longoria and Zoe Saldaña's Gordita Chronicles.

Adding insult to further injury, the white-washed casting of actor James Franco as Cuban dictator Fidel Castro in the upcoming film Alina of Cuba reminded Latinos that their stories still play second fiddle in Hollywood.

Photo by Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

The news comes from media companies that state the decisions are made based on "budget cuts," or in the case of Franco, the inability to find an actor—among the hundreds of Latinos out there—that resembled Castro's Galician ancestry, which is why they went for a guy from Palo Alto, California, and decided to work on his accent instead.

It's not the first time this happens, as streaming and television networks have chopped quality Latin programming like Gentefied, Vida, One Day at a Time and Diary of a Future President—all shows that demonstrated how Latinos live, adapt and thrive in the United States.

What must Latinos do to have their stories represented and heard? Does "diverse programming" actually include us?

Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for HBO Max

With Latinos making up 19% of the U.S. population, it's time that our stories are told beyond the common narrative and roles of narcos, housekeepers and bombshells with accents.

Gordita Chronicles, based on the life of creator Claudia Forestieri, received ample praise from critics and an outpour of love from audiences who saw themselves reflected in the heartwarming immigration tale as told by a 12-year-old Dominican girl in Miami. It received a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (for reference, Marvel's Thor: Love and Thunder received a 65%).

Eva Longoria and Zoe Saldaña, producers of the show expressed their disappointment with HBO Max's decision to cancel after the series' first season.

"We are heartbroken by the larger programming changes at HBO Max that will not allow our special show that is 'Gordita Chronicles,' showrun by LatinX comedy powerhouse Brigitte Muñoz-Liebowitz, to have a second season at its original home," Longoria and Saldaña said in a joint statement to TODAY. "As producers and storytellers who are continually seeking out the authentic and original stories that highlight our community's joy and talent, we are so proud to have worked on this piece of magic."

"We continue to be blown away by the overwhelmingly positive critical response coupled with our growing audience numbers, which prove that viewers recognize the importance of this show's existence and the crucial space it is filling for LatinX content in the media landscape," they added.

HBO Max's Father of the Bride, featuring Andy Garcia, Gloria Estefan, Diego Boneta and Adria Arjona, which revamps the 1991 romantic comedy, became one of the most watched films on the streamer, adding just another example of how investing in what will soon become one of the biggest audiences in the country matters.

With Latino children, who like me, grew up in what I like to call the "200%"—feeling 100% Latino and 100% American—stories that truly represent the reality and diversity of our rich and diverse culture are now more important than ever.

It's time to build up, not erase.