Latinos Fuming Over the Casting of Catherine Zeta-Jones as Colombian Drug Lord
Welsh actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, who played infamous Colombian drug lord for the new Lifetime movie Cocaine Godmother: The Griselda Blanco Story, which aired Jan. 20, is facing a serious backlash for portraying a Latina.
Latinos expressed their outrage on social media, sparking a dialogue about the dearth of roles for Latinos in Hollywood:”Nah, this can’t be real. They couldn’t find not one Latina to play this role?” Alex Medina asked on Twitter, offering a mocking reply to his own question: “Oh yes. Let’s let get our Welsh friend Cathrine Zeta-Jones to play a Colombian drug-lord.”
Was driving and saw this billboard and said the myself, “Nah, this can’t be real. They couldn’t find not one Latina to play this role?”
"Oh yes. Let’s let get our Welsh friend Cathrine Zeta Jones to play a Colombian drug-lord." pic.twitter.com/N6m8d78fQz
— alex medina (@mrmedina) January 15, 2018
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Here is a roundup of the most scathing reactions:
Um, Sofia Vergara is Colombian and the highest paid TV actor. If not her, there are bankable Latina actors like Salma Hayek & Jennifer Lopez. Whitewashing the role with Catherine Zeta-Jones makes no sense. https://t.co/d2okZkWJDt
— Nancy Wang Yuen (@nancywyuen) January 20, 2018
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Word sooo many bad ass Latina Actresses out there and they chose Catherine Zeta Jones to play Griselda Blanco
…she’s pretty and a good actress and all but still, there are so many Latinas out there that could have played the part
— drayuhhh.makeup (@infra5tructure_) January 16, 2018
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But my question is : WHY is Catherine Zeta-Jones playing Griselda Blanco when there is a plethora of talented Latina actors that could’ve played the role? who better to play a Latina badass than a LATINA? What’s up with that @lifetimetv ? She don’t even speak Spanish. Disgrace.
— Nicole Torres (@nicolemelina) January 16, 2018
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I love Catherine Zeta-Jones but why is she playing a Colombian woman? There wasn’t any Latina actresses available? What about @EvaLongoria ? @salmahayek ? @JLo ? Or even @HereIsGina as a young Griselda. Come on @lifetimetv DO better #CocaineGodmother https://t.co/1QgFRXLXPj
— Art(uro)
(@r2d2dbest) January 4, 2018
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Facing increasing heat, Zeta-Jones defended her participation in the film, telling Entertainment Weekly: “This happens to be the third Hispanic I’ve played,” she said. “I played the lead in Zorro, and I screen-tested with six Hispanic women, and I got the role. I don’t know what to say. And I was a complete unknown at this point; it wasn’t because I had a name or box-office value.”
She added: “I have to take I believe I can embody. I can’t be the person to fight against a very big issue, and I won’t take on that role. There have been so many actors who have played against type.’ That’s sort of what we do.”
The backlash comes at a time when Latino celebs are voicing their disappointment about the scarcity of roles, especially leading ones, in Hollywood, for Latinos. On the SAG Awards red carpet Jan. 21, Jane the Virgin‘s Gina Rodriguez, for example, shared her thoughts on the issue: “I mean, we do make 55 million plus in the country — no big deal — you should throw us in a movie or two, it would make sense,” she said, adding: “We do buy 1 in every 4 tickets every single weekend and make sure that your movies do well. So it would do you a service. And not only service, it would be — I don’t know — integrity.”