John Leguizamo Admits to Staying Out of the Sun to Remain 'Light-Skinned' for Roles

[UrbanLuis]

****....House of buggin.....havent heard that since the 90s. It was a pretty good show from what I remember. If I remember correctly it came out around the same time as the show NY undercover.

[AntonioR]

Originally Posted by Scientific

Like Mencia, who was Honduran and raised in East L.A. Leguizamo was raised in 70s and 80s NY Nuyorican culture. In John's standup he spoke with a thick Puerto Rican accent, and his dad came out with the fact that they were 100% Colombian. This isn't about "overlap". You're just a product of the neighborhood you grew up in. Sen Dog is Cuban. He's one of the most iconic Cholo rappers there is.

I grew up on John, when he did a lot to highlight Latin culture. But he is what he is. He conflates a lot. Call him a liar if you want, because there's no defending the fact he pretended to be something he wasn't. The sad part is, all he ever had to do was highlight his NY background, instead of hiding his Colombian culture. From Mambo Mouth, House of Buggin, to Freak, he did do a lot in the 90s the represent urban Latin culture in the U.S.

I don't think he "hid" his Colombian origin. The entire time he mentioned that his mother was Colombian. I think the first time I saw one of his movies was the Super Mario one (don't know if that's the name) and that was in the early 90's. With the image Colombians had back then (in part thanks to Pablo Escobar), I don't think letting know of a strong Colombian connection was the best thing to do. It could of hurt his career chances considering he would had to confront the usual anti-Latino discrimination and on top of that, the anti-Colombian sentiment. Puerto Ricans have been subject to stereotypes and a sort of discrimination too, but I don't think it was as strong as the anti-Colombian sentiment. No one in their right mind would even consider visiting Colombia, unlike today, and it was for the same reason.

With that said, I still think there is more to the story. To many "coincidences" that would at the very least speak of at least a partial Puerto Rican origin from the part of his father.

Something else that creates new questions is their move to the USA. Did they did it already as US citizen, as any descendants of Puerto Ricans are able to pass down to their children and they to their children. Did they migrated on visas? How is it possible for an entire family to be granted US visas without having someone in the USA sponsor them?

The fact the father-son relationship was rocky enough for the father to be estranged shouldn't be overlooked. While maybe for most people it would be imposible to think of a father figure as someone intentionally attempting to hurt his own son, there are many stories of fathers that have done that. From fathers that rape their own daughters, to fathers that psychologically abuse their son, etc. A father-son relationship doesn't become estranged for the heck of it. Something bad needed to happen between the two at a certain point for a father-son relationship to brake down like that. Plus, this is something present in all nationalities, all races, all social classes, etc. Sure, most father-son relationships don't reach that level, but most isn't all.

There are cases as well of abusive father-son relationships where the son abstains from attacking the father despite the latter might attack the integrity of the son on the basis that the abuser is the father and not the son. This should also be looked into, IMO.

[caribny]

Originally Posted by Tritone

"Latin" actors were always big in Hollywood since its earliest years.

Lupe Velez (Mexican)
Ramon Navarro (Mexican)
Maria Montez (Dominican)
Carmen Miranda (Brazilian)
Desi Arnaz (Cuban)

There was no exclusion. And they were never discriminated. The most they can complain about is being typecast for "ethnic" roles - because they were ethnic white actors.

You are undermining your own argument. You pick white people with Latin names and then claim that this means no discrimination.

I am not debating as to whether Leguizamo is telling the truth or not, but I do know he is Indigenous in appearance and so clearly doesnt fit the profle of the ones that you cite.

In fact there was a recent debate about the movie "In the Heights" connected to Lin Manuel Miranda where there was a debate about dark skin black Latinos being excluded and that the only major dark skinned black role went to a black American, who was playing the role of a black American.

Latinos arent a monolith and its clear that the white looking ones get a pass. Darker than JLo and life gets more difficult. In fact black Latino actors will more easily find black American roles than as black Latinos