Eye Witness News 3: Congressional Hispanic Caucus Meets with Hollywood Execs to Push for Diversity
Washington,
November 8, 2019
The cast of Starz dramedy "Vida" knows what life is like for Latinx creatives in Hollywood. So when members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, in town for a two-day visit to Los Angeles, stopped by the set on Thursday, the cast didn't shy away from telling them their truth. "I think the reason why 'Vida' has done so well is because it's a show about Latinos written by Latinos," actress Chelsea Rendon told a table that included Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro and California Rep. Jimmy Gomez. "That's a problem in Hollywood and a barrier they need to break down. They want to give us diversity on screen but that stems from behind the scenes." She said the nuances often seen on "Vida" are not things that otherwise would be there were the show not been written and led by Latino creators. Case in point: the show's political visitors stopped by hours before the cast was going to film a big party scene, referred to in the show as a "queerceañera," a play on the word quinceañera. (The storyline sees a character named Marcos throwing himself a "double quince" for his 30th birthday.) |
