Latino Stars Cross Paths and Give Advice to Fellow Actors: SAG-AFTRA presents "The Latino Voice"

             Picture this...L.A., 2012. It was a balmy and slightly hazy day. Unanticipated (and uncalled for! ) traffic congestions threaten to delay my arrival to the SAG-AFTRA panel discussion on the Latino Voice.  Lefts, rights, u-eys are made on a dime and at the last minute. All in a vain attempt to make the half hour window for seating. Rationally, I took it as a sign that maybe it was not meant to be. I challenged the gods and pulled into the SAG-AFTRA building despite it being 6:40.

            Upon entering, I scrambled looking for the right room when I saw established and respected actor Kirk Acevedo in the lobby.  I knew this was serious business but I still tried hedging my bets.  "Who's gonna come to this talk?" I thought. "How many people RSVP to these kinds of things and never show up, anyway?," I reminded myself. Well, the answers were "every Latino in L.A." and "apparently no one." The line was long and first come, first serve. Everyone came to hear some sage advice on how to be the best actor as a Latino in Hollywood. I was THE VERY LAST person they let in (all so you readers that couldn't make it could get the scoop, I'm sure.)

Renita Gale,  CD and big-screen gal

             Yes, I stood the whole time. But that gave me an eagle's view of every panelist. As well as burning off this week's Panda Express. (Damn you, delicious, delicious, Panda.) The panel included the following: Yareli Arizmendi (Moderator) who is best known for her performance in Like Water for Chocolate. She's also starred in 24, Medium and House.  Renita Gale, most readers may be familiar with her as a noted casting director. She handles lots of commercials but did you know that she also once shared the big-screen with Philip Seymor-Hoffman in Next Stop, Wonderland?  I didn't!


                Next, we had Risa Bramon Garcia, noted casting director and acting teacher. Most recently, she cast CBS', A Gifted Man  and served as a producer on Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers. Also there was Roger Mussenden, noted casting director whose first lead casting was for none other that Warner Brother's Selena. Of course, everyone knows Jimmy Smits, Emmy award winning actor as well as winning an Alma Award and an Imagen Award for Best Actor in The West Wing. Lastly, there was Chris Weitz, director of New Moon (for you Twilight fans). His grandmother is the famous Mexican actress, Lupita Tovar.

           The question of the night was, "what exactly is the Latino voice and how can it be heard more?" CD and teacher, Risa Bramon said something that I feel resonates with me. She said that an actor's responsibility is to bring in their authentic voice. Whatever that may be. And not what they feel is "expected." Many times, there will be Latino roles and the actors will come in playing the idea of a Latino. Seemingly fixated on how to be the best actor of a Latino. Or just wear the stereotypes and amped up or phony accents as their costumes. She told a story of how she had a role for a character with a very Latin name. For the sake of the story, I'll use, "Jose Terrero." She saw Latino actor after Latino actor portray the idea of what an American audience would expect a "Jose Terrero" to sound like and move like. She explained to them to drop the act and just bring themselves into the role. She ended up seeing an African American actor who had no clue what could possibly be "expected" and didn't have those nasty little voices in his head the previous actors did. All he did was bring in his authentic self with all his authentic experience and adding his authentic voice to "Jose Terrero." Do I really need to tell you who ended up getting the part?

Latinos come in all shades.

           Which brought up the question of looking or not looking Latino enough. And yes, even sounding/not sounding Latino enough. You see, America is a pollinating and cross-pollinating country. Latinos can come in shades as light as my ivory-white, blue-eyed Puerto Rican mom to someone you may mistake for African-American (and they often play them on TV). Yet, the media and ad agencies have not yet caught up to this fact. One woman spoke about how she got passed up for a role because and Indian actress looked more "Latina" than she did. (Muffled laughter.) Roger Mussenden reminded the audience that a once blonde-haired Sofia Vergara had to dye her hair dark and amp up her accent to get roles. So there seems to be an almost schizophrenic relationship actors have with the outside world. "This is the real me but I'll show it to you in a way that you can understand....who the real me is." *name change, accent change, hair change, weight change* But, as Renita Gale pointed out, actors are drawn to theater because all of it is, at the end of the day, magic, dammit. Transformation through the pure power of intent and belief. And this transforms the audience. The actor births an experience that seemingly came from nothing. But what is the Latin experience?

Who are their peers, really?

                Renita made an excellent point about her field of expertise. Commercial acting is quite opposed to film. Renita needs actors to bring in not the "authentic" self but, well, the fabricated idea of what advertising agencies see Latino's as, according to cold, hard numbers and data. The idea of the "neutral" Spanish accent is something Renita goes to bat over frequently. Is it more Cuban? Mexican? What is it?? She often sees a great, amazing actor just completely be present in a role but alas....too "Cuban." NEXT! Roger Mussenden agreed. Many times, the reason an actor was cast or not cast is completely random and arbitrary. Renita recalled arguing that younger actors (late teens) should not be dismissed for having a slightly American Spanish accent because, the fact is, Latinos in L.A. are being born and raised in America. And they have slightly American accents. So who better to speak to them than their peers? Renita feels a change a comin' and so do I, frankly.
               
                  So what can a Latino actor do to prepare themselves for success? What wisdom can they impart on us on how to be the best actor we can be? Nothing short of train, train, train. There will be CD's like Renita Gale and Risa Bramon Garcia who will go to bat for you to bring you into the room so please don't let them down (like many have in the past). Jimmy Smits himself took the route of intensive theatre training in college but did not limit the audience to his experience. "Whatever you have to do to build your tool box, do it." Jimmy advised classes, reading plays, networking with each other...whatever you have to do to add those tools and get yourself ready. By the way, he is the founder of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, which fosters emerging new Hispanic talent by offering grants at colleges and universities. Way to go, Jimmy!
           
                 Chris Weitz and Yareli Arizmendi made an excellent point that when you receive an audition, treat it like a performance. Take that time. The CD wants you to win. (I know, right??)  You start already from the position of "having" the role. No one can give it away but yourself. Take your moment to do your role as your authentic self (whatever you decided that is today). No one can take this moment away from you. Do it. Take your bow. And know that you did your job as an actor. You brought in your voice. No one else can bring in your voice.  Keep demanding excellence from yourself and excellence will be noticed. Hear that?
             But what about a platform? Are there enough Latino roles and platforms to give Latino actors a voice? Well, like an old familiar movie once said, "If you build it, they will come." Risa Bramon Garcia had no pity for generation YouTube and I-phone. Don't have enough auditions and roles coming your way? Make some!  Write a short, (like I did) direct a pilot (Guilty). Create a voice for Latinos and be heard! Support other Latino projects! Unite and mobilize, dammit! *picturing myself in a black beret* The moral is, don't wait for opportunity if you don't see it. Make one. Yes, yes....I know. Actors get wrapped up in that nasty, little disease we call "perfectionism." But hey, we all gotta start somewhere! And Risa saw nothing wrong with starting out with an I-phone and a dream.
           So, to wrap it all up, what is the Latino voice? The Latino voice is your voice. Whatever that voice you have may be. Whether you came here last year from Peru and have an accent that rivals Sofia Vergara. Or whether, like me, you were born here and your Abuela rags on you for your uhm, less than perfect Spanish (hey! Spanglish is a legitimate form of communication!). You are the Latino voice and your experience is as legit and wonderful as any of your brothers' and sisters'. Please don't water it down or amp it up. Be you not the "idea" of you! Caveat: Unless you are going in for a commercial. Then you better be looking at what ad agencies are producing and go in there with your best "neutral" you you can be neutralized as, dammit! Numbers do not lie! *Evil, business Karina is speaking right now*
           All kidding aside (kinda), latino actors need to remember that Hollywood needs them as much as they need Hollywood! Support one another and nurture your voice. We want to hear it!

           What do you feel is "The Latino Voice"? I wanna hear! Do you have a project you are proud of? Share a link in the comments bar below!



          About Karina Colón: Aside from acting in films and shorts, I write and produce shorts and one-act plays for charity and the web. They've all been comedy and this next one I will direct is a Latino thriller I wrote called, Sell Out.

Check out this hilarious  comedy I wrote, directed and produced about two girls from total opposite sides of the track then end up....well, you'll see!

The Maybelline Girls Season 1



Follow me on twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/KarinaColon


Several of the organizers and speakers also have twitter and more information:

http://www.twitter.com/xoxoLizza
http://www.twitter.com/RENITACASTING
http://www.twitter.com/Risabg
http://www.twitter.com/chrisweitz
       
I also recommend:

http://www.twitter.com/beinglatino
http://www.twitter.com/dallastravers




       


Free xml sitemap generator