Photo: @arturocastrop/Instagram
There is a serious lack of representation for Latinxs in Hollywood. According to the 2019 UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report, “Latino actors made up only 5.2% of all film roles in the top 200 films released in 2017 and 6.2% of all scripted broadcast TV roles during the 2016-2017 television season.” This is true, although in the real world, Hispanics make up 18.1% of the U.S. population. That’s a whopping 58.9 million of us, who don’t get to see our own faces and stories on both the small and big screens.
That’s why we have to shout out and uplift the Latinx actors that are part of Hollywood now. These people are helping to create that shift we want to witness in film and television. We recently covered Latina actresses who are making it happen, and will now feature 25 Latinos who are making their mark in acting, while also repping for us at large. Thank you.
Jorge Lendeborg, Jr.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Wikipedia
Afro-Dominican actor Jorge Lendeborg Jr. is one of the actors to watch in Hollywood. The soon to be 24-year-old has appeared in films such as Spider-Man: Homecoming; Spider-Man: Far From Home; Love, Simon; and Alita: Battle Angel, and television shows Graceland, and Wu-Tang: An American Saga. Upcoming projects of Jorge’s to look out for are the films Boogie, Critical Thinking, and Bliss.
Tenoch Huerta
The 38-year-old Mexican actor has done a lot of acting work in his native Mexico, including the 2008 short film Café paraíso, for which he won a Best Actor award at the Short Shorts Film Festival Mexico. But he is also doing plenty of work in the states. Tenoch has had a recurring role as Rafael Caro Quintero in Narcos: Mexico, and you can catch him in the following projects that are in pre-production: Son of Monarchs, and the untitled Purge sequel.
Marcel Ruiz
Photo: BUILD Series/YouTube
You may know 16-year-old Puerto Rican actor Marcel Ruiz as Alex Alvarez on the television show One Day at a Time. But he also has worked in the 2019 film, Breakthrough, in the role of John Smith.
Jason Genao
Another actor to look out for in Hollywood is Dominican Jersey native Jason Genao. The 23-year-old is best known for playing Ruby Martinez in the show On My Block, but he also had other roles. These include Rictor in the film Logan, William Reeves in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and a recurring role as Napoleon on the show The Get Down.
Jake T. Austin
Jake T. Austin, who is Puerto Rican, Argentinian, and Spanish, on his mother’s side, got his big break serving as the voice of Diego on Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego Go! He went on to appear on Wizards of Waverly Place with Selena Gomez, in The Fosters as Jesus Foster, and in several other roles. Upcoming projects include voicing Dasan in Peter Pan, Land of Forever, and playing the role of Lars in Adverse.
Tyler Posey
Maid in Manhattan. Teen Wolf. Jane the Virgin. These are only three of the productions that Chicano Tyler Posey has been a part of. The 28-year-old from Santa Monica is slated to star as Aiden, alongside Donald Sutherland and Robert Ri’chard in the outbreak thriller Alone.
Ozuna
Of course, you know who Afro-Dominican-Puerto-Rican reggaeton and Latin trap superstar Ozuna is. But did you know that he is dabbling in acting? After playing José Miguel León in the films Que León (2018) and Los Leones (2019), the 27-year-old, whose full name is Jan Carlos Ozuna Rosado, is set to appear in Fast & Furious 9.
Rico Rodriguez
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To us, Rico Rodriguez will always be little Manny Delgado on Modern Family, an award-winning role he has played for a decade. but the Chicano 21-year-old has had several acting roles before the hit show, and since. With the end of Modern Family nearing, we look forward to seeing what Rico will do next in this new phase of his Hollywood career.
Diego Boneta
Mexicano Diego Boneta has created a buzz for himself in both Spanish and English-speaking roles. Currently playing Luis Miguel in the novela on his life, the 29-year-old has also appeared in the shows Scream Queens, Pretty Little Liars, Jane the Virgin, and 90210. Film projects include Rock of Ages, Terminator: Dark Fate, and several projects slated to premiere this year.
Moises Arias
Moises Arias is a 25-year-old, New York-born Colombian who has appeared on television shows including Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place, and The Middle. His film work includes movies such as Nacho Libre, Ben-Hur, Ender’s Game, and The Kings of Summer. Moises is slated to appear in the film Blast Beat, as well as in an untitled Judd Apatow and Pete Davidson production.
Gabriel Chavarria
Gabriel Chavarria is a Honduran actor who has appeared in productions including Lowriders, War for the Planet of the Apes, and East Los High. But we are especially looking forward to one of his upcoming projects. This year, Chavarria is taking on the role of A.B. Quintanilla in the Netflix show Selena: The Series.
Alfred Enoch
Next up on our list of Latino actors to know about is Afro-Brazilian-English actor Alfred Enoch. The 31-year-old has acted in seven of the eight Harry Potter films, and had currently has a recurring role as Wes Gibbins on the show How to Get Away with Murder (among other parts he has played). Alfred is currently filming Provisional Measure.
Diego Tinoco
Another Latino actor you should have on your radar is Colombian-Mexican-Ecuadorian Diego Tinoco. The 22-year-old has appeared in the shows On My Block, and Teen Wolf, and is part of the upcoming thriller Mourning War, where he is slated to play Bineshii.
Tony Revolori
Did you know that the actor who played Zero Moustafa in The Grand Budapest Hotel is Latinx? The 23-year-old is Guatemalan and has also appeared in other films, including Dope, The 5th Wave, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and more (including television roles). Tony is also a part of various upcoming projects, including the show Royalties, and the movie Exchanged.
Richard Cabral
Chicano actor Richard Cabral overcame many obstacles (gang activity, a crack addiction, and incarceration) in order to become a successful actor. The 35-year-old went on to appear in shows including Mayans M.C., Southland, Lethal Weapon, and American Crime, for which he received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie.
Carlos Valdes
Carlos Valdes is a 30-year-old Colombian actor, best known for his roles as Cisco Ramon, a.k.a. Vibe, on the DC Comic shows, The Flash, Supergirl, Arrow, Freedom Fighters: The Ray, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash: Chronicles of Tomorrow, and more.
Rick Gonzalez
Dominican-Puerto Rican Rick Gonzalez is a face you might already recognize. The 40-year-old has had a slew of roles, including in Old School, Mr. Robot, Arrow, Reaper, Coach Carter, Roll Bounce, and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. But you will get a chance to see more of Rick, in the upcoming TV movie Tough Cookie.
Arturo Castro
Guatemalan actor Arturo Castro is a talent that can make you laugh, but who also showcases his acting talent in dramatic roles. He stars in the sketch comedy show Alternatino with Arturo Castro, and had roles in Broad City, Snatched, and Silicon Valley, but also appeared in Narcos, Bushwick, and Railway Spine. Arturo has a couple of new projects in the works: the TV movie Delilah, and The Broken Heart Gallery.
Tristan Mack Wilds
Next on our list of actors, you should know is Afro-Dominican Tristan Mack Wilds. The 30-year-old Staten Island native has had a busy acting career. He has appeared in films such as The Secret Life of Bees, and Half Nelson, and TV shows including The Wire, 90210, Miracle’s Boys, Shots Fired, and The Breaks. And Tristan will appear alongside Uzo Aduba, Michael Ealy, and Naturi Naughton in the upcoming Really Love.
Jesse Garcia
Rawlins, Wyoming native Jessie Garcia is a Chicano actor who broke on the scene with his role in the 2006 film Quinceañera, a film that won him an ALMA Award for Best Actor. Since then, Garcia has appeared in productions including Sons of Anarchy, From Dusk till Dawn: The Series, and The Avengers. Upcoming projects are the films Chagrin, and Adverse.
Johnathan Fernandez
Afro-Colombian-Honduran actor and comedian Johnathan Fernandez has several projects to look out for, including Togetherish, Snatchers, and We Need to Talk. But you may already recognize him from his roles on shows such as Lethal Weapon, Good Medicine, Girls, and Younger.
J.D. Pardo
J.D. Pardo is another Latinx actor whose face you may instantly recognize. The 39-year-old Salvadorian-Argentinian from Panorama City, L.A. played Ezekiel ‘EZ’ Reyes in Mayans M.C., Jesus in East Los High, Nahuel in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, and the title role in A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story. And you’ll see more of him soon; Pardo is currently filming Violence of Action.
Julio Torres
Salvadorian Julio Torres was a writer for shows including Saturday Night Live and The Chris Gethard Show before starring in the show Los Espookys (where he has also served as co-producer). Julio also had his own HBO special in 2019, entitled My Favorite Shapes.
Sarunas J. Jackson
Afro-Panamanian Sarunas J. Jackson not only is repping for Latinxs in Hollywood, but he is making sure we are represented in actual roles. He asked writers on the show Insecure to rewrite his character as Afro-Panamanian Alejandro ‘Dro’ Peña, allowing Afro-Latinxs to truly be seen on the screen. Other productions in which you can see Sarunas include the shows Games People Play and Good Trouble.
Michael Garza
The final Latino actor on our list that you should know about is Michael Garza. His most recent work is playing Ramon Morales in the film Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, but other roles the 19-year-old Texas Chicano has had include Frank Armstrong in Wayward Pines, and Eddy in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1.