John Leguizamo Admits to Staying Out of the Sun to Land Roles

etonline.com:

John Leguizamo has been entertaining audiences since the '80s, but breaking into the industry wasn't so easy for the Colombian-born actor.In a new interview for the Academy Awards'  series, Leguizamo spoke about trying to make it as a Latino actor in Hollywood and the lengths he went to in order to land roles.«I stayed out of the sun so I could work,» the  star admitted, telling the Academy that he was fully aware that he «benefited from being light-skinned» in the industry. «I definitely would not go in the sun for years.

It was a conscious thing because I could work. And all the Latinos that made it so far, a lot of them were all light-skinned.

What happened to all the Afro-Latinos and the majority of indigenous Latinos? They don't get a shot, you know,» he continued. «So, there's a lot of things we got to deal with in Hollywood, and we got to fix, and we got to speak out and we got to speak up.»The roadblocks Leguizamo encountered forced him to take a look at the roles available to Latinx actors in the industry and why many portrayals of Latinos onscreen are negative.«How do you create a Latin star in America when the roles are one-dimensional and not worthy of awards?» Leguizamo questioned. «The ugly question is, why are Latin people not succeeding?

What's the ugly question? Are we not smart enough? Not talented enough? Not good-looking enough? Not hardworking enough? No, none of those stereotypes and racist ideas because nobody tries harder with less access.»«So not only are we invisible, but when we are seen, it's a negative portrayal,» he continued. «Things are improving.