Michael Pena thinks attitudes towards Latino and Latina talent are changing in Hollywood.
The 42-year-old actor has faced a struggle to establish himself in the movie business, given the lack of opportunities for Latino stars, but he admits the landscape is slowly changing.
Recalling his early years in the industry, Michael shared: "The thing is, I started acting about 23 years ago, and it was very tough to get an audition, let alone a part. There are these things called ‘breakdowns’ where they give character descriptions and outline who can audition for them.
"I still have some of these, where the first 10 would be caucasian, so only caucasians could audition for them."
But Michael – who appears alongside Paul Rudd in ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ – now feels more optimistic about the movie business, acknowledging that other Latino and Latina have emerged in recent times.
Speaking to the Guardian newspaper, he explained: "It was difficult for me to break through, because nine times out of 10, it was some gangster or whatever. Now, though, I don’t have such a pessimistic viewpoint about it all.
"The way that I’m seeing it, things are changing and becoming better all the time. I’m glad I can be a part of that. I want to keep on changing the status quo. It’s good to want change, but only if you’re willing to be part of that change.
"Be active, instead of just talking about it. I try not to complain. Instead, I just keep on finding interesting projects.
"We’ve got Jennifer Lopez, Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Guillermo del Toro, Diego Luna – I don’t know how many – really coming up through the business. Is the situation perfect? No. But it’s like Bob Dylan said, the times they are a-changin’. We gotta stay proactive."
Michael Pena says the landscape is changing for Latino stars
