Latino Actors Are Still Under-Represented, Stereotyped On The Big Screen, Study Finds

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A new study has found that Latino actors are being ignored in Hollywood.

According to a study by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, under-representation of the Latino community is still strong in movies.

The study examined the representation of Latinos both in front of and behind the camera in the 100 top-grossing movies of the last decade.

On-screen portrayals of stereotypes were also examined in the study.

From 2007 through 2018 just 4.5% of characters in films were Latino. Only 3% of those actors had a lead or co-leading role.

Behind the camera, just 4% of movies were made by Latino directors, with only one of those directors being female.

Out of the percentage of Latino actors, 25% were portrayed as criminals, 17% were depicted as poor or low-income roles, and 36% of characters and 60% of top-billed actors were kept from exploring their cultural heritage on-screen.