It's no secret that Latino representation on television and in movies is embarrassingly low.
So low in fact, that according to a recent report by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, only 4.5% of all 47,268 speaking or named characters in film within the last 12 years were Latino. So Hollywood, if you're listening, I've got some talented names you can begin putting in ALL your projects immediately:
1. Mj Rodriguez
Seen in: Pose
Fun fact: She auditioned for the role of Blanca by reading the pilot monologue in which Blanca speaks to the dance school professor about Damon. From that moment on, Ryan Murphy said, “I knew she was our heroine."
2. Jharrel Jerome
Seen in: Moonlight, When They See Us, and Mr. Mercedes
Fun fact: His dream role is to play a live-action version of Miles Morales.
3. Alexa Demie
Seen in: Euphoria and Mid90s
Fun fact: She is producing her first feature film based on the life story of her mother and is working on her first EP.
4. Diego Tinoco
Seen in: On My Block
Fun fact: He booked On My Block the year he moved out to Los Angeles.
5. Justina Machado
Seen in: One Day at a Time and Jane the Virgin
Fun fact: Though her mother wasn't able to afford a quinceañera for her, she took it upon herself to ask various family members for help and ended up having the party.
6. Rick Gonzalez
Seen in: Arrow
Fun fact: He played Jesus in Lady Gaga's "Judas" video alongside The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus, who played Judas.
7. Julio Torres
Seen in: Los Espookys and My Favorite Shapes
Fun fact: He's been a writer on Saturday Night Live since 2016.
8. Allegra Acosta
Seen in: Runaways
Fun fact: She fell in love with acting after watching Annie and performing her own version of the musical to her family.
9. Wilson Cruz
Seen in: Star Trek: Discovery, My So-Called Life, and 13 Reasons Why
Fun fact: He was the first openly gay man to play an openly gay character on primetime TV during his run on My So-Called Life.
10. Indya Moore
Seen in: Pose and Queen & Slim
Fun fact: They first met their Pose co-star Dominque Jackson at the Bronx Community Pride Center at the age of 13.
11. Anthony Ramos
Seen in: A Star Is Born and She's Gotta Have It
Fun fact: He had originally planned his life around baseball prior to acting. Ramos wanted to play Division III ball and eventually coach.
12. Jessica Marie Garcia
Seen in: On My Block and Liv and Maddie
Fun fact: She was once a hostess at Olive Garden and a server at both Outback Steakhouse and The Counter.
13. Stephanie Beatriz
Seen in: Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Fun fact: She has a scar on her right eyebrow from tripping on some Legos when she was 10.
14. Guillermo Diaz
Seen in: Scandal, Weeds, and Half Baked
Fun fact: He's a huge Madonna fan and has a tattoo of her on his upper right arm.
15. Melinna Bobadilla
Seen in: Orange Is the New Black
Fun fact: She holds an M.A. in Theater and Education from New York University and a B.A. from UC Berkeley in Ethnic Studies and Mass Communications.
16. Yaltiza Aparicio
Seen in: Roma
Fun fact: She was a preschool teacher prior to becoming an Oscar-nominated actor.
17. Selenis Leyva
Seen in: Orange Is the New Black and Spider-Man: Homecoming
Fun fact: She is a part of the Maestro Cares Ambassadors program, which helps orphaned children in Latin America and the U.S.
18. Michael Garza
Seen in: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Fun fact: He had a small role as Eddy in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1.
19. Sarunas J. Jackson

Seen in: Good Trouble, Games People Play, and Insecure
Fun fact: As a kid, he used to help his dad and grandma (from his mom's side) communicate since his dad didn't speak Spanish and his grandma didn't speak English.
20. Jorge Lendeborg Jr.
Seen in: Bumblebee , Love Simon, and Spider-Man: Far from Home
Fun fact: His acting role models are Robert Downey Jr., Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, and Oscar Isaac.
21. Barbie Ferreira
Seen in: Euphoria
Fun fact: Prior to being in Euphoria, Barbie was an in-demand model who worked with brands like American Apparel and Aerie.
22. Jeimy Osorio
Seen in: Betty en NY and Celia
Fun fact: She's also a singer and plans to finish recording her first album very soon. She described the album as "a vibrant fusion of genres like Trap, Tango, Dancehall, Flamenco, Vallenato, and Rumba."
23. Dascha Polanco
Seen in: Orange Is the New Black, Russian Doll, and American Crime Story
Fun fact: Her daughter, Dasany Kristal Gonzalez, played a younger version of Dascha's character Daya on Orange Is The New Black.
24. Ana Fabrega
Seen in: Los Espookys and At Home with Amy Sedaris
Fun fact: She initially moved to New York City to study economics and had worked at a credit risk management company before going into comedy and acting.
25. Judy Reyes
Seen in: Claws, One Day At A Time, and Scrubs
Fun fact: She first knew she wanted to be an actor when she and her sisters did a church talent show. She sang "Papa Don’t Preach" by Madonna.
26. Melissa Fumero
Seen in: Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Fun fact: She's also a dancer and in high school used to teach kids the basics of ballet.
27. Arturo Castro
Seen in: Broad City, Narcos, and Alternatino
Fun fact: Being that he comes from a family of psychiatrists, he always finds himself looking for things that he finds peculiar in human behavior and using that for his show.
28. Gina Torres
Seen in: Pearson, Suits, and Alias
Fun fact: She is a mezzo soprano and studied opera and jazz before becoming an actor.
29. Ser Anzoategui
Seen in: Vida and East Los High
Fun fact: They wrote, directed, and starred in their own solo play named Ser. In it, they played more than 25 characters.
This list includes many names, but as you and I both know, there are many, MANY more talented Latino actors out there who also deserve excellent roles. Please tell me who I missed in the comments, 'cause they deserve a shout-out too!
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