Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) said Latinos were "almost completely missing" at this year's Golden Globes, as the award ceremony comes under increased criticism for its lack of racial diversity.
"Latinos are almost completely missing at the @goldenglobes—it's unsurprising and unacceptable," Castro tweeted. "The film industry must address the pernicious lack of opportunity and representation of Latino Americans. The stories that Hollywood tells affect how entire communities are perceived."
Sunday's Golden Globes ceremony saw only three Latino honorees. American-Argentine-British actress Anya Taylor-Joy earned her first Golden Globe win for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television for her starring role as chess prodigy Beth Harmon in The Queen's Gambit. For her titular role in Emma, a film adaption of the eponymous Jane Austen novel, Taylor-Joy was also nominated for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, who is of Puerto Rican descent, was nominated for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his portrayal of Alexander Hamilton in the film version of his hit Broadway musical Hamilton. Miranda lost to Sacha Baron Cohen's revival of Borat Sagdiyev in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.
Guatemalan filmmaker Jayro Bustamante's horror film La Llorona was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, which went instead to Lee Isaac Chung's Minari.
I use the word “pernicious” because this status quo is toxic, harmful and dangerous to Latinos in American society.
— Joaquin Castro (@JoaquinCastrotx) March 1, 2021
Minari's categorization as a foreign-language film elicited controversy of its own. While its dialogue is mostly in Korean, the film is American—leading fans to critique its snub from the Globes' Best Motion Picture award for Drama.
The Golden Globes' nominations revealed Latinos' long-standing absence on-screen and behind cameras in Hollywood. A 2019 study by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative—which surveyed 1,200 popular films over the preceding 12 years—found Latinos made up 4.5 percent of speaking or named characters, with only 3 percent of the films featuring Latino leads or co-leads. Latinos accounted for 4 percent of directors and 3 percent of producers working on top-grossing films.
Latinos' scarce representation in the film and television industry is a far cry from real life. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019 data, people of Hispanic or Latino origin make up 18.5 percent of the total U.S. population. The USC Annenberg study found 77 percent of U.S. states and territories to contain a higher percentage of Latinos than Hollywood films.
The Golden Globes was confronted with its race-related shortcomings during its own ceremony. Hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler called out the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) — which administers the awards — for not having a single Black member, as well as snubbing Black actors and filmmakers.
"This is probably something we should have told you guys earlier, everyone is understandably upset at the HFPA and their choices," said Poehler. "Look, a lot of flashy garbage got nominated, but that happens. That's, like, their thing. But a number of Black actors and Black-led projects were overlooked.
"Look, we all know that award shows are stupid," added Fey. "The point is, even with stupid things, inclusivity is important, and there are no Black members of the Hollywood Foreign Press. I realize, HFPA, maybe you guys didn't get the memo, because your workplace is the back booth of a French McDonald's, but you gotta change that."
Three members of the HFPA—board chair Meher Tatna, president Ali Sar and vice president Helen Hoehne—at one point appeared onstage, vowing to promote diversity among its ranks.
Hoehne stressed the HFPA "must" have Black journalists, noting Black representation is as "vital" in film and television as it is in the organization.
"We must ensure everyone from all underrepresented communities get a seat at our table, and we are going to make that happen," Tatna said.
