‘Old Gringo’ Draws Latino Protest

“Where are the Mexicans?” “Mexicans Without Mejicanos?” “Jane Fonda and Columbia Exploits Mexican History.” “The Story of Mexico for the Mexicans.”

Those were some of the placards carried by 25 Latino demonstrators who protested Thursday night outside the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills before a screening of Columbia Pictures’ “Old Gringo,” which stars Jane Fonda, Gregory Peck and Jimmy Smits as a Mexican revolutionary.

“We are sick of the ‘Macho-Latino-lover’ images that Hollywood creates about Mexicans to bring out the fantasy,” said Raul Ruiz, a professor of Hispanic studies at Cal State Northridge, coordinator of the protest, which included members of several Mexican-American groups.

While picketing, Virginia Reade chanted: “Jane Fonda is a racist. She promotes herself as a liberal? The director (Argentine Luis Puenzo) had to go to Mexico to learn the history of our country, the leading actor had to learn how to be a macho-Mexicano. . . . We also have Mexican stars.”

However, Steve Rivers, Fonda’s spokesman, said: “Smits was just the best actor for the part. ‘Old Gringo’ is an American bilingual movie. This film is not about Mexico and the Mexican Revolution. Mexico is used only as a backdrop.”