Ethnic Casting Debate Resurfaces in Hollywood : Two Latino-Themed Movies Renew Questions of Box-Office Risks vs. Appropriate Portrayals

With the release of two Latino-themed films, the hot-button issue of ethnic-specific casting has once again been pushed--raising questions not only about affirmative action and artistic freedom, but about the relationship between authenticity and box office.

New Line Cinema’s hopes for the $5.5-million Mexican American saga “My Family” are riding on the crossover appeal of three high-profile Latino actors--Jimmy Smits, Esai Morales and Edward James Olmos.

Contrast that lineup, protesters suggest, with that of the Samuel Goldwyn Co.’s “The Perez Family,” a love story set in Miami’s Little Havana that cost twice as much. Faced with a lack of bankable Latino actresses, the filmmakers cast Oscar winners Marisa Tomei and Anjelica Huston in the leads. Huston, like the movie’s third star, England’s Alfred Molina, is half-Spanish, though neither is generally associated with the Latino acting community. And Italian American Tomei--who acquired a Cuban accent and applied tan body makeup for the role--has no Latino roots.

The debate also extends to the directorial front where, genealogically speaking, “My Family”--directed by “El Norte’s” Gregory Nava--again has a leg up. When Goldwyn bought “Perez” from Universal Pictures in 1993, Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron--whose first American outing, “A Little Princess,” just opened to raves--was replaced by India’s Mira Nair (“Mississippi Masala”), who has a stronger profile in the global marketplace.

Cuban American director Leon Ichaso (“Sugar Hill,” “Crossover Dreams”) faults Hollywood for placing economics over aesthetics--an approach, he says, that often backfires.

“American audiences are hip enough not to go to Taco Bell if they’re surrounded by great Mexican restaurants,” says the filmmaker, who once interviewed to direct “Perez.” “ ‘Mambo Kings,’ ‘Carlito’s Way,’ ‘Scarface’--Latino movies with Anglo directors and stars flop time and again, but Hollywood never learns. If it could paint Alec Baldwin black, Wesley Snipes wouldn’t have a career.”

Latinos for Positive Images, a New York-based organization formed last month in response to the casting of “Perez,” distributed flyers calling for a boycott of the film. When the movie opened at Manhattan’s Embassy Theater last Friday, 30 demonstrators turned out. While no one insists that Latino actors be cast in every Latino role, says group founder Sonia Rodriguez, some affirmative action is called for until the playing field evens out.

Nair points out that she approached Andy Garcia and the late Raul Julia for the male lead, but both actors turned her down. In any case, she says, authenticity isn’t dictated by country of origin. She’s supported by the Miami Herald review of the film, which, although mixed, lauded Tomei’s “gutsy, impassioned” performance. Another Herald story--about the making of the film--said “Perez” is no “ ‘gringo’ hit-and-run.”

Meyer Gottlieb, president of the Samuel Goldwyn Co., makes no apologies for the casting. “There’s a profession called ‘acting,’ ” he says. “Ben Kingsley played a Polish Jew in ‘Schindler’s List.’ Jonathan Pryce took a lot of heat, but turned in a fabulous portrayal of a Vietnam hustler in ‘Miss Saigon.’ Typecasting is the problem--not the opportunity to play diverse roles.”

The outcry, Gottlieb suggests, is a case of political correctness gone awry. “We saw ‘Perez’ as a romantic comedy rather than as a ‘Latino-themed’ film,” he says. “I was a lot more concerned about ‘French Kiss,’ which caters to the same audience. I never gave ‘My Family’ a thought.”

The release patterns of the two films do, in fact, differ. “The Perez Family” opened in 888 theaters nationwide, but took in a disappointing $1.1 million in its opening weekend. New Line adopted a “niche” approach, opening “My Family” on about 400 screens, primarily in areas with sizable Latino populations, where it grossed $2.1 million in its first weekend and $5 million thus far.

“Because, historically, the Latino community is less homogeneous than the African American culture, we wondered if Cubans and Puerto Ricans would turn out for a Mexican American film,” says Mitch Goldman, New Line’s president of marketing and distribution. “The answer, we discovered, is yes. We still have to cross over into the Anglo market to be profitable but the core audience is larger than we thought.”

That’s good news for those interested in getting Latino-themed films off the ground. “Continued success with ‘My Family’ should lead to a greater openness [within the industry] to Latino material and talent,” says Seth Willenson, a marketing consultant to IRS Releasing, which is opening two Latino movies this summer--”Roosters” and the Chilean “Johnny 100 Pesos.”

“Still,” he says, “casting is ultimately a director’s decision. When self-appointed representatives of the Mexican American community--no matter how valid their frustrations--protested New Line’s casting of Laura San Giacomo as the artist Frida Kahlo, it killed the movie. That didn’t benefit anyone.”

When it comes to casting Latino-themed films, New Line’s Goldman points out, those with female-dominated stories, such as “The Perez Family,” are in a bind. “The number of Latino actors with a profile in the Anglo community is longer than five years ago--but is still a short list,” he says. “When it comes to bankable Latino actresses, however, Goldwyn couldn’t find any. It’s a chicken-egg situation. How do you sell a Latino movie without a star? And how can you create a Latino star if no one is willing to cast someone without a track record?”

Some say that Latino star-power is not a prerequisite of success. The low-profile “Like Water for Chocolate,” they observe, is the highest-grossing foreign film ever. And though “American Me,” “Bound by Honor” and the independent “Mi Vida Loca” failed to take off, the low-budget “La Bamba” brought in $54 million in the United States and Canada alone.

That’s the key, says “Perez” screenwriter Robin Swicord. “Inexpensive, authentic labors of love like Spike Lee’s ‘She’s Gotta Have It’ and ‘My Family’ have a lot less riding on them,” she notes. “They’re long shots. But if they ‘hit,’ minority voices and talent can sneak into the mainstream--breaking the market open.”