Young Latinos Take a Shot at ‘Glory’

Bobbing and weaving, 11-year-old Eddie Leal breathed quickly as he threw punches outside a Westside nightclub Saturday, hoping for a chance to star on the big screen.

It seemed a longshot, at best. But Eddie and hundreds of other would-be actors--ranging from children to grown men--had answered a casting call for young Latinos with boxing skills for an upcoming movie, “Price of Glory.”

Like Eddie, some were boxers, who stretched and fired punches as they waited with their parents outside the Conga Room club in the Miracle Mile district of Los Angeles.

“I want to box . . . but I’ll be in movies too,” said the 60-pound Eddie, who already has four amateur fights under his belt as a member of the San Jacinto Valley Boxing Club.

Others had no boxing backgrounds but were eager for a chance to break into film, a field in which Latinos have been historically underrepresented.

The mood was upbeat as aspirants waited to read parts or shadowbox in front of the cameras.

Being produced by Moctesuma Esparza, Robert Katz and Arthur Friedman, “Price of Glory” is the tale of a frustrated former boxer and his three sons. Having missed his shot at the big time, the father relentlessly coaches and pushes his boys to boxing greatness--but at a heavy cost.

The producers, hoping to provide opportunities for new Latino talent, were seeking people who look 7 to 21 to play the three sons.

“It’s a simple fact. Latinos who want to act don’t get representation,” Katz said inside the stylish club as contestants lined up outside for nearly three blocks. “We want to open it up.”

In the past several years, an increasing number of Latinos have broken into the television and film industries. But Latino actors are still the most underrepresented among minority groups, according to figures released recently by the Screen Actors Guild.

Although Latinos are about 11% of the country’s population--and make up the fastest-growing ethnic group among domestic film audiences--they received about 4% of the acting roles covered by guild contracts in 1997. Moreover, Latinos are more likely to be cast in supporting rather than leading roles.

But Esparza and Katz’s production company has made a mark in Hollywood, creating successful films focusing on Latino themes and featuring Latino talent. Their hit “Selena,” about the slain Latina singing sensation, has made more than $60 million in ticket sales and video rentals.

“Because of the success of ‘Selena,’ we’re here today,” said Esparza, a former East Los Angeles student activist whose goal is to help open doors not only for Latino actors, but for writers, directors and camera people.

He noted that the director of “Price of Glory” is a Latino, Carlos Avila, who is working on his first feature film.

“We’ve become a big family of Latinos who work in Hollywood and support each other,” Esparza said. “People can see that it’s possible to have a career in Hollywood. We have to open the doors for our community.”