Not
too long ago Latinos faced a bitter choice when pursuing
fame and fortune in
Hollywood: Conceal your Latin heritage or be content
with playing maids or villains. Raquel Tejada, for
example, had little success before changing her name
to Raquel Welch, and Margarita Cansino, better known
as Rita Hayworth, fared much better working under
those aliases. But Hollywood, and America, have changed
much since. Latinos occupy an important place in today’s
entertainment industry and are pioneering its transformation.
From the executive suites at major studios to the
director’s chair and star trailers on movie
sets, Latinos today are a force to be reckoned with.
For our entertainment special we have created a list
of 10 Latinos who have made outstanding contributions
to the entertainment industry, positioning themselves
as this year’s entertainers of the year (p.
48).
And what better example of the growing Latino influence
in Hollywood than that of Alejandro González
Iñárritu, the Mexican director who only
a few years ago helmed the indie sensation Amores
Perros. Fast-forward six years, as he prepares this
month, for the release of the much-anticipated Babel,
starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett and Gael García
Bernal. We caught up with Iñárritu in
New York to discuss his rise to fame and his latest
project, which found him battling adverse conditions
in different corners of the globe to bring this project
to the screen (p. 36).
Also this month, the tragic and touching story of
a young man who joined in one of the largest and most
feared crime organizations in the world, the 18th
Street gang, and like most members, found death at
an early age. The story is a result of a four-year
investigation by Alvaro López, a Salvadoran
reporter and photojournalist who for years lived in
their world, studying and documenting their culture,
relations and motivations, and in doing so shed light
on the human aspects of a global gang war that has
reached unprecedented levels (p. 38).
Enjoy,
Daniel
Eilemberg, Editor
|
|
