John Leguizamo didn’t mince words when it came to diversity and inclusion in Hollywood during his speech at the 76th Emmy Awards.
Right at the top of his introduction for the Television Academy chair, “The Menu” actor called himself “one of Hollywood’s DEI hires.” “The D is for diligence, the E is for excellence, the I is for imagination. Everyone in this room tonight has dedicated their lives to diligence, excellence and imagination,” Leguizamo said.
“For years, I didn’t complain about the limited roles my people were offered — the spicy sex pot, the Latin lover, the maid, the gang banger. Turns out, not complaining doesn’t change anything,” he said Sunday night to applause. The actor then highlighted some of the many Latinx characters over the years who had been played by non-Latinx actors, from Al Pacino playing the Cuban gangster Tony Montana in “Scarface” to Natalie Wood playing the Puerto Rican Maria in “West Side Story.”
“For the past few years, I’ve been complaining. A few months ago, I took out a full page ad in the New York Times asking Emmys voters to recognize candidates of color. It’s a good thing I decided to before I found out how much a full page ad New York Times costs,” he joked.
Leguizamo then highlighted the Latinx actors and actresses who have been nominated this year. Those shoutouts included Selena Gomez in “Only Murders in the Building” — whom he joked has been “carrying Steve Martin and Martin Short for three whole seasons” — “Griselda” star Sofía Vergara, “True Detective: Night Country” showrunner Issa López and “Baby Reindeer” star Nava Mau. He also praised Season 4 of “True Detective” for starring indigenous actress Kali Reis and praised Mau for being the first transgender person ever nominated for a limited series acting Emmy.
He also had a special quip for Emmy-winner Liza Colón-Zayas, stating that she stars in “the charming story of white people who are obsessed with Michelin stars and making kale taste good.” As he made the jab, her “The Bear” co-star Ayo Edebiri soberly nodded along.
After joking that his Times ad changed Hollywood “overnight,” the star became more solemn. “What I see here tonight makes me, well, almost happy and certainly less angry, because tonight is among the most diverse list of nominees in Emmy history,” Leguizamo said. “We need more stories from excluded groups: Black, Asian, Jewish, Arab, LGBTQ+ and disabled. And this show tonight is proof that our industry is making progress.”
Leguizamo then introduced the first-ever Latino chair of the Television Academy, Cris Abrego.
“Thank you, John, for joining us tonight and for consistently using your voice to champion a new era for our industry, one in which we all stand to win,” Abrego said. “When Viola Davis became the first Black woman to win an Emmy for Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2015, she said, ‘The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity. You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.’ That stayed with me. So I just want to recognize all of you who create or support the stories that do just that.”
The post John Leguizamo Gives Impassioned Emmys Speech Celebrating 2024’s Historic Latinx Nominees: ‘Our Industry Is Making Progress’ appeared first on TheWrap .
Local News
