The 56-year-old Colombian actor, stand-up comedian, producer, playwright and screenwriter will star opposite Ethan Hawke in an Off Broadway streaming production of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, directed by Scott Elliott and premiering online on Tuesday, May 6.
The New Group production will co-star Wallace Shawn, Tarik Trotter and Drake Bradshaw.
Leguizamo will portray Estragon, Hawke will play Vladimir.
The production is the first in a new venture called The New Group Off Stage, from The New Group in association with John Ridley’s Nō Studios and Frank Marshall.
“This project is the epitome of what we mean by ’theatrical expressions in different media’: bringing together top tier artists across disciplines – film, television, stage, music – to collaborate in a hybrid, on-screen world, finding a way to make a play newly alive for themselves,” said Elliott, Artistic Director of The New Group. “It was a unique and singularly meaningful experience for all of us.”
The New Group describes the production as an “experimental exploration of a storied play” that “combines theatrical invention and innovative filmmaking.”
Waiting for Godot will be co-produced by MiLa Media, with production design by Derek McLane and costume design by Qween Jean. Director of Photography is Kramer Morgenthau.
Waiting for Godot will premiere online o Thursday, May 6 at 7:00 pm ET, and will be available to stream at www.thenewgroup.org.
Tickets can be purchased for 72-hour or seven-day rentals.
The Brazilian American actor has been cast in Amazon Prime Video’s The Power, a 10-part global thriller based on Naomi Alderman’s bestselling novel of the same name.
The project hails Chernobylproducer Sister and Emmy-winning The Handmaids Tale director Reed Morano.
Machado, who will be a series regular, joins a cast of newcomers that includes Rob Delaney, Alice Eve, Edwina Findley, Arichi Rush, Pietra Castro and Zrinka Cvitešić.
In The Power all teenage girls in the world suddenly develop the power to electrocute people at will. It’s hereditary, it’s inbuilt, and it can’t be taken away from them. The Power follows a cast of remarkable characters from London to Seattle, Nigeria to Moldova, as the Power evolves from a tingle in teenagers’ collarbones to a complete reversal of the power balance of the world.
In addition to Machado, Rush, Castro and Cvitešić join The Power cast as series regulars.
Delaney, Eve and Findley will recur as Tom, Kristen and Helen, respectively.
The newly added stars will act opposite Tim Robbins, Leslie Mann, John Leguizamo, Eddie Marson, Daniela Vega and Auli’i Cravalho.
Also joining the cast in recurring roles are Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Sam Buchanan, Juliet Cowan and Simbi Ajikawo (aka Little Simz.)
Edward James Olmos is preparing to celebrate the resilience and promise of the Latino community in the United States…
President-elect Joe Biden’s inaugural committee has announced a Tuesday night event, featuring the 73-year-old Mexican American actor, director, producer, and activist, that shines a spotlight on the Latino community.
Entitled Latino Inaugural 2021: Inheritance, Resilience, and Promise, the event will be hosted by Eva Longoria.
It will feature appearances by Olmos, Lin-Manuel Miranda, John Leguizamo, Rita Moreno, Ivy Queen and Becky G.
There also will be performances from Gilberto Santa Rosa and Gaby Moreno, featuring David Garza, Emilio Estefan and All-Star TejanosUnited – Stefani Montiel, Jose Posada, Shelly Lares, DJ Kane and Mariachi Nuevo Santander from Roma High School.
Emilio Estefan produced a performance of One World, One Prayerby the Wailers, featuring Skip Marley, Farruko, Shaggy and Cedella Marley.
The event will take palace on Tuesday, January 19 at 9:30 pm ET
It’s part of a series of events that will highlight the nation’s diversity, including the AAPI Inaugural Ball: Breaking Barriers, celebrating the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities; and We Are One, celebrating Black Americans.
Tanya Saracho is calling for more Latinx representation in Hollywood…
The Mexican playwright, screenwriter and actress is among some of the top creators in television and film who are demanding for change when it comes to Latinx representation as Hispanic Heritage Months comes to an end.
In an open letter to Hollywood more than 270 Latinx showrunners, creators, and television and feature writers, including Saracho, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Gloria Calderon-Kellett, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Steven Canals, John Leguizamo, Linda Yvette-Chavez, Carolina Paiz, Marco Ramirez, Javier Grillo-Marxuach and more are calling for systemic change in the entertainment industry.
The letter begins: “As we come to the end of Hispanic Heritage Month in the midst of a global pandemic and continued racial injustice, many of us in the Latinx community have found it difficult to celebrate. Inspired by the activism of the Black and Indigenous communities, many of whom also identify as Latinx, we stand in solidarity with our fellow Black, Native and Indigenous writers, co-signing their WGAW Open Letters and echoing their demands for systemic change in our industry.”
“As Latinx Showrunners, Creators, TV and Feature Writers, we are incensed by the continued lack of Latinx representation in our industry, especially among the Black and Indigenous members of our community,” the letter continues. “Our stories are important, and our erasure onscreen contributes to the persistent prejudice that prevents real change in this country. This prejudice is not as overt as the one that keeps immigrant children in cages and separates families at the border, or as violent as the racism that is killing our Black, Brown, and Indigenous community members at the hands of police.”
“But when we are onscreen, we’re often relegated to stereotypes or villains. And as a recent New York Times OpEd states, ‘White elites cannot muffle a huge, vibrant community for decades and not expect consequences. For Latinos in the Trump era, these consequences are deadly, from Hurricane Maria to the Walmart shooting in El Paso and the pandemic, as well as soaring hate crimes.’”
The letter points out that the Latinx community makes up 18.3% of the U.S. population but it is not reflected in film and TV. There are only 4.7% feature writers and 8.7% TV writers that are Latinx. As Latinx writers move up to Showrunner level, the stats only get more dismal. “By refusing to tell our stories AND by refusing to put us in charge of telling them — Hollywood power brokers are complicit in our exclusion,” the letter remarks.
This is even further supported by a recent study from CAA and Parrot Analytics, which shows that even though television shows are a lot more diverse than they were three years ago, not all racial and ethnic groups were equally well represented in scripted debuts. Latinos and Hispanics remain significantly underrepresented despite being one of the fastest-growing demographics in the country.
While there are shows like One Day At A Time that having managed to get multiple season orders, there have been other Latino-fronted shows in the past years, like The Baker and the Beauty and United We Fall — that have been canceled before getting the chance to find their footing beyond one season.
The letter can be summarized with three words included heavily throughout: “We are tired.”
The open letter does not mince words with the demands and draws out exactly what needs to be done including creating stories for and about the Latinx community by Latinx creators; greenlighting Latinx-fronted projects; respecting all aspects and intersections of the Latinx cultural representation; and hiring Latinx creators for non-Latinx projects.
The letter, which was posted on social channels with the hashtag #EndLatinXclusion, closes with “Stories are powerful. Stories change the world. Let’s get on the right side of history so we can continue to create needed change and tell captivating stories together.”
This initiative was launched by the Untitled Latinx Project (ULP) founded by Saracho. It’s an all-Latina advocacy group formed to increase representation of Latinx created stories for television. The goal of this call to action was uniting the professional community of Latinx writers, creators and showrunners.
Leguizamo is among a roster of new additions to the special that includes José Andrés, Arturo Castro, John Leguizamo, George Lopez, Isabela Merced, Rita Moreno, Ana Navarro, Freddy Rodriguez and Wilmer Valderrama.
The event will be produced and hosted by Eva Longoria. Ricky Martin and Gloria Estefan are also set to co-host.
The star-studded lineup will join the show, created by Henry R. Muñoz III and directed by Ron de Moraes, to celebrate Latinx culture while also shedding light on those in the community that have been heavily impacted by the novel coronavirus pandemic and those who play an essential role in fighting COVID-19.
Apart from the array of Latinx voices speaking at the event, the event will also feature musical performances, comedy pieces and docu-shorts aimed to spread awareness on the Latinx experience.
The special follows Longoria’s recent launch of a lifestyle site for the Latina community, She Se Puede, that covers fashion, health, culture and voting.
Essential Heroes: A Momento Latino Event will broadcast Monday, October 26 from 9:00-10:00pm, ET/PT on the CBS Television Network. Audiences can also stream the event live and on demand on CBS All Access.
The New York Latino Film Festival (NYLFF) has announced the lineup for the fest’s forthcoming hybrid edition, with HBO Latino’s Habla Now, featuring the 34-year-old Colombian American actress and author, as the Opening Night drive-in feature.
The documentary special, the 15th installment of HBO Latino’s award-winning “Habla” series, features testimonials from US Latinos – celebrities, recognized professionals, and everyday Latinos – who share honest stories about being Latino in the U.S.
In addition to Guerrero, the storytellers include Arturo Castro, Nely Galan, Amara La Negra, Cristina Jimenez, Ozzie Areu, Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, Edgardo Miranda Rodriguez, Mark Hugo Lopez, Mariana Atencio, Laurie Hernandez, Justina Machado, Diane Guerrero, Carmen Carrera, José Andrés and many more.
In addition, Angel Manuel Soto’s Charm City Kings will have its New York premiere at the fest.
Produced by Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith and James Lassiter, with a story by Oscar winner Barry Jenkins, Charm City Kings marks the feature directorial debut follows the journey of 14-year-old Mouse who desperately wants to join the Midnight Clique, an infamous group of Baltimore dirt-bike riders who rule the summertime streets.
John Leguizamo’s Critical Thinkingwill also make its New York premiere. The film tells the true story of five Latinx and Black teenagers from Miami Jackson Senior High School who fight their way into the National Chess Championship under the guidance of their unconventional but inspirational teacher.
This year’s virtual NYLFF will take place from September 14-20.
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, festivals around the world have either canceled or pivoted to an entirely virtual program. NYLFF is one of the Latinx-based fests that continued with plans for the annual fest with the appropriate changes.
The 21st edition will be a combination of virtual events and in-person screenings that celebrate Latinx creators.
The fest will also host the first Latino drive-in experience to take place both in New York and in The Bronx.
This year’s festival features nearly 75 films representing more than 10 countries, spanning all genres including features, shorts, documentaries, web series and experimental films.
“Inspired by the resilience of the Latino community, NYLFF is proud to return with a fresh format featuring our first-ever drive-in experiences,” said Calixto Chinchilla, founder of NYLFF. “We are proud to serve as an important platform for Latino creatives to share culturally relevant stories about intersectionality, diversity, and lived experiences in this country. Gracias to our sponsors for continuing to support our community of content creators and movie-goers. While there’s much learned this year, one thing we can all agree, the culture continues!”
Click here the complete lineup for this year’s NYLFF.
Vertical Entertainment has acquired the North American rights to the 56-year-old Colombian actor/comedian’s feature directorial debut Critical Thinking, which he also stars in and produced.
Written by Dito Montiel, Critical Thinkingtells the 1998 true story of five LatinX and Black teenagers from Miami Jackson Senior High School, located in one of the toughest neighborhoods in Miami, who fight their way into the National Chess Championship under the guidance of their unconventional but inspirational teacher.
The movie will hit VOD/digital on September 4.
“In today’s fractured society with so many disenfranchised young adults, in our country and around the world, this is a story which can and will inspire all of us to do better, keep focused and stay positive,” said Leguizamo. “With Critical Thinkingwe wanted to create a universal message of hope and spread this message to the world.”
“Given the challenges that many are facing right now, it gives the team at Vertical great pleasure to bring a story this inspiring to screens everywhere,” said Rich Goldberg, co-president of Vertical Entertainment. “It’s a story that celebrates young people who were brave enough to believe in themselves, and we hope audiences will walk away feeling the same.”
Rachel Bay Jones and Michael Kenneth Williams also star in the feature.
The film was produced by Scott Rosenfelt and Jason Mandl, as well as executive produced by Harvey R. Chaplin, Carla Berkowitz and Emilio Estefan Jr.
The 66-year-old El Salvadoran & Guatemalan television producer, actress, and voice-over artistwill be honored with the Norman Lear Writer’s Award at the 34th Annual Imagen Awards, which will be held August 10 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills.
Leschin is an industry veteran who has produced shows like George Lopez, Everybody Hates Chrisand East Los High. She currently is the co-executive producer of the Netflixoriginal series Mr. Iglesiasstarring Gabriel Iglesiasand Sherri Shepherd.
“Norman Lear is a towering legend in the entertainment industry having create some of Hollywood’s most ground-breaking sitcoms,” said Leschin. “He has inspired every writer to think beyond the norm and is someone I have always looked up to. I’m beyond honored.”
Leschin has had her hand in nearly every aspect of the entertainment industry. She began her career as a ballet dancer then turned to acting, having appeared in many iconic TV series including Beverly Hills 90210, Love Boat, ER,Quincy, Falcon Crest, Hill St. Blues and others. On the feature side, she has appeared in Saturday Night Fever and True Confessions.
The Norman Lear Writer’s Award honors those that have exhibited efforts towards increasing diversity within all aspects of the entertainment industry. Past recipients include Gloria Calderon Kellett, Peter Murrieta, John Leguizamo, Fred Armisenand Roberto Orci.
Paramount has released the first trailer for Playing with Fire, the upcoming family comedy starring the 54-year-old Colombian actor and stand-up comedian, John Cena, Keegan-Michael Keyand Tyler Mane.
Leguizamo and team play firefighters who rescue three children and, unable to locate the siblings’ parents, become inadvertent and unlikely babysitters.
Directed by Andy Fickmanfrom a screenplay by Dan Ewenand Matthew Lieberman(story by Ewan), Playing with Fire is a Paramount Picturesand Paramount Playerspresentation, in association with Walden Mediaof a Broken Roadproduction.
In addition to Leguizamo, Cena, Key, and Mane, the film’s cast also includes – as the children – Brianna Hildebrand, Christian Converyand Finley Rose Slateras well as Dennis Haybertand Judy Greer.
Paramount will release Playing with Fire in theaters on November 8.
Nominations for the 71st annual Primetime Emmy Awards have been revealed, with the 52-year-old Puerto Rican Oscar-winning actor earning his first-ever nod.
del Toro is nominated in the Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Series or Movie category for his role as convicted murderer in Showtime’s seven-episode series Escape At Dannemora.
The show is based on a real-life 2015 prison break and explores the dynamics between convicts Richard Matt (del Toro) and David Sweat (Paul Dano) and prison worker Joyce “Tilly” Mitchell (Patricia Arquette), who ultimately helped them escape.
John Leguizamo, an Emmy winner in 1998 for his semi-autobiographical HBO one-man show Freak, has earned his second consecutive Emmy nod in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie category.
The 54-year-old Colombian actor and stand0-up comedian, a nominee last year for his role in the limited television series Waco, is nominated for his role in the Netflixminiseries When They See Us.
Anthony Mendez has picked up his third nomination in the Outstanding Narrator category.
The bilingual Latino voice actor, who earned two Emmy nods his narrating the CW’s Jane the Virgin, is nominated in the Outstanding Narrator category for narrating USA’s documentary series Wonders of Mexico.
Emmy-winner Tessandra Chavez has earned a nod in the Outstanding Choreography For Variety or Reality Programming category for her work with the contemporary dance company she founded Unity LA, and their routines on NBC’s World of Dance. She’s up against fellow Latino choreographers and World of Dancechoreographers Melvin “Timtim” Rogador and Karen Forcano & Ricardo Vega.
Other Latino nominees include Hanna cinematographer Dana Gonzales in the Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series (One Hour) category and RGB editor Carla Gutierrez in theOutstanding Picture Editing For A Nonfiction Program category.
The 2019 Emmy Awards will air on September 22 on Fox.
Here’s the list of some of the high-profile Latino nominees and their competition:
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Series Or Movie Jared Harris as Valery Legasov, Chernobyl Benicio del Toro as Richard Matt, Escape At Dannemora Sam Rockwell as Bob Fosse, Fosse/Verdon Mahershala Ali as Wayne Hays, True Detective Hugh Grant as Jeremy Thorpe, A Very English Scandal Jharrel Jerome as Korey Wise, When They See Us
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Limited Series Or Movie Stellan Skarsgård as Boris Shcherbina, Chernobyl Paul Dano as David Sweat, Escape At Dannemora Ben Whishaw as Norman, A Very English Scandal Asante Blackk as Kevin Richardson, When They See Us John Leguizamo as Raymond Santana, Sr., When They See Us Michael K. Williams as Bobby McCray, When They See Us
Outstanding Narrator Angela Bassett, Narrator, The Flood Liev Schreiber, Narrator, The Many Lives of Nick Buoniconti Sir David Attenborough, Narrator, Our Planet Juliet Stevenson, Narrator, Queens Of Mystery Charles Dance, Narrator, Savage Kingdom Anthony Mendez, Narrator, Wonders Of Mexico
Outstanding Choreography For Variety Or Reality Programming Travis Wall, Choreographer, So You Think You Can Dance Luther Brown, Choreographer, So You Think You Can Dance Melvin “Timtim” Rogador, Choreographer, World Of Dance Suresh Mukund, Choreographer, World Of Dance Karen Forcano, Choreographer & Ricardo Vega, Choreographer, World Of Dance Tessandra Chavez, Choreographer, World Of Dance
Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series (One Hour) Jonathan Freeman, ASC, Director of Photography, Game Of Thrones Zoë White, Director of Photography, The Handmaid’s Tale Colin Watkinson, Director of Photography, The Handmaid’s Tale Dana Gonzales, ASC, Director of Photography Gonzalo Amat, Director of Photography, The Man In The High Castle M. David Mullen, ASC, Director of Photography, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Robert McLachlan, ASC, Director of Photography, Ray Donovan
Outstanding Picture Editing For A Nonfiction Program Tom Patterson, Editor, Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown Bob Eisenhardt, ACE, Editor, Free Solo Jules Cornell, Editor, Leaving Neverland Carla Gutierrez, ACE, Editor, RBG Michael Harte, Editor, Three Identical Strangers
