‘We’ve Been Left Out’: Joaquin Castro Wants to Fill the ‘Void’ of Latinos on Screen

Growing up in West Side San Antonio, Congressman Joaquin Castro’s world was wholly different than the one on his TV or downtown at the Aztec Theatre. “What I would see on screen almost never matched what I saw when I stepped out my front door and into my neighborhood,” he told The Barbed Wire. “The faces and stories I saw all around me were never reflected in film or television.”

There were a handful of exceptions — formative films like 1987’s “La Bamba,” which follows the whirlwind success and untimely death of teenage rock n’ roll icon Ritchie Valens (Lou Diamond Phillips). Or 1988’s “Stand and Deliver,” based on the true story of Jaime Escalante (Edward James Olmos), a math teacher who inspires a class of disadvantaged high schoolers to learn calculus. But such examples were few and far between.

As chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus from 2019 to 2021, Castro used his position to raise awareness about the lack of Latino representation in the entertainment industry and advocate for the recognition of Latino contributions to American media. In 2021, he successfully campaigned to include the 1997 film “Selena” in the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress. Since then, he’s released an annual list of 25 films nominated for the registry, where currently less than 5% of the 875 inducted titles feature Latino-driven stories (for context, Latinos currently account for roughly 19% of the U.S. population).

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Castro spoke with The Barbed Wire about this year’s films — and the importance of fighting for more on-screen Latino representation.

What first sparked your interest in this kind of advocacy?

In 2020, I was on a zoom call with the Association of American Publishers, and I asked one of the CEOs of the publishing companies if he could name three Latinos who had made significant contributions to American history. He thought about it for a few seconds and then finally said that he couldn't. This is a gentleman who was Ivy League-educated and serving as the CEO of a publishing company that sends textbooks into our schools, into our universities, who couldn’t name a single Latino who’s made a contribution to some area of American life.

I had this nagging feeling for years as a legislator that I was not addressing some important issues in the culture. I spent a lot of time on very important issues to the country and to my constituents — healthcare, education, immigration, taxes, jobs — but I represent a district that’s about 64% Latino, and I grew up in neighborhoods that were over 90% Latino, and I wanted to take on the responsibility of filling what has been a kind of cultural void for Latinos.

Some people might dismiss the importance of representation when it comes to entertainment. Why do you think it’s so critical?

When the shooting in El Paso happened, and the gunman drove for ten hours and killed 23 people and injured more than 20 others, he said the reason was because he considered them Hispanic invaders to Texas. I asked myself how somebody comes to that conclusion when, as far as I could tell, he didn’t have direct experience with the Hispanic community. I don’t think there’s a singular reason or explanation, but part of it certainly is that we’ve been left out in the telling of the American story.

When people don't understand your place in the country, your contributions in government, in business, in arts, in culture, and in science, you aren't defined by your positives, you're defined by your negatives. Historically, those have been stereotypes in mass media, both in Hollywood, but also in the news. Submitting films to the National Film Registry was a way to make sure that Latino contributions to American culture are acknowledged and celebrated.

What was it like to see “Selena” be inducted into the registry in 2021?

Oh, that was really special. The movie is so inspirational, but it’s also a recognition of Selena as an artist and a cultural icon. I think it gave a lot of people joy to see her included, especially because Selena was also a proud Texan.

In the years since “Selena” was released, I’ve had so many people quote the line from Edward James Olmos as Abraham Quintanilla: "We have to be more Mexican than the Mexicans and more American than the Americans, both at the same time.”

I think that continues to stick out in people’s minds, because it hits upon a truism of the culture that’s still relevant today.

When it comes to the films you chose to nominate this year, they cover a pretty wide range of the Latino experience, and they’re not all positive portrayals. Was that intentional?

I’ve gotten some questions from people like “Hey, why did you put ‘Blood in Blood Out’ or ‘American Me’?” Because I’ve talked about the harm of stereotypes, you could ask, “Why are you putting these movies about drugs and gangs and prison?” But what's different about these films is that they explore the full humanity of the characters and the communities represented in those films. They aren't just one dimensional characters like in an old Western. They’re trying to tell a full story that doesn’t reduce the characters to a very simple stereotype. I know some people may disagree, because they think they portray us in a negative light. I get that sentiment, but I think these are topics that deserve to be explored, and that's why I put them on the list.

What would your recommendations be when it comes to a Texas film canon? What are the movies you think every Texan should watch?

Wow, you’re putting me on the spot here. Obviously, I’m going to say “Selena” first because I think she’s a great representation of the community. But also, it was largely shot in San Antonio, and it’s a universal story on the importance of family — one that’s rooted in South Texas culture. It’s a beloved favorite across Texas and the nation. Also, “The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez,” which is set in Texas at the turn of the 20th Century and based on a famous corrido. Corridos play an important role in South Texas culture, and it’s a hallmark work of Chicano cinema. And “The Long Game,” an inspirational, underdog sports drama about a South Texas high school golf team released this year.

Looking at the current entertainment landscape, what do you think about the state of Latino storytelling?

Last year, it felt like we’d kind of taken a step forward, and now, it feels like we’ve taken a step back again because of all the layoffs post-strikes. It’s been a challenge to get Latino-centered films made, but we’ve continued to push Hollywood on that.

How do you think that might affect the future of Hollywood?

I think that the entertainment industry will only thrive again if it includes more Latinos throughout the process — as executives, as creatives, as producers, and directors. Even though Latinos make up close to 30% of the box office, the problem is that the people hearing pitches who can greenlight projects don’t know what resonates with us.

I’ll give you an example. When folks did the “Selena” Netflix series, Netflix originally wanted to make it a Netflix Mexico project. In other words, they undervalued it as an American project. A lot of great projects never see the light of day because they just don't have the right people in the room making those decisions. There was a McKinsey study that found out Hollywood is leaving $12-18 billion on the table by being so exclusionary of Latinos in the industry. Right now, these companies are badly positioned to thrive in the future if that doesn’t change.

(Editor’s note: This interview has been minimally edited for style, brevity, and clarity.)