It's called acting
The complaints about the actors not being actual Cubans are ridiculous. Do you complain when Dame Judith plays the queen because she's not royalty?
shareNo one complained when Cuban Andy Garcia played an Italian mobster in Godfather III, no one should complain about Marisa Tomei.
shareI agree with you, MLAM, for the most part. However, Rosie Perez tried for the Tomei role & was told she didn't look Cuban enough. LOL.
Carpe Noctem
Well, it seems the family depicted in the film were white Cubans, so I suppose not casting Rosie in the part was a good decision in that sense. It would be hard for an American audience to see a brown person and white person related to each other in film, because for the most part, American audiences are sheltered as to what it means to be latino. The most annoying thing that I encounter when meeting new people, is after my name is brought up in conversation (Alfonso Antonio Sanchez), they pause, a confused look overtakes their face and puzzled, they ask "I thought you were white?"
"Anyone who can make a film, I already love." - John Cassavetes
Point taken. You're very kind to use the term 'sheltered'.
Carpe Noctem
However, Rosie Perez tried for the Tomei role & was told she didn't look Cuban enough. LOL.
So I guess just having a Spanish last name makes Rosie look Cuban enough then?..
I'm Cuban, and I'm not THAT bothered about the non-Cuban actor thing, but the fact that Celia Cruz is probably the only genuine Cubana in the cast, means they didn't try hard. AND, the fact that Ms. Tomei was asked to gain 18 pounds and wear tons of bronzer because they felt that would Cuban-her-up a bit, is stupid.
Plenty of Cubans look like Marisa.
As well as Rosie Perez, Photiphar.
It's really not necessary to change or turn down either actress because Caribbean Latinos are of all shades and features.
http://www.matchflick.com/member/3739
Isnt Rosie Perez a Puerto Rican? She has alot of Tahino indian look about her. I remember when they were first making his film, I was a bit resentful that they were using Tomei, but after seeing the film I was blown away! Her mannerisms, her ad-libs, her accent, it was all very authentic. I can only guess that Celia Cruz helped her out with that. THIS is the film Tomei shouldve won the Oscar for.
sharecubans dont have a look except that everyone thinks there black! im cuban and my family is all blue eyed with blonde hair.
shareI agree, tampa. Thankfully the entertainment industry has changed their attitude with actually acting latinos for Latino roles... with the exception of the Eastern European chick who plays George Lopez's daughter and the horrible Vanessa Ferlito who doesn't even make an attempt at nailing all the Latino roles she gets casted for. If you watch Nothing Like the Holidays, you'll see how she thinks her Brooklyn Italian accent is Puerto Rican. Ridiculous.
shareone thing that really bothered me about nothing like the holidays was the way debra messing pronounced john leguizamo's character's name of "mauricio" as "maritzio"
I know what you mean about ferlito, for me, her face looks too surgical to take her seriously at all
Maybe it's Latino pride, but I always resent seeing Americans & Europeans (Spaniards are OK) playing Latinos and am annoyed by those phony "Lating aksengs" they use. We have a plethora of wonderful Latino actors who could have played any of the principal characters beautifully. At least the actor playing the brother Angel and Trini Alvarado are of Latin descent if not Latinos.
P.S. Ironic about not casting Rosie Perez, but thank god they didn't put that helium voiced kewpie doll with her Nuyorican English in it.