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Naya Rivera Speaks About The Hardships Of Being Bi-Racial In Hollywood!

Zabia

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Naya Rivera covers the latest issue of "Latina"magazine and speaks about the hardships she faces being a bi-racial actress in Hollywood.
“It used to hold me back when I was younger. Casting directors didn’t understand what I was. I wasn’t black enough, or Latina enough—I kind of fell through the cracks.”
(Source)

I wonder what she means by "fell through the cracks". Do you all think Naya tries to lean more toward her Latina side to get roles such as "Glee" even though her mom is Black and she didn't really know her father?

Thoughts?
 

Sharap Its Ova

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When you say lean towards more what do you mean? Most people think she is just Latina and not half Black Latina so I guess she can play whatever roles she can fit into. Being mixed doesn't mean you have to choose which side to rep more.
 

Pressley

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Why don't this b!tch shut UP. Literally, every interview, it's all she says. She's salty because she's Black. All of the Black Latinas are honestly. They are mad that Hollywood doesn't think of them when it's time to cast a Latina. I don't want them in movies as African Americans either, it's insulting, since most of them think they are superior and "have" to take a Black role.
 

ashbee

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Naya Rivera covers the latest issue of "Latina" magazine and speaks about the hardships she faces being a bi-racial actress in Hollywood.
(Source)

I wonder what she means by "fell through the cracks". Do you all think Naya tries to lean more toward her Latina side to get roles such as "Glee" even though her mom is Black and she didn't really know her father?

Thoughts?

Hollywood used to be notorious for only giving roles to actresses/actors of color who fit into certain stereotypes.
 

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Hmmm.... :disdain:

What does she mean she fell through the cracks? Interesting statement...


 

Zabia

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When you say lean towards more what do you mean? Most people think she is just Latina and not half Black Latina so I guess she can play whatever roles she can fit into. Being mixed doesn't mean you have to choose which side to rep more.

I feel a person should embrace the race or ethnicity or whatever their parent that raised them is. If her father wasn't around her and she barely knows the culture she is only claiming Latina now for monetary gain and status in Hollywood. She was fine being a pretty lil black girl when Family Matters was happening. I never heard her even mutter an "Hola Me Gusta" then. Now all of sudden she's a spicy exotic Latina etc...

And she doesn't even speak well enough coversational Spanish to fully enthrottle herself as a face for Latina actresses. I wonder how much she knows about the culture.
 

NewUserName

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I'm thinking lack of acting talent is why she fell through the cracks......

*shrugs*
 

sosie

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it is in Hollywood. light/tanned skin, dark haired white/mestiza woman.

Lol thank you! We all get it's not a race, including Naya Rivera, but that doesn't change the way it is perceived in Hollywood. Or the fact that casting directors still ask for "Latina/Hispanic" in casting notices.
 

oldstreet

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She's new to the scene and this women is talking about years ago. I totally get that. Hollywood still doesn't understand the concept of black Latinas.

Zoe Saldana is not new to the scene. She has been acting in Hollywood for 13 years.

Of course, Naya Rivera was acting in Hollywood longer than Zoe Saldana. She started as a child actress in the early 1990s.
 

Sharap Its Ova

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I feel a person should embrace the race or ethnicity or whatever their parent that raised them is. If her father wasn't around her and she barely knows the culture she is only claiming Latina now for monetary gain and status in Hollywood. She was fine being a pretty lil black girl when Family Matters was happening. I never heard her even mutter an "Hola Me Gusta" then. Now all of sudden she's a spicy exotic Latina etc...

Well I disagree with you on that. You are race or culture that you are born into. So should Zahara Jolie-Pitt class herself as White American? Her parents are.

I don't know this actress history so haven't heard about her speaking about ethnicity before.
 

ashbee

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Zoe Saldana is not new to the scene. She has been acting in Hollywood for 13 years.

Of course, Naya Rivera was acting in Hollywood longer than Zoe Saldana. She started as a child actress in the early 1990s.

That was my point. My bad.
 

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Naya Rivera covers the latest issue of "Latina"magazine and speaks about the hardships she faces being a bi-racial actress in Hollywood.
(Source)

I wonder what she means by "fell through the cracks". Do you all think Naya tries to lean more toward her Latina side to get roles such as "Glee" even though her mom is Black and she didn't really know her father?

Thoughts?

Cry me a river...bi-racial people get the option to play either race if they want, some can choose between even more because they're so ambiguous. sh!t, more often than not characters who are supposed to be black are played by biracial people.
 

County4Life

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Bish,please. Is this a prank story? Is she for real with this sh!t? Or is it that she's realizing Hollywood thinks Devious Maids and that's about it is perfect for actresses who are Latina/Hispanic?

She has a distinct advantage over Black actresses,both African American and Latina because of her "acceptable" appearance. She has an advantage over more ethnic looking Hispanic actresses,as we have never seen a Guatemalan or Honduran actress cast in Hollywood.

Nobody wanna hear this biracial struggle sh!t,especially in Hollywood. With the way Hollywood works,they'll cast her to play Celia Cruz in a biopic.
 

sosie

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I feel a person should embrace the race or ethnicity or whatever their parent that raised them is. If her father wasn't around her and she barely knows the culture she is only claiming Latina now for monetary gain and status in Hollywood. She was fine being a pretty lil black girl when Family Matters was happening. I never heard her even mutter an "Hola Me Gusta" then. Now all of sudden she's a spicy exotic Latina etc...

I think you get into murky waters when you try to tell people what side of their heritage they can or cannot embrace. I don't think she even needs to publicly embrace her heritage considering she is playing a Latina character on Glee and her last name is Rivera.


I read what she said in Latina, and I think you might be reading into it too much. She had a small role in three episodes of Family Matters when she was a child, that doesn't really define a career.
 

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I feel like she needs to know her culture well enough to portray it. Watching her speak a little spanish on glee made me think she doesn't speak spanish fluently. I feel like some of these celebrities try to use their Spanish heritage for a come up and exposure. If you're not familiar with the language or culture you'll buy into it but I be side eyeing a lot of them.
 

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I've noticed lately with a lot of casting calls for Latina characters they'll ask for White or Latina actresses. White actresses be scooping up those roles too! You have Italians girls playing characters that should be Mexican or Puerto Rican
 

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I don't buy this struggle, growing up she was always cast on black tv shows playing the typical dream girl for some little boy because she was light (though she's lighter now) and had long hair. She might not have gotten her own show because she didn't seem that great of an actress, but she got gigs. That's why I knew exactly who she was when she got on Glee.
 

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Oy Vey again with the Latina/Hispanic is not a race who cares its a race to the La Razas who are bout that life but everybody seems to think being Latina/Hispanic is to be light skinned spicy wit big breasts a la Sofia Vegara when Latinas can look any way from Cameron Diaz white to Merlin Santana black

All are Latin in my eyes

Hollywood needs to see Maria can look anyway
 

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Bish,please. Is this a prank story? Is she for real with this sh!t? Or is it that she's realizing Hollywood thinks Devious Maids and that's about it is perfect for actresses who are Latina/Hispanic?

She has a distinct advantage over Black actresses,both African American and Latina because of her "acceptable" appearance. She has an advantage over more ethnic looking Hispanic actresses,as we have never seen a Guatemalan or Honduran actress cast in Hollywood.

Nobody wanna hear this biracial struggle sh!t,especially in Hollywood. With the way Hollywood works,they'll cast her to play Celia Cruz in a biopic

No not my bish! Hollywood better not play with me. This better not ever happen. :knife:
 

County4Life

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Oy Vey again with the Latina/Hispanic is not a race who cares its a race to the La Razas who are bout that life but everybody seems to think being Latina/Hispanic is to be light skinned spicy wit big breasts a la Sofia Vegara when Latinas can look any way from Cameron Diaz white to Merlin Santana black

All are Latin in my eyes

Hollywood needs to see Maria can look anyway


It will never happen.

They still don't understand that Black women's skin colors doesn't end at light mocha.
 

County4Life

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No not my bish! Hollywood better not play with me. This better not ever happen. :knife:


Chile! I would have a meltdown,too. But the way Hollywood works with casting is well known. They have NO sense or respect when it comes to casting Black women. See Zoe Saldana as Nina Simone and the Harriet Tubman fuckery with old girl.(Yes,I am STILL pissed.)
 

sosie

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I've noticed lately with a lot of casting calls for Latina characters they'll ask for White or Latina actresses. White actresses be scooping up those roles too! You have Italians girls playing characters that should be Mexican or Puerto Rican

That's true, like Vanessa Ferlito playing a Puerto Rican, or when they tried to cast this one Italian-American actress to play Frida before they had to choose a Mexican actress.

At the same time, they will cast a bi-racial actor to play a Latino. Case in point, Daniel Sunjata as Franco Rivera in Rescue Me.
 

DarlingPikki

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I remember this little heffa from The Royal Family and other BLACK tv shows. Remember when she played Ahmad's little fast ass girlfriend on Soul Food the Series???

She's pretty much been working since she was a child and now she crying about being biracial in Hollywood....chick please. She should be grateful...her acting ain't all that great.
 

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I think you get into murky waters when you try to tell people what side of their heritage they can or cannot embrace. I don't think she even needs to publicly embrace her heritage considering she is playing a Latina character on Glee and her last name is Rivera.

I read what she said in Latina, and I think you might be reading into it too much. She had a small role in three episodes of Family Matters when she was a child, that doesn't really define a career.

She was on more than just Family Matters as a child. She was on various black shows when she started her career.
 

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Naya leans more toward using the casting couch, allegedly. :disdain:
 

sosie

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She was on more than just Family Matters as a child. She was on various black shows when she started her career.

Ok....that still doesn't change my point. She isn't saying she doesn't want to be considered Black or play Black characters, but the fact that Hollywood has such rigid ideas of race, makes it difficult for her to get roles because she's somewhere in the middle. That may very well be true, considering we aren't with her at casting calls or auditions.

The funny thing is that Cameron Diaz said the same thing. People don't see her as Latina because of her green eyes and blonde hair. Same thing goes for Sophia Vergara who dyes her hair dark to fit more of the idea of Latina in Hollywood.

It also doesn't change the fact that you cannot tell someone what part of their heritage they can or cannot embrace.

I think the hurt feelings, not saying you just in general, are coming from some idea that Naya is trying to erase her Blackness or use her Latina heritage as a come up.
 

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I always laugh when I see black and part-black people whining about how Hollywood don't love them. Of course Hollywood don't love them. They need to shut the fµck up with that whining.

Hollywood is about selling white fantasies to white people. By design, non-white people are going to have very narrow and stereotypical roles in those fantasies.

In a day when you have black billionaires, black millionaires and black people with every kind of talent that it takes to conceive,produce, and market a film project, it is time to stop begging white people to "give us a break". If black actors and actresses want to beg someone for a job, it should be the black people who have the money and resources to fund and create film projects.
 

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Sorry, but I'm not going to agree with her. Biracial/mixed-race and "black" latinas are always able to "one up" Black/AA men and women in movie roles. Hollywood has always been more accepting of a certain aesthestic and she knows it. It's not our fault that the Latino community tends to be more white-washed.
 

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