Featured Photo by Destiny Mizell
Story by Larry Rincon
Hollywood tends to rely on the same people for film and television. New stories are rarely being told and explored for the sake of putting the same names out there. Due to these decisions, a lot of Hispanic filmmakers remain unrecognized for their work.
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, this list will go over six iconic Hispanic figures within Hollywood.
Some of these individuals have been curating their career for many years while others have only recently received a boost in their influence, but the achievements made by all these individuals are praiseworthy.
6. Andrés Muschietti
Starting at number six, more commonly known as Andy, Andrés Muschietti is an Argentine director who had his directorial debut with the 2013 film called “Mama.” The film was inspired by the well known Mexican legend of the weeping woman, La Llorona and had originally started off as a five-minute short film before it was adapted into a feature.
From there, Muschietti went on to direct the 2017 live-action adaptation of Stephen King’s “IT”as well as the 2020 sequel “It Chapter Two.” Due to the success of both those films, he was welcomed back to direct the upcoming MAX series based on Pennywise “Welcome to Derry.”
Most recently, Muschietti directed the live action “Flash” film for DC in which some of his skills in horror translated well for the superhero genre. He was also selected by James Gunn to direct the new Batman movie, “The Brave and the Bold,” for the brand new DC cinematic universe.
5. Diego Luna
A name that constantly slips my mind when I think of Hispanic filmmakers is Diego Luna. He is a Mexican director and actor. “Star Wars” fans will easily recognize him as Cassian Andor in the “Rogue One” film and the Disney+ series “Andor.”
For non-Star Wars fans, chances are you are more familiar with his work than his name. Back in 2014, he was the voice for the main character in the popular film “Book of Life.” He also plays the lead role in the Netflix series “Narcos: Mexico.”
Aside from acting his directing history started off with a documentary on Mexican Boxer Julio César Chávez. From there he went on to direct his first feature film “Abel.” He’s produced many features since then and is currently executive producer for “Andor.”
4. Zoe Saldaña
Coming in at number four, Zoe Saldaña was a tough one to figure out where to place. While the actress is well known for her roles as Gamora in Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” and her role as Neytiri in the “Avatar” films, people rarely remember her for her other roles.
She is of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent, and you might remember her in her early stages of acting from “Pirates of the Caribbean” or even the 2002 film “Drumline.” Ironically enough, she played the voice for Maria in “Book of Life” alongside Diego Luna.
She’s played some smaller roles in television up until her participation in the “Home Movie: The Princess Bride” where she acted as Princess Buttercup. From there she has played the titular role in “Maya and the Three” as well as a main role in “Special Ops: Lioness.”
It is also important to highlight that she is currently the only person who can say she’s in the top four highest grossing movies of all time, and with the incoming Avatar movies, who knows how long she’ll be sitting at the top.
3. Eugenio Derbez
Number three is a household name in the Mexican community. From an actor to a comedian to a director, Eugenio Derbez has done it all. A lot of older Mexicans have seen and followed his work, while younger generations either grew up watching him from their parents’ television.
He starred in a lot of Mexican telenovelas including but not limited to “La Familia P. Luche,” “Clarita de Angel” and “La Fea Mas Bella.” Eventually, his work allowed him to expand his talent outside of Mexico into the United States.
His presence in Hollywood became known with his film “Instructions Not Included” where he served as not just director and producer but also played one of the titular characters. Since then he has starred in numerous other films both animated and live action. You might even recognize him from the Oscar winning film “CODA.”
2. Pedro Pascal
Pedro Pascal is second to last on this list, and funny enough he is also the only person on this list to not have been a part of “Book of Life.”
Ever since the release of Max’s “The Last of Us,” Pedro Pascal has had an increase in presence in Hollywood and on the internet. The Chilean was already pretty known for his roles in “Game of Thrones” and “The Mandalorian” prior to his role as Joel Miller.
Outside of his acting career, Pedro Pascal is well known as an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. Pascal is the second Latine actor to be nominated for the Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series since 1999.
1. Guillermo Del Toro
Sitting at the top is one of the best directors of the past few decades. Guillermo Del Toro is a Mexican filmmaker well-known for directing “Hellboy,” “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “Pacific Rim,” and most recently the stop animation film “Pinocchio.”
Alongside Dreamworks and Netflix, he created the “Tales of Arcadia” franchise. This included three television series: “Trollhunters,” “3 Below” and “Wizards.” A feature film served as the conclusion for all three series “Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans.”
He is the first filmmaker to win an Oscar for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Animated Feature, and has received over 100 nominations for his work in film and television.
To contact Lifestyles Editor Destiny Mizell, email lifestyles@mtsusidelines.com. For more news, visit www.mtsusidelines.com, or follow us on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines or on X at @MTSUSidelines.
