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John Leguizamo is an actor known for movies like The Menu and John Wick. The actor has been an outspoken person and has often talked about racism in Hollywood. Being an actor of American and Colombian heritage, Leguizamo has had problems getting some roles in the industry.
Talking about a 1993 movie that failed hilariously at the global box office, John Leguizamo stated that by portraying the role of an Italian in that movie, he exacted his revenge. Referencing Al Pacino and Charlton Heston, Leguizamo did not hold back in his words.
John LeguizamoJohn Leguizamo Would Rather Be Jobless Than Pretend To Be Someone Else
This isn’t the first time Leguizamo has commented on racism in Hollywood. In an interview, the actor talked about how his agent suggested that he change his last name to something Italian. As per Leguizamo, he and his friend conducted various experiments within Hollywood with Latin and American names.
John Leguizamo in The Menu (2022).
The results were quite shocking since his friend received callbacks from the projects wherein she had submitted an American name and not a Latin name. In the interview, John Leguizamo stated that he would not find a job rather than pretend to be someone else.
“My agents suggested that I give myself an Italian last name, so that people would believe that I was Italian and not Latin. I have a Latina friend who submitted her photos to different castings, some with her Latin name and others with an American name. She got callbacks to the ones that received her American name. That’s how things work here.”
He further continued,
“But I refused, I would never do that. I would rather not find a job than pretend to be someone else,”
Talking about an iconic 1993 movie, John Leguizamo stated how his first shot at becoming famous was by portraying an Italian plumber in Super Mario Bros. but the film didn’t exactly pan out the way he imagined it to be.
John Leguizamo Doesn’t Regret Playing An Italian Plumber
John Leguizamo as Luigi in 1993’s Super Mario Bros
Back in 1993, the actor starred in the disastrous movie Super Mario Bros. Portraying the character of Luigi (the brother of Mario), John Leguizamo revealed that he doesn’t regret the role even one bit. Leguizamo stated that it was one of his ways of exacting revenge by portraying the role of an Italian plumber!
“White American actors have been taking Latino roles away from us for decades! Remember Charlton Heston in Touch of Evil? And Al Pacino did it twice [in Scarface and Carlito’s Way]! For me, playing an Italian was my revenge. If they’re going to steal roles from me, I’m going to steal them too.”
Super Mario Bros. received a rating of 4.1/10 on IMDB and a meager 29% on Rotten Tomatoes. As for John Leguizamo, the actor’s last notable role was seen in Violent Night and The Menu back in 2022.
Source: El Pais
