Leguizamo brings UTRGV students ánimo

Alejandra Yañez  | THE RIDER

UTRGV Student Activities welcomed John Leguizamo last Thursday to kick off its 17th annual Distinguished Speaker Series via Zoom.

Leguizamo, an actor, stand-up comedian, producer, playwright, screenwriter and Emmy award winner, spoke to the UTRGV community about his experience in the entertainment industry, the lack of Latinx representation in Hollywood and touched on the 2020 presidential election.

Students, faculty and staff had the opportunity to enjoy this presentation for free from the comfort of their homes via Zoom.

Originally Leguizamo was scheduled to participate in the series in person in April, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic it was rescheduled to a virtual setting.

The event was moderated by Greg Selber, a communication professor at UTRGV, who introduced Leguizamo as a hilariously informative guest speaker from the block. 

“We are very lucky to have this man with us tonight,” Selber said. 

Many students might recognize Leguizamo from his role in the movie, Ice Age as the voice of Sid in the early 2000’s. 

Since then, Selber pointed out that he has been noted as the highest paid Latino in Hollywood. To which Leguizamo replied, “I never got into this business to be famous or make money, I got into it because I loved the craft.”

The actor talked about his aspirations as a young “troublemaker” from Queens, New York, who grew up without Latino representation on the big screen. 

“I was always the only Latin guy in all my acting classes and there weren’t a lot of Latin people in the movie business,” he said. “So, I knew my opportunities were small, but I loved the craft and I had a lot of great mentors.” 

Leguizamo’s advice for students looking to get into the entertainment business is to study and never stop learning.  

“Find the best teacher in your community, in your area, and study. Learn the craft, and then you can throw down with anybody,” he said. 

The actor also discussed the lack of Latino representation in Hollywood which inspired him to write his own stories.

“I was one of the first actors who created a show about his own life [House of Buggin],” Leguizamo said. “Not because my life is fascinating, but because I knew when I grew up in New York City, it’s like half Latin, and we didn’t see ourselves anywhere. … It was shocking to me that here’s my family, my friends, my community, and I see Latin people running things and heroes in my community, but they’re invisible everywhere else. It’s like some bizarre cultural apartheid.”

Asked why he boycotted the 2020 Emmys, he replied that it angered him how not one Latin person was nominated. 

However, he said the Emmys are not the problem, the problem is, “We’re almost 20% of the population. … So, why aren’t they putting us in shows and why aren’t they telling our stories?” 

Leguizamo stressed that the message young children are receiving is that they are “less than,” by not having representation in picture books or cinema. 

He urged the UTRGV community to recognize this struggle and join him in his fight to change the lack of representation for Latinos in the U.S., starting with the 2020 presidential election.

“If we Latin people are the largest voting block at 32 million registered voters … and Texas is 40% Latino and 12% Black … we have a big chance of turning that blue,” he said. 

Leguizamo’s most recent film, “Critical Thinking,” about a dedicated teacher who inspires a group of Latinx and Black teens to become chess champions, took him two decades to complete due to multiple rejections within the industry.

“There are no Latin executives who appreciate our culture,” he said. 

      In response to the coronavirus, Leguizamo said it has given him an opportunity to reconnect with his family and slow down. 

     “The pandemic really gave us a chance to reboot, to really rethink about ourselves and to think of ourselves as a nation,” Leguizamo said. “I really think that Black Lives Matter really had a chance because of coronavirus. It tried to have a life two years ago and a year ago, but right now, everybody joined in.”  

Leguizamo concluded by saying that Latinos are resilient and wished UTRGV students the best of luck in the rest of the semester.

“You got big futures ahead of you,” he said. “This is a Latin time, it’s our time and it’s finally come and it’s come for you and I’m glad you’re gonna be a part of it.”For more information on the UTRGV Distinguished Speaker Series, visit www.utrgv.edu/studentactivities/distinguished-speaker-series.