Some people in Hollywood don’t want inclusivity, says Adriana
I didn’t realise in the past that I am making history. Even when someone mentioned it, I’d laugh it off. ADRIANA BARRAZA, Actor
Oscar-nominated Mexican actor Adriana Barraza believes in the power of inclusivity. She says though Hollywood has opened its door for every ethnicity, there are still many speed bumps. “The reality of life is (always) there, and maybe sometimes, some people don’t want to see that or cannot see that. But one day, they will see the reality,” says the actor, as she talks about reflecting the true picture of the world onscreen.
She picks the reference of Mexican director Guillermo del Toro and his Oscar win to explain her point. “It (his work) got acclaim because the work is amazing. It is the same thing for other people of colour, be it from Mexico, Pakistan or Latin America. There are all kinds of people, not just white people. Our talent and ideas are there, and producers as well as audiences now see them. I am happy for that,” shares the 65-year-old.
She continues, “There are people who don’t want this (inclusivity) to happen, but there are a lot of others who want it to.”
When it comes to Barraza, she is accustomed to making history in Hollywood. In 2007, she became one of the only six Mexican actors to earn an Academy Award nomination for Babel. And recently, she was seen in the socially relevant anthological comedy-horror Bingo Hell that marked the first lead outing by a Latina actor in her 60s in a horror-thriller-comedy film. “I get goosebumps thinking about it. I’m proud of that. I didn’t realise in the past that I am making history. Even when someone mentioned it, I used to laugh it off,” she says.
On completing five decades in the industry, Barraza says, “It is like when we swim very hard because we don’t want to die. My career is like that. Many times, I didn’t have anything to eat, or work. I was sad. Now, I have so many people who love me. I have many things that I am thankful for.”