Here’s an annoyingly titled post over at the Huffington Post called “Louis C.K. And Other Celebrities You Didn’t Think Were Latino.” I guess a lot of this depends on your preconceived notions of what a Latino should either look or sound like, or is it because their names simply don’t “sound” Latino….
Anyway, here are the celebrities, along with their annoying descriptions:
- Who would’ve thought that little Rory Gilmore is a Latina? But Alexis Bledel, who starred as Gilmore in the CW series Gilmore Girls has Latino genes coming from both sides of her family. Bledel, who was born in Houston, Texas, is daughter of a Mexican mother and an Argentinian father, according to her official bio on IMDB. Even though she pretended not to be be fluent in Spanish in this Gilmore Girls episode, Bledel’s first language is in fact Spanish.
- Kid Cudi – “Kid Cudi became a music sensation after his song “Day n’ Nite” debuted in 2008. Kid Cudi, whose birth name is Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to an African American mother and a Mexican father, according to Latina. Since his mega hit in 2008, the rapper has also ventured into the acting world. He plays Domingo Brown on the HBO series, “How to Make it in America.”
- Yes, comedian Aubrey Plaza is Latina! Plaza, who plays Amy Poehler’s bratty college intern, April, on the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation is half Puerto Rican. She grew up in Wilmington, a small town in Delaware. “I have a huge family and tons of cousins in Puerto Rico. We actually hung out with them last summer, and it was awesome”, she told Latina. Plaza had her big Hollywood break when she appeared as Daisy in Judd Apatow’s movie “Funny People.”
- David Blaine, the magician known for his over-the-top, life threatening tricks, is Latino. His father is Puerto Rican, according to Latina. He has levitated on camera, he was drowned alive and froze himself in a 6-ton block of ice in New York City’s Times Square , from which he emerged 61 hours later.
- Although Snooki became famous by playing a Jersey Shore’ guidette, a term which usually refers to Italians, Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi is actually Latina. She was born in Chile but was adopted by Italian American parents, according to her bio on IMDB.
- For ten seasons you watched David Gallagher play Simon Camden, the cute little blonde boy turned rebellious teenager in the show “7th Heaven.” Simon was a member of the Christian, white, suburban Camden household. His blonde locks and green eyes made him a perfect fit for the Camden family. But Gallagher was born in Flushing, Queens, to a Cuban mother, according to Latina.
- Odette Yustman appeared with Megan Fox in the action-thriller “Transformers.” But her big break came when she starred in the 2009 horror film “The Unborn.” The stunning actress was born in Los Angeles, California, to a Cuban mother and a Colombian father, according to Ethnicelebs. She’s been appearing regularly on “House” since the show began its eighth season this year.
- Vanessa Marcil is best known her role as Gina Kincaid, the little vixen on Aaron Spelling’s series, Beverly Hills, 90210. She later went on to play Sam, a tough business woman, for five years in the NBC show “Las Vegas.” Marcil, whose birth name is Sally Vanessa Ortiz, was born in Indio, California, to a Mexican father and a French mother.
- Louis C.K. is one of the hottest comedians now. C.K. writes, acts, directs, and edits his sitcom “Louie” Louis C.K. was born to an American mother of Irish ancestry and a Mexican father. The famous comedian lived in Mexico till the age of 7 before moving to the U.S. His first language is Spanish.
Gee, not a single gardener or maid in the bunch. No wonder we couldn’t tell they were Latino!
– CC
PS Latino is an ethnic category, not a racial one. There are plenty of white Latinos. Just ask Cameron Diaz!
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The HuffPo article can be seen as naive, playing off preconceived notions. Another way to look at it, if you’re feeling more sanguine, is that maybe it will help people who see Latinos in a stereotypical way to open their minds, and to contemplate the fact that their expectations don’t always match the complexity of what’s found in the real world.
Well, then I would have titled it slightly different like, ““Louis C.K. And Other Celebrities THAT WE Didn’t KNOW Were Latino” or ““DID YOU KNOW Louis C.K. and These Other Celebrities Were Latino?” The current title just assumes a certain level of ignorance and reveals their own bias.
Good point!
My friends are always asking me to describe my background because my parents are both Puerto Rican (very fair complexion w/ dark hair and brown eyes) and my brother and I are the only two of my siblings that were born with light blond hair and light eyes, myself lite baby blue and my brother light green eyes.
WHY I HAVE TO EXPLAIN I DONT KNOW but it gets tired. Sometimes I just want to tell them I was adopted so they can shut up but then that’s not educating people. Go to the islands and you’ll see how many natives are “white looking.” I consider myself Puerto Rican/Latino. Not white or black. In the end, I tell them we are all human and deserve to be treated as such. What makes us who we are is the way we’re brought up and taught how to respect others for who they are, not their color or race.
PS … you’d be surprised how many Latinos hate on their own race just because they look white. So it’s not always black and white. Same thing with darker skinned and lighter skinned blacks, they hate on the lighter skin blacks. The hate and prejudices have to end.