There has been much said about “cancel culture” ruining careers, but it didn’t seem to shake James Franco. Over the last few years, the acclaimed actor was engaged in a sexual misconduct scandal where several of his acting class students accused him of inappropriate behavior. Franco would later admit that he did have sex with his students and he settled a class action lawsuit for over $2 million, but none of this has slowed down his career.
Deadline recently reported that Franco was cast to portray Fidel Castro in the film Alina of Cubana, and it’s a move that caused a ruckus.
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There has been backlash from the public and industry alike, and famed actor John Leguizamo recently voiced his frustrations on Instagram. Leguizamo was upset about a non-Latino entertainer being assigned the part and shared a screenshot of Deadline’s report on Franco’s casting. “How is this still going on?” he questioned.
“How is Hollywood excluding us but stealing our narratives as well? No more appropriation Hollywood and streamers! Boycott!,” Leguizamo wrote. “This F’d up! Plus seriously difficult story to tell without aggrandizement which would b wrong! I don’t got a prob with Franco but he ain’t Latino!”
The View co-host Ana Navarro appeared in Leguizamo’s comment section and added, “I’d like to think no Latino actor worth their salt would sign up to play and aggrandize a murderous dictator who terrorized the people of Cuba for six decades. For both reasons you articulated, I join you in the boycott.”
Production is reportedly slated to begin on August 15 in Colombia. It is unclear if the studios will respond to the outcry.
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